The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles will head out to Allianz Stadium to play the South Sydney Rabbitohs on Friday night at 6pm (AEST).
South Sydney halfback Adam Reynolds will return whilst George Burgess will be absent following suspension due to a shoulder charge.
These two teams went head to head in Round 2 where Rabbitohs defeated Manly 38-18 at Lottoland. Manly have won all three games away from home (Lottoland) and will be looking to make this their fourth.
Last Time Out
South Sydney had a tough challenge against the Brisbane Broncos, losing to 1 point after Brisbane’s halfback Milford sliced through a field goal in the 78th minute. With a questionable try awarded to Broncos, Tautau Moga in the 69th minute turned the game and Rabbitohs momentum upside down. South Sydney weren’t able to stay focused or apply as much pressure as they needed to apply points which they weren’t successful in doing. The Rabbitohs will come out firing this week after the loss with halfback Adam Reynolds returning, especially after he was clearly missed during the game last week being the best player to kick the field goal but wasn’t on the field.
The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles are coming off a terrific win against the Canberra Raiders. The game was filled with determination and passion from all players but it was the luck of Dylan Walker’s 39- metre penalty goal that gave the Sea Eagles the victory. Manly will be hopeful they can take the two points and defeat the Rabbitohs to successfully win their fourth game away from home.
Key Battle
The key battle will be between the halfback’s, Adam Reynolds (South Sydney) and Daly Cherry Evans (Manly).
Adam Reynolds will make his return following a hip injury and will most likely have a huge impact on the side. He will fulfil his role by creating a better attacking side with his kicks. His presence on the field is felt through the television at home and his return is huge for Souths.
Manly’s captain DCE will head in quietly confident after last week’s victory but will know this is another tough game. After being beaten in round 2 at home by a 20- points he will understand there is a big task at hand. He has been contributing more tackles than the last seasons, with 19 tackles last week and a try assist. His try-assists have also proven crucial in Manly’s wins.
Prediction
It’s always a tough challenge when these two team’s go head to head, regardless of where they’re going on the ladder. With Souths halfback, Reynolds returning will play a huge role but Manly have shown composure and have one extra win under their belt this season. It wouldn’t surprise me if the game came down to a one- point different or golden point. Manly by 2.
SQUADS
Rabbitohs 1 Alex Johnston 2 Hymel Hunt 3 Siosifa Talakai 4 Robert Jennings 5 Bryson Goodwin 6 Cody Walker 7 Adam Reynolds 8 Thomas Burgess 9 Damien Cook 10 Kyle Turner 11 John Sutton 12 Angus Crichton 13 Sam Burgess (c) Interchange 14 Robbie Farah 15 Jason Clark 16 Zane Musgrove 17 Cameron Murray 18 Tyrell Fuimaono 19 Anthony Cherrington 20 Braidon Burns 21 Robbie Rochow
Sea Eagles 1 Tom Trbojevic 2 Jorge Taufua 3 Dylan Walker 4 Brian Kelly 5 Akuila Uate 6 Blake Green 7 Daly Cherry-Evans (c) 8 Brenton Lawrence 9 Apisai Koroisau 10 Martin Taupau 11 Frank Winterstein 12 Curtis Sironen 13 Jake Trbojevic. Interchange 14 Lewis Brown 15 Jackson Hastings 16 Nate Myles 17 Addin Fonua-Blake 18 Jarrad Kennedy 19 Cameron Cullen 20 Matthew Wright 21 Shaun Lane
