Sea Eagles V Cowboys Preview
Big League
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Sea Eagles v Cowboys
BlueTongue Stadium
Saturday 7.30pm
THIS one all boils down to attitude, with one of the most consistent sides in the NRL up against arguably the competitions most up-and-down side.
The Sea Eagles enter the arena on the back of three great victories (Eels, Bulldogs and Broncos) that have propelled them into equal second place, while the Cowboys are hobbling off their second three-loss streak for the season (Storm, Rabbitohs, Sharks).
Surprisingly for a side that made last years Grand Final and is in good form again in 2008, Manly players have been largely and curiously overlooked for State of Origin duty, with only fullback Brett Stewart picked in the sky blue for the Origin opener.
Incumbents Jamie Lyon and Brent Kite didnt get a look in. Outwardly coach Des Hasler is fuming at the snub but deep down inside hes probably struggling to contain his glee at retaining his stars.
Stewarts absence sees Michael Robertson shift to the no.1 jersey, while Nick Bradley-Qalilawa makes his NRL debut on the flank.
The Cowboys lose star playmaker Johnathan Thurston to the Maroons, as well as go-forward prop Carl Webb and second-rower Jacob Lillyman who was scheduled to return from suspension.
Interchange Anthony Watts shifts to the no.7 while Shane Tronc, back from injury, gets the call-up to fill Webbs shoes. Mat Bowen remains sidelined with a knee injury that will require surgery at the end of the season.
An interesting sideline is that cousins David (Sea Eagles) and John (Cowboys) Williams oppose each other on the wing, each wearing jersey no.5.
Watch out Sea Eagles: The only possible chink in Manlys armour appears to be on the wings where their two players this week tally just one NRL game between them.
That wont have been lost on Cowboys coach Graham Murray, so expect plenty of bombs and cross-field kicks directed their way.
Even with their best players on the park Manly have defused just a lowly 38 per cent of cross-field bombs, and have conceded a third of their 18 tries to kicks.
Watch out Cowboys: Going up against the relatively inexperienced Watts, Manly halfback Matt Orford would be contemplating tucking in to a real attacking feast here.
Having played well in season 2008 and still been snubbed by the rep selectors hes probably resigned to the fact his career has reached its plateau. But in many ways that can be a good thing theres no more media scrutiny and no more pressure to perform, meaning he can now concentrate on what he does best at club level.
For example, Orford ranks just two line-break assists behind Thurstons NRL-best 8. And he is level with JT for top try assists with 11.
Theres no Thurston this week, and with Lyons, Steve Matai and dumped Maroons Origin centre Steve Bell hungry outside him, Orford could mastermind a points blitz in Gosford.
Where it will be won: Its quite simple: defence will determine this one. While both sides have no trouble scoring points (both have scored 32 tries), the Sea Eagles have let in less than half the number of four-pointers the Cowboys have (18 second-fewest in the comp to the Cowboys 37 second-most in the comp).
The History: Played 12; Sea Eagles 7, Cowboys 5. Honours are even four games apiece over the past eight clashes although the Sea Eagles won the past two, including a 28-6 thumping at the SFS last year.
It should be noted the Cowboys achieved their biggest head-to-head win against Manly away from home 31-20 at Brookvale Oval in 2003.
Conclusion: Rarely has the outcome of a game looked as clear-cut as this one. While Manly should be way too strong they will, however, need to watch their discipline.
Their 63 penalties conceded is the second-most by any team this year and while this is a home game and referee Ben Cummins has a healthy 8-1 record for home sides in 2008 his lopsided count against the Knights last week drew great coverage.
While not suggesting any pre-meditated actions its funny how things like penalty counts can calm down given weight of attention. But invest on a large Manly win.
Match officials: Referee Ben Cummins; Sideline Officials Michael Jones & Steve Carrall; Video ref Russell Smith.
Televised: FoxSports 2 Live 7.30pm
