Sea Eagles v Raiders preview

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Sea Eagles hoping to soar against pillaging Raiders

Canberra will attempt to continue their rise through the top 4 when they encounter Manly on Saturday afternoon. Both of these sides have had very different seasons, one looking forward to finals football and Manly hoping to end their season in style. The Raiders have gone on an incredible winning run of late which has seen them knock over the top 2 teams in the NRL in the past 3 weeks. They will hope that they can continue that coming up against a plucky Manly side.

Manly will see this as a good opportunity to cause an upset against a team in the top 4 and gain some much needed confidence.

Last meeting: Round 13 2016 - Raiders 30 Sea Eagles 18

Canberra have also only won 1 of the last 5 games at Brookvale which was a 24-22 triumph in 2010. Overall the Raiders have won just 9 times at the Northern Beaches venue in 25 games. Not a happy hunting ground.

Who to watch: Manly will be hoping that Jake Trbojevic can continue to lead from the front with his strong example and defensive displays. He has played with maturity above his years and it's no surprise to see him touted as a future captain of the Sea Eagles. He is one of the hardest hitters in the NRL and some of the big tackles he puts on can inspire his fellow team mates to lift. With injuries hitting Manly hard, expect to see Jake lead to set the example.

For the Raiders they have been exciting everyone with their attack and one player that has been quietly consistent has been Aiden Sezer. The former Titans half back has been steering the Raiders around the park seamlessly and his organisational skills are second to none. He hasn't done anything flashy recently but still has had a formidable 2016 season with 5 tries, 10 try assists and 4 line breaks. Look for him to keep the Raiders on top with his short, attacking kicking game.

The favourite: Canberra are big favourites in this game despite being away from home.

My tip: Even though the Raiders have a very ordinary record at Brookvale, I fancy them to buck this trend and keep their good form going. Josh Hodgson returns which boosts both their attack and defense and they are brimming with confidence. Manly's season ended a few weeks ago and at the moment they are just going through the motions. Hard to see them getting up for this one. Canberra by 18.

1. Tom Trbojevic 2. Jorge Taufua 3. Lewis Brown 4. Brad Parker 5. Brayden Wiliame 6. Matthew Wright 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Addin Fonua-blake 9. Apisai Koroisau 10. Nate Myles 11. Martin Taupau 12. Jamie Buhrer 13. Jake Trbojevic
Interchange: 14. Matt Parcell 15. Josh Starling 16. Frank Winterstein 17. Siosaia Vave

1. Jack Wighton 2. Edrick Lee 3. Jarrod Croker 4. Joseph Leilua 5. Jordan Rapana 20. Sam Williams 7. Aidan Sezer 8. Paul Vaughan 9. Josh Hodgson 10. Shannon Boyd 11. Josh Papalii 12. Elliot Whitehead 13. Iosia Soliola
Interchange: 14. Kurt Baptiste 15. Luke Bateman 16. Clay Priest 17. Joseph Tapine

Referees: Ben Cummins, Tim Roby; Sideline Officials: Ricky MacFarlane, Adam Reid; Video Referees: Bernard Sutton, Bryan Norrie, Jason Robinson