2023 NRL Preview Round 15: Sea Eagles Vs Dolphins
The Dolphins make their historic first trip to Sydney for Friday night’s clash against Manly at 4 Pines Park.
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles Vs The Dolphins
Venue: 4 Pines Park
Date: Friday June 9, 8:00pm
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Sea Eagles: 1. Tom Trbojevic 2. Jason Saab 3. Tolutau Koula 4. Reuben Garrick 5. Christian Tuipulotu 6. Josh Schuster 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Taniela Paseka 9. Lachlan Croker 10. Toafofoa Sipley 11. Haumole Olakau’atu 12. Samuela Fainu 13. Sean Keppie 14. Karl Lawton 15. Josh Aloiai 16. Ethan Bullemor 17. Ben Condon 18. Kaeo Weekes 19. Ray Tuaimalo-Vaega 20. Jakob Arthur 21. Dean Matterson 22. Gordon Chan Kum Tong
Dolphins: 1. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow 2. Jamayne Isaako 3. Euan Aitken 4. Brenko Lee 5. Tesi Niu 6. Kodi Nikorima 7. Isaiya Katoa 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Jeremy Marshall-King 10. Poasa Faamausili 11. Kenny Bromwich 12. Connelly Lemuelu 13. Ray Stone 14. Herman Ese’ese 15. Mark Nicholls 16. Kurt Donoghoe 17. Valynce Te Whare 18. Max Plath 19. Jack Bostock 20. JJ Collins 21. Robert Jennings 22. Oliver Gildart
Referee: Gerard Sutton
Embed from Getty ImagesMATCHDAY PREVIEW
The Sea Eagles return to 4 Pines Park fresh from the bye and needing to turn their form around, having lost four of their previous five before it to slip to 10th on the ladder. Daly Cherry-Evans and Tom Trbojevic both return to the side after missing the Round 13 loss to Newcastle due to Origin duty, while Christian Tuipulotu comes onto the wing for the injured Brad Parker, with Reuben Garrick moving to centre.
The Dolphins sit one point ahead of Manly on the ladder in 8th, where a win consolidate their spot in the top 8 and could potentially put them into the top 4. They are coming off the back of a 30-8 loss to the Warriors in Round 14 but have been on an alternating win-loss pattern since Round 5. They also welcome back an Origin fullback after Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow was rested for the trip to Auckland, with Kodi Nikorima moving to five-eighth to replace the suspended Anthony Milford. In a further boost, Jeremy Marshall-King will return at hooker, with Ray Stone reverting to lock for the suspended Jarrod Wallace. Poasa Faamausili has been named to start in the front row, with Herman Ese’ese dropping back to the bench. This will be their first trip to Sydney.
All eyes will be on the two fullbacks as they have their last hit-out before going into Origin camp early next week. Tom Trbojevic returned to form in Manly’s win over Canberra but was quiet in the first State of Origin. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow has been in excellent form for the Dolphins and will need to be at his best to outdo his interstate rival. The two teams are quite evenly matched statistically, with the Dolphins on average scoring two points per game more than Manly, but also conceding one more.
Manly’s overall record against new expansion clubs is good, having won their first match against each standalone expansion club, bar Brisbane and Melbourne, since entering the competition in 1947.
LAST TEN MATCHES
First meeting
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Dolphins by 6 points.
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