Sea Eagles v Raiders preview

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Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles v Canberra Raiders Saturday 7:30pm at 4 Pines Park, Brookvale / Cammeraygal

Jamal Fogarty makes his Sea Eagles debut, and coincidentally it will come against his former team as Manly faces the Canberra Raiders on Saturday night.

After taking the Raiders all the way to the minor premiership last season, Fogarty faces a fresh challenge replacing Sea Eagles stalwart Daly Cherry-Evans.

He joins Luke Brooks, who actually took on more of a game managing role last season and looks a far more comfortable player than the version that struggled to live up to the hype at the Tigers.

But now Brooks will likely to settle into more of a running five-eighth role next to Fogarty, who is a traditional halfback with a strong long-range kicking game and calm temperament.

"I think everyone's got to understand Daly is Daly, and what he's done for the club for so long - the success that he had here in over 300 games, a premiership, Origin and Test … I'm going to be myself," Fogarty said.

"I'm going to bring my own style. I'm not going to try and do what he did here, because that's just unrealistic.

"I like to steer the team around it and kick well. So if I can just be myself, play my style of footy and fit into the team well, hopefully we can have a good year."

On the flipside, young Ethan Sanders steps in to fill the void of Fogarty for a Raiders team looking to bounce back after crashing out of the finals in straight sets.

Canberra was one of the success stories of the season, only to falter when it mattered most and now with Fogarty out of the picture, last year's minor premiers are betting on Sanders quickly developing into a complementary playmaker next to Ethan Strange.

Really, there will be more pressure on Strange to shoulder greater responsibility after a breakout 2025 season.

"We have seen what Ethan Strange brought last year and he's just got bigger and better. The way he's been training will translate into the games," teammate Hudson Young said on Tuesday.

"For Sanders, we don't want to put too pressure on him. He's just a kid and as a back rower, I take it personally to look after him and defend him out there on the field. I just want him to play his game and build into the season."

In team news, Haumole Olakau'atu is good to go after a shoulder reconstruction while prop Taniela Paseka is also set to return from a ruptured Achilles.

Fogarty isn't the only player making his club debut, with premiership-winning recruit Kobe Hetherington named on the bench.

As for Canberra, Simi Sasagi starts at centre as Matt Timoko works his way back from a minor foot injury.

New recruit Jayden Brailey makes his club debut off the bench with Ricky Stuart wanting to get more minutes into Owen Pattie in NSW Cup.

Last meeting: Round 23 2025 - Raiders 28 Sea Eagles 12

Who to watch: You know the footy season is starting soon because Tom Trbojevic has been training the house down. That is at least what new Manly assistant coach Kieran Foran reckons, declaring this week that Trbojevic is in the best shape of his career and has never looked better. It will be music to Manly fans' ears, even if it may be a case of seeing it to believe it, or more accurately waiting to see if he can stay fit. But if he can, with Fogarty taking more charge of the general plays in attack, it will not just ease pressure on Brooks but also Trbojevic and open him up to really travel all over the field and in the formation.

It will be interesting to see how Stuart uses new recruit Daine Laurie. The former Panther is the kind of player who could thrive with the NRL's newly introduced extended interchange and was one of Canberra's best in the pre-season games. While it is hard to see Stuart pulling Sanders even if he struggles, it must be comforting to know he has an experienced and versatile option in Laurie that he can inject if he needs a calmer head next to Strange at any point. Laurie may just be insurance for both the halves and fullback position, but if the game is tight it may be tempting to find a way to include him late in the piece should the Raiders need an extra injection of energy and ball-playing.

Favourite: It is near dead-even, with the Sea Eagles a slight betting favourite.

MY TIP: There is a reason the bookies are finding this one hard to split. The Raiders have the better forward pack on paper, but with a fit and firing Tom Trbojevic along with Fogarty having a point to prove, Manly may come out the more energised of the two teams and get the win. Manly by 7.

1. Tom Trbojevic 2. Jason Saab 3. Tolutau Koula 4. Reuben Garrick 5. Lehi Hopoate 6. Luke Brooks 7. Jamal Fogarty 8. Taniela Paseka 9. Jake Simpkin 10. Siosiua Taukeiaho 11. Haumole Olakau'atu 12. Ben Trbojevic 13. Jake Trbojevic 14. Joey Walsh 15. Kobe Hetherington 16. Ethan Bullemor 17. Nathan Brown 18. Clayton Faulalo 19. Corey Waddell

1. Kaeo Weekes 2. Savelio Tamale 3. Simi Sasagi 4. Sebastian Kris 5. Xavier Savage 6. Ethan Strange 7. Ethan Sanders 8. Josh Papali'i 9. Tom Starling 10. Joseph Tapine 11. Hudson Young 12. Noah Martin 13. Corey Horsburgh 14. Jayden Brailey 15. Zac Hosking 16. Ata Mariota 17. Morgan Smithies 18. Daine Laurie 19. Jed Stuart

Referees: Liam Kennedy; Sideline Officials: Jon Stone, Daniel Luttringer; Video Referees: Chris Butler;