Round 18 Match Preview: Battle in Brookvale

Author: Sydney Roosters
Timestamp: Wed 28 Jun 2023, 02:38 PM

The Sydney Roosters will travel across the Bridge this Sunday to take on the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles in the NRL's annual Beanie for Brain Cancer Round.

Recent History: Sydney Roosters vs Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles

This Sunday marks the 139th meeting between the Roosters and Sea Eagles, with the Tricolours claiming the two competition points in six of their last eight encounters with the silvertails.

The Sea Eagles claimed a 28-16 win in the Pre-Season Challenge, but last time the two sides met at Brookvale, Easts notched a 20-10 victory to take home the Gotcha4Life Cup.

Both teams had some very impressive wins followed by heartbreaking losses in 2023 and will be looking to find some consistency in their form as the finals series approaches.

How They Line Up

Trent Robinson has made a couple of changes to the line-up this week, with the inclusion of Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii and Siua Wong.

James Tedesco will lead the team from fullback again, with Daniel Tupou and Suaalii on the wings. Joseph Manu will play his 150th NRL game this Sunday, partnering Billy Smith in the centres.

Luke Keary and Sandon Smith will link up in the halves, while Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Jake Turpin and Lindsay Collins make up the front row.

Victor Radley will start in the second row alongside Naufahu Whyte, with Nathan Brown complete the back row and the starting side.

The interchange bench features Drew Hutchison, Terrell May, Siua Wong and Fletcher Baker. Junior Pauga, Corey Allan, Zach Dockar-Clay, Nat Butcher and Dylan Napa have been named on the extended bench.

Round 18 - Round 18 - Sunday 2 Jul

Full Time

Sea Eagles

Roosters

Team Lists

Backs

Fullback for Sea Eagles is number 1 Reuben Garrick

Fullback for Roosters is number 1 James Tedesco
Winger for Sea Eagles is number 2 Jason Saab

Winger for Roosters is number 2 Daniel Tupou
Centre for Sea Eagles is number 3 Brad Parker

Centre for Roosters is number 4 Joseph Manu
Centre for Sea Eagles is number 4 Tolutau Koula

Centre for Roosters is number 19 Corey Allan
Winger for Sea Eagles is number 5 Christian Tuipulotu

Winger for Roosters is number 18 Fetalaiga Pauga
Five-Eighth for Sea Eagles is number 6 Joshua Schuster

Five-Eighth for Roosters is number 6 Luke Keary
Halfback for Sea Eagles is number 7 Daly Cherry-Evans

Halfback for Roosters is number 7 Sandon Smith

Forwards

Prop for Sea Eagles is number 8 Taniela Paseka

Prop for Roosters is number 8 Jared Waerea-Hargreaves
Hooker for Sea Eagles is number 9 Lachlan Croker

Hooker for Roosters is number 9 Jake Turpin
Prop for Sea Eagles is number 10 Toafofoa Sipley

Prop for Roosters is number 10 Lindsay Collins
2nd Row for Sea Eagles is number 11 Haumole Olakau'atu

2nd Row for Roosters is number 11 Victor Radley
2nd Row for Sea Eagles is number 12 Kelma Tuilagi

2nd Row for Roosters is number 21 Nat Butcher
Lock for Sea Eagles is number 13 Jake Trbojevic

Lock for Roosters is number 13 Nathan Brown

Interchange

Interchange for Sea Eagles is number 14 Ben Trbojevic

Interchange for Roosters is number 12 Naufahu Whyte
Interchange for Sea Eagles is number 15 Josh Aloiai

Interchange for Roosters is number 14 Drew Hutchison
Interchange for Sea Eagles is number 16 Ethan Bullemor

Interchange for Roosters is number 15 Terrell May
Interchange for Sea Eagles is number 17 Aaron Woods

Interchange for Roosters is number 16 Siua Wong

Reserves

Replacement for Sea Eagles is number 18 Jake Arthur

Replacement for Roosters is number 23 Jaxson Paulo

Match Officials

Referee: Gerard Sutton
Touch Judge: Drew Oultram
Touch Judge: Kasey Badger
Senior Review Official: Ashley Klein

Last updated: 9/7/2024 12:25:58 PM

Sea Eagles Coach Anthony Seibold welcomes back a number of key figures to his line-up this week, including Jake Trbojevic, Jason Saab, Ben Trbojevic and Brad Parker who all return from injury.

Key Match Up: Daniel Tupou vs Jason Saab

Two of the tallest wingers in the NRL go head-to-head on the edge this week when Daniel Tupou faces Jason Saab in is set to be an intriguing battle.

Both flyers have faced injury setbacks in 2023, restricting them to 10 appearances for their respective teams, but their experience and tenacity in the air means they're extremely valuable inclusions to this week's line-up.

This year, Tupou has scored four tries and broken 19 tackles, tallying a whopping average of 184 run metres. The Tongan International is edging closer and closer to Anthony Minichiello's all-time try-scoring record, currently three tries short of the top spot. He has also been solid in defence, making 56 tackles for a 86.2% efficiency rating.

Saab returns from injury this week in what will be a huge boost for Manly. So far in 2023, the 22-year-old has scored six tries and broken eight tackles, averaging 116 run metres per game, with his consistency and speed playing key roles in the Sea Eagles' attack.

With plenty of action expected across the park, keep your eyes on these two towering wingers to get their teams going from the backfield.

What They Said

"We’re united as a group, we’re strong as team so we’re going to keep working hard, we’re training really hard, we’re together as a group and we’ll get through this. We were in a similar position last year with a similar group, we stuck at it and we turned it around." – Luke Keary

"It’s very challenging, we’ve just got to keep marching forward, we’ve got players that can fill in. There’s a lot of belief in the squad, we’re a tight knit group and we’ve got to just keep chipping away." – Daniel Tupou

"We’ve got a good squad and looking at the positives it gives an opportunity for players to come into the team and show what they’ve got." – Nathan Brown

Final Verdict

With both their seasons on the line, you can guarantee that the Roosters and Sea Eagles will be throwing everything at one another in what is set to be a blockbuster in Brookvale.

You can purchase your tickets for our Round 18 game here! If you can’t make it to 4 Pines Park, be sure to attend Easts Bondi Junction where you can watch the game live from Artie’s Bar. Easts are also running happy hour for two hours pre-match.

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