Eagles to go biff
30 Apr 09 @ 04:01pm by JASON AVEDISSIAN
http://manly-daily.whereilive.com.au/sport/story/manly-to-get-physical/
WHEN Manly prop Brent Kite aimed up and belted Michael Crocker in last years grand final replay at Brookvale Oval, it was a significant moment in the Sea Eagles run-in towards claiming the NRL title.
Melbourne won that night last August, but it was the first time Des Haslers men firmly believed they could beat the 2007 champions.
Two months later those feelings were vindicated when Manly thumped the Storm 40-0 to win the premiership.
The Sea Eagles will again be told to muscle up when they face their arch-rivals in what is tipped to be a spicy clash at Brookvale Oval on Friday night.
It brings out the best in us, Kite said of Manlys intense rivalry with the Storm.
We are both pretty hungry for a win.
But a round eight victory is not going to compare to a GF.
Not by a long shot. But another loss tonight could send the Sea Eagles season spinning out of control. With the Broncos in Brisbane looming next Sunday, Manly desperately need two premiership points tonight or face a chilly winter by the beaches.
Both teams will use this game to get back on track, to try and kick-start something for the season, fullback Michael Robertson said.
We are not riding on anything that happened last year. Hopefully we can get a win and start a bit of a charge.
A run towards the games that matter in September. Naturally the Storm wont be easy with an abundance of game-breakers sprinkled in their talented unit.
Storm second-rower Ryan Hoffman is one of them, also keen to get one over the NRL champions.
Grand final replays are always big and both teams are looking forward to putting in good performances because I suppose both teams have not reached their potential this year, he explained to The Manly Daily.
I know for us its going to be a good gauge on our season. Its still early days and we are confident we can still be there at the end of the year. But, any time you are playing Manly at Brookvale its a big game. They are quite proud of being very hard to beat on the northern beaches. We have always had great games at Brookvale and are expecting a really tough contest again.