2021 NRL – Sydney Roosters vs Manly Sea Eagles Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is Sydney Roosters vs Manly Sea Eagles taking place? Saturday 13th March, 2021 – 06:30 (UK)
Where is Sydney Roosters vs Manly Sea Eagles taking place? Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
Where can I get tickets for Sydney Roosters vs Manly Sea Eagles? Click here for ticket information on 2021 NRL matches
What channel is Sydney Roosters vs Manly Sea Eagles on? Sky Sports Arena will be televising selected NRL games in the UK and you can find their schedule here. For Australian broadcasters, you can find a list here
Where can I stream Sydney Roosters vs Manly Sea Eagles? If televised on Sky Sports, then subscribers will be able to stream the match live via Sky Go. Alternatively, the match will be available to subscribers of Watch NRL
THE TEAM NEWS
SYDNEY ROOSTERS
Starting 13: Tedesco, Tupou, J. Morris, Manu, B. Morris, Lam, Keary, Collins, Friend, Taukeiaho, Crichton, Tupouniua, Liu – Interchanges: Keighran, Waerea-Hargreaves, Butcher, Suluka-Fifita – Reserves: Baker, Walker
Unavailable: Victor Radley (Suspended), Sam Verrills (Injured), Billy Smith (Injured), Boyd Cordner (Injured)
- Sydney Roosters were unable to make it three successive Premiership wins as they lost both of their matches in the finals last year but they will fully believe that they are capable of getting back into contention in 2021.
- The Roosters decided to dispense of Kyle Flanagan after an under-whelming season in the halves so Lachlam Lam will be handed the first chance to partner Luke Keary with highly-rated rookie Sam Walker having to bide his time.
- Victor Radley and Sam Verrills will have to wait to make their return serious knee issues while the former has also been hit with a two-match ban for an off-field incident so will not be available until Round 3 while Verrills' absence opens the door for new signing Adam Keighran to debut from the bench.
MANLY SEA EAGLES
Starting 13: Walker, Saab, Parker, Suli, Garrick, Foran, Cherry-Evans, Aloiai, Croker, Taupau, Gosiewski, Sironen, J. Trbojevic – Interchanges: Funa, Davey, Boyle, Paseka – Reserves: Schuster, Keppie
Unavailable: Cade Cust (Injured), Tom Trbojevic (Injured), Jorge Taufua (Injured), Manase Fainu (Suspended)
- Manly Sea Eagles produced some woeful performances in 2020 with them appearing to be too reliant on fullback Tom Trbojevic and having lost eight of their last nine, they face an uphill task at the start of this campaign.
- Trbojevic will be absent until Round 4 after picking up a hamstring injury in pre-season while the loss of Addin Fonua-Blake to New Zealand Warriors is also a big blow for the Sea Eagles who look very light on depth.
- Dylan Walker has surprisingly been handed the job of filling in for Trbojevic at fullback with Morgan Harper missing out and that move also sees Kieran Foran line-up with Daly Cherry-Evans on his return to the club.
THE PREDICTION
Sydney Roosters looked like a tired outfit towards the back end of the 2020 campaign but it was some poor defensive efforts that saw them surrender their title. Their back-to-back Premiership wins were built on a resolute defence but that deserted them at the end of the season and it will be an area that head coach Trent Robinson wants his side to fix at the start of this campaign. They will believe they are too good for this Manly Sea Eagles side who were short of confidence and quality at the end of last year and with their side looking weaker than it did last time around, they have a big challenge ahead of them to compete for a spot in the finals. The Roosters will have a big point to prove in 2021 and they can get off to a strong start by covering the -9.5 handicap here.
