Check out the match preview and prediction for the round 24 clash between the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles and the New Zealand Warriors
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Vs New Zealand Warriors
Venue: 4 Pines Park, Sydney
Date: Friday August 16, 6:00pm
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Sea Eagles: 1. Tom Trbojevic, 2. Jason Saab, 3. Tommy Talau, 4. Reuben Garrick, 5. Lehi Hopoate, 6. Luke Brooks, 7. Daly Cherry-Evans, 8. Taniela Paseka, 9. Lachlan Croker, 10. Josh Aloiai, 11. Haumole Olakau’atu, 12. Karl Lawton, 13. Jake Trbojevic, 14. Gordon Chan Kum Tong, 15. Ben Trbojevic, 16. Ethan Bullemor, 17. Nathan Brown, 18. Tolutau Koula, 19. Toafofoa Sipley, 20. Corey Waddell, 21. Jamie Humphreys, 22. Clayton Faulalo
Warriors: 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, 2. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, 3. Adam Pompey, 4. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, 5. Marcelo Montoya, 6. Chanel Harris-Tavita, 7. Shaun Johnson, 8. Addin Fonua-Blake, 9. Wayde Egan, 10. Mitchell Barnett, 11. Marata Niukore, 12. Kurt Capewell, 13. Dylan Walker, 14. Freddy Lussick, 15. Tom Ale, 16. Jazz Tevaga, 17. Demitric Sifakula, 18. Leka Halasima, 20. Taine Tuaupiki, 21. Luke Metcalf, 22. Edward Kosi, 23. Bunty Afoa
Referee: Chris Butler
Embed from Getty ImagesMATCHDAY PREVIEW
Draws are extremely uncommon in the NRL. Ever since the introduction of Golden Point, a 10-minute field goal shoot-out is what decides the winners and losers of level NRL games.
But once in a blue moon, not even that shoot-out can separate the two teams. Not even the clutch expertise of Shaun Johnson and Daly Cherry-Evans can stand up and ice the game. In those instances, we end with a draw. And, in round 6 of this season between these two sides, that’s exactly what happened.
Much has changed since that game. Manly are sitting in sixth looking to mount an unlikely assault on the top four, while the Warriors are now out of finals contention. Not to mention that Johnson, a man who back in round 6 we expected to guide the Warriors to another finals finish, has announced that these next few games will be the last of his career.
Manly come into this game off the back of a convincing win down in the nation’s capital against the Canberra Raiders. I was sat in the crowd for that game, and even in the opening exchanges – when the Raiders were ahead on the scoreboard – I could tell that the Sea Eagles looked far more threatening when opportunities presented themselves.
What I saw was the kind of super-slick ruthlessness that the top clubs pride themselves on. It’s a style of play we’ve known this Manly side is capable of producing for some time. They showed that to perfection back in 2021. While they didn’t quite put it together for the entire 80 minutes, it was an ominous warning shot to the rest of the competition that they’re finding what works for them in the lead-up to the finals.
I’d hazard a guess that a fixture at Brookvale, against a team without finals aspirations, could prove the perfect place to double down on showing what they’re capable of.
On the other side of the park, this game marks the first in the farewell tour of Johnson. When I consider the great Warriors, my mind goes to the likes of Stacey Jones, Ruben Wiki, and Simon Mannering. But Johnson absolutely belongs alongside them. When the retirement was announced, Warriors CEO Cameron George stated that there exists a generation of kids in New Zealand who picked up a rugby league ball thanks to Johnson. Such has been the impact the halfback has had.
The Warriors may well be out of the race. But this season one thing they haven’t been short on is heart. Despite sitting in the bottom four, they’ve got the best attack in the bottom nine, and the second-best defence. They’ve lost a number of extremely close games this season, and last week’s Golden Point loss was no different.
But in a heartbreaking season for the Warriors, they now have every reason to send one of their club’s all-time greats out on a positive note. They’ll provide a stern test for the in-form Manly side and should by no means be underestimated.
Ten minutes of extra time couldn’t separate these sides in round 6. Now, they get another 80 to battle it out for the competition points. On Friday night, keep an eye on the two halfbacks – Cherry-Evans and Johnson. Aged 35 and 33 respectively, these two elder statesmen of our game oppose each other for the 13th and final time. Enjoy.
Head-to-head stats can be found at Number Crunch Stats.
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Check out all the NRL Predictions here.
Sea Eagles by 10 points.
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