Here we go again, Manly and Parra. It's a rivalry that never fails to deliver and another classic chapter will be written on Friday night on the Eels' home turf.
Both sides are coming off Magic Round defeats, a third in four weeks for Manly, so the stakes will be high and CommBank Stadium is sure to be buzzing.
Their previous meeting in round 22 last year resulted in a 56-10 cakewalk for the Sea Eagles as Reuben Garrick piled on 28 points, just two shy of Ron Rowles' record of 30 set way back in 1954.
A repeat of that sort of scoreline is unlikely but the Eels are sure to be on high alert as they confront a Manly backline packed with threats and desperate to make a statement after being held scoreless in Magic Round.
Sportsbet Betting preview: Eels v Sea Eagles
The Rundown
Team news
Eels: Marata Niukore will make his return at lock, with Ryan Matterson joining Nathan Brown on the bench in the team finalised before kick-off. Maika Sivo made his return from an ACL injury in NSW Cup in the curtain-raiser to the NRL clash.
Sea Eagles: Toafofoa Sipley will start in the front row, with Sean Keppie dropping back to the interchange in the only late change when the teams were finalised 60 minutes before kick-off. Tom Trbojevic has been named at fullback despite concerns over his knee and will be right to play. Brother Ben is out with a shoulder injury, with his place taken by Morgan Harper. Josh Schuster will return from a calf injury on the bench, Andrew Davey goes into the starting side and Ethan Bullemor drops to 18th man.
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Key match-up
Nathan Brown v Jake Trbojevic: Two men who leave it all out on the field every time they play. Brown averages 118 metres per game, every run as ferocious as the last, and he gets through plenty of work in defence as well with 29 tackles a match. Trbojevic is racking up 41 tackles per game and still finds the energy to spark Manly with his ball-playing skills at the line. The heart and soul of the northern beaches club, Trbojevic will be smarting after last week's hiding and will do everything in his power to ensure they turn it around.
Stat Attack
Eels No.7 Mitch Moses boasts more try assists than any other player with 16 while Manly's Daly Cherry-Evans has laid on seven tries in 2022. When it comes to building pressure on the opposition with forced dropouts, DCE has 12 for the season compared to five for Moses.
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