NRL Round 20 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles v Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Preview

It's a game that fans of both teams have been waiting for since the first meeting this season and there is no surprise that a lot of the attention in the lead up to this match is about Des Hasler. Hasler left the Sea Eagles at the end of the 2011 season before the end of his contract to take up a new post at the Bulldogs. It did surprise most but people could understand with the internal turmoil at Manly, including the clubs board, almost taking a front seat ahead of playing football. But this clash is perhaps a bigger occasion this time around because the two teams are in the Top 8 and pushing towards a semi final berth come September. The Bulldogs are flying high as they are equal 1st on the competition ladder and full credit has to go to Hasler and his ability to turn this clubs performances around with a relatively similar roster to the last few years. The Sea Eagles will be as desperate as ever to spring an upset in this game as it proves, that they can produce a win over their old coach when it matters most. Interestingly the Sea Eagles have a similar roster also to last season and when all players are fit, they posses perhaps one of the strongest teams in the competition. This alone makes them a threat to any team in the finals. But the Bulldogs players are playing at a level that the Sea Eagles players were at last season. The job for the Sea Eagles coach Geoff Toovey will be to get his players back up to this level and get a win over the Bulldogs. This all sets the table for a very interesting clash and a great one to start the weekend of footy. Even if you don't support either team, there will still be plenty of people watching this game as things could get fiery. So who is going to stand up and assert themselves as one of the real premiership contenders? Sit back and enjoy watching this game unfold.

Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
The Sea Eagles have unfortunately not been able to name Brett Stewart to make a return from a hamstring injury, so Dean Whare remains in the number 1 jersey. Glenn Stewart has been named (again...he has been named for the past 3 weeks) but it has been said that he will play this week after being very close last week. In other good news, the Sea Eagles have also named Steve Matai to take the field after being ruled out last weekend with the flu. They certainly like to keep the fans (and punters) guess about their final lineup right until the last minute. So make sure that you are following my twitter feed as information will be posted as soon as it comes to hand. Apart from that, Manly are the same team that went down in an embarrassing defeat to the Knights in Newcastle, including 18th man Daniel Harrison. It will be a game that they want to quickly erase from their memory and there is no better way to do it then beating the Bulldogs in this game. Adding to their advantage in this game is the game is being played at Brookvale Oval. They will not want a repeat performance of last week infront of their home fans. But maybe this again fuels speculation that there is an attitude problem at the club, especally when they play the "easier" teams in the competition. Unfortunately for the top side, they seem to lift to another level when they play them.

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
Obviously the Bulldogs will be sweeting on the outcome of the judicary hearing into Sam Kasiano's high shot on Fuifui Moimoi. The good news is that he is available to play in this game having been cleared. The Bulldogs also suffered a injury blow when Dene Halatau, a player who had played in all their games this season to date, is ruled out with a leg injury. He will probably be out for the rest of the season and it is a massive blow to himself and he has always suffered bad injuries but had just appeared to be getting past that stage. More so, his team will miss his presence on the edge of the ruck, not only in attack but also defence. They do not lose any defensive ability by bring David Stagg into the side to start. Stagg has been coming off the bench in recent weeks and will have no problems adjusting as his was always considered to be an 80 minute player. The Bulldogs will look to continue their momentum in recent weeks and while they are sitting up the top of the table, plenty of people are still harbouring doubts about their complete potential. A win here would definitely quiet down those critics.

Recent History
Overall = Sea Eagles 61 - Draw 5 - Bulldogs 48
Last 5 games = Sea Eagles 4 - Bulldogs 1
At Brookvale Oval = Sea Eagles 33 - Draw 3 - Bulldogs 17

Odds
TAB Sportsbet = Sea Eagles $1.70 Bulldogs $2.20
Centrebet = Sea Eagles $1.67 Bulldogs $2.25
Sportsbet = Sea Eagles $1.69 Bulldogs $2.22
Betfair = Sea Eagles $1.73 Bulldogs $2.30

Verdict
This game is going to be a great game to watch and as a result I am a little hesitant to place a bet. It is really a tough game to call and perhaps you would be better served by putting on a few bets that will be left to chance (see below). But for the sake of some peoples tips, I will back the Sea Eagles only because they are playing at Brookvale. That alone gives the Sea Eagles a massive boost. Throw in their woeful performance last week and you have a catalyst for a good performance in this game. We are going to see what the Bulldogs are actually made of and I am not writing them off by any means. They are a very capable team.

Suggested Bet
None...enjoy the game!


But if you want to have a punt...


1) Put on a few mystery try scorers
and/or
2) Put on an NRL Combo (with the TAB)


Both are left to chance and you can invest a small amount of money while still enjoying the game.


Good luck!
Scooby
@scoobystips