Canberra Raiders V Manly Sea Eagles
Saturday 31 March 7:30pm
Brookvale Oval
Tickets: Click here
TV coverage: Fox League live Channel 502
Radio: ABC, 2CC, Mix 106.3
Weather: Cloudy Slight chance of a shower in the morning and afternoon. Winds southerly 15 to 20 km/h tending southeasterly in the morning then becoming light in the middle of the day. Chance of any rain: 30 per cent. Possible rainfall: 0 to 0.4 mm Min 20 Max 25
Round 3 2018. New Zealand Warriors 20, Canberra Raiders 19. Groundhog Day Mark III. Yet another last gasp, narrow loss. Three weeks in a row, Canberra has led the match going into the final stages... and faded in the final five minutes. There are significant problems with the defence and game management that need fixing, and fast. Can the Raiders do it in Round 4, when they head to Brookvale to meet the Manly Sea Eagles?
More on Round 3: As I saw it
Coach Ricky Stuart has dropped Blake Austin from his top squad, though he may yet come into the side for Aidan Sezer, who is suffering a back injury. Ata Hingano has been promoted from Mounties to the interchange bench. It remains to be seen which position he will play, as he can cover in the halves and at hooker. Sia Soliola (ankle) and Joe Tapine (thumb) have both been named in the top 17, but are still under an injury cloud. Liam Knight and Jack Murchie have been named on the bench as cover in the forwards.
For the Sea Eagles, the only change in the team sees Matthew Wright replace Jorge Taufua (collarbone, eight weeks) on the wing. Former Raiders Joel Thompson and Lachlan Croker will line up in the maroon and white.
Late changes: On Friday night, the Canberra Raiders omitted Blake Austin and Jack Murchie from their squad. Liam Knight and Michael Oldfield remain on the extended bench, but coach Ricky Stuart said on Friday that he expects his team will be 1-17. The Sea Eagles have omitted Lewis Brown and Tom Wright from their squad.
Matt's Match-ups: Coming soon
History: Canberra has won 20 of 53 games - and drawn one - against the Sea Eagles. The recent record is poor, with the Raiders winning just three of the past 10 and five of the past 20 matches. At Brookvale Oval, the Raiders have won 10 of 27 matches - and only three of the past 10 at the venue.
In 2017, the Raiders lost twice to the Sea Eagles in golden point. At Canberra Stadium in Round 8, a Dylan Walker penalty goal in extra time gave Manly a 20-18 win. Then in Round 13 at Brookvale, the Raiders trailed 20-6 at the break, but produced a 14 point come back in the second half - only to lose in extra time, 21-20, courtesy of a Daly Cherry Evans field goal. Things were a whole lot better for the Raiders in 2016, with the Green Machine winning both contests.
2017 Round 13 Canberra Raiders V Manly Sea Eagles
2017 Round 8 Canberra Raiders V Manly Sea Eagles
2016 Round 25 Canberra Raiders V Manly Sea Eagles
2016 Round 13 Canberra Raiders V Manly Sea Eagles
In this week's "History Happens" we go back to 1991 and the Raiders' minor semi final against the Sea Eagles. Gary Coyne scored a remarkable four tries in 34-26 victory. The Raiders would go on to make a Grand Final appearance that season, but sadly, could not make it three premierships in a row.
1991 Minor semi final Canberra Raiders V Manly Sea Eagles
Form: The Raiders have lost four of their past five matches, including the three opening matches of 2018. The Sea Eagles have won just once this season - a huge 54-0 victory over the Parramatta Eels in Round 2 at Brookvale. Manly lost 19-18 to the Newcastle Knights in golden point in Round 1 - and lost again in their last outing, 34-6, against the Rabbitohs. They have a WLLWL form line in their past five games.
Betting: The Sea Eagles are $1.54 favourites in the match, while the Raiders are paying $2.55. Canberra has 5.5 points start in the line betting.
Our tip: Coach Ricky Stuart has bitten the bullet and dropped Blake Austin to the extended bench, after his recent defensive woes... and injected new recruit from the Warriors, Ata Hingano. He could come into the halves, when Aidan Sezer takes over from Siliva Havili at hooker. But I'd prefer to see Hingano replace Havili at dummy half... so there is no chopping and changing in the halves. Canberra could face some unwanted disruption to the line up, as three players are in some doubt due to injury (Sezer, Soliola and Tapine). They'll be given as long as possible to prove their fitness. If Tapine can take his place in the team, that will be a big boost.
But it is going to be very difficult for the Raiders to secure their first win of the season at Brookvale Oval. Canberra's record at the ground is very poor and the Sea Eagles have been something of a bogey team for the Raiders. While the Sea Eagles have won just one match this season, they are clearly in better form than Canberra. The two teams have a similar attacking record this season, but the Raiders have an inferior defensive record. The likes of Daly Cherry Evans and the Trbojevic brothers will be difficult for the Canberra defence to contain.
Manly are deserved favourites. Manly by 6-12. Hopefully the Raiders prove that wrong!
What they're saying:
Sam Williams on the Raiders' last gasp losses: "We know that we've been awfully close to being three from three. We just need to move forward, there's still 23 rounds left in this competition. It's just about every individual looking at themselves in that situation and in that period of the game, could they have done anything differently or have they done their job. If every player on the field looks at that and is honest with themselves, I'm sure that we're going to learn and grow as a team.
Joey Leilua: "Our boys are still upbeat. There's a lot of players in there that are thinking of what we could have done better… but at the end of the day we've just got to move forward and focus on Manly. They had a big loss, they got smoked. I think they'll be ready to play good footy against us because there is a lot of rivalry there. Manly is always a tough ask... we've got to be on our game for 80 minutes.
Canberra Raiders
1. Jack Wighton
2. Nick Cotric
3. Jarrod Croker (C)
4. Joey Leilua
5. Jordan Rapana
6. Aidan Sezer
7. Sam Williams
8. Sia Soliola
9. Siliva Havili
10. Shannon Boyd
11. Josh Papalii
12. Elliott Whitehead
13. Luke Bateman
14. Ata Hingano
15. Junior Paulo
16. Dunamis Lui
17. Joe Tapine
18. Liam Knight
20. Michael Oldfield
Manly Sea Eagles
1. Tom Trbojevic
2. Matt Wright
3. Brad Parker
4. Brian Kelly
5. Akuila Uate
6. Lachlan Croker
7. Daly Cherry-Evans (C)
8. Addin Fonua-Blake
9. Api Koroisau
10. Martin Taupau
11. Joel Thompson
12. Curtis Sironen
13. Jake Trbojevic
14. Jackson Hastings
15. Shaun Lane
16. Lloyd Perrett
17. Kelepi Tanginoa
20. Frank Winterstein
21. Jack Gosiewski
Officials:
Referees: Adam Gee, Tim Roby
Sideline Officials: Jeff Younis, Chris McMillan
Video Referees: Steve Chiddy, Luke Patten;
Match Hashtags: #NRL #WeareRaiders #BleedGreen #NRLManlyRaiders
The Greenhouse Hashtags: #WearGreen2018 #FromAllAngles
Mounties teams: Click here
Plus follow us on Twitter: @TheGHRaiders and Instagram: @TheGHRaiders
Having said that at least I have an easily portable job so I can work too (being baggage is fun for a holiday, not great for a 3 year stretch!)
