2020 NRL – Canterbury Bulldogs vs Manly Sea Eagles Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is Canterbury Bulldogs vs Manly Sea Eagles taking place? Friday 11th September, 2020 – 09:00 (UK)
Where is Canterbury Bulldogs vs Manly Sea Eagles taking place? ANZ Stadium, Sydney
What is the expected weather for Canterbury Bulldogs vs Manly Sea Eagles? 17c, clear skies
What channel is Canterbury Bulldogs vs Manly Sea Eagles on? Sky Sports Arena will be televising selected NRL games in the UK and you can find their schedule here. For Australian broadcasters, you can find a list here
Where can I stream Canterbury Bulldogs vs Manly Sea Eagles? If televised on Sky Sports, then subscribers will be able to stream the match live via Sky Go. Alternatively, the match will be available to subscribers of Watch NRL
Where can I get tickets for Canterbury Bulldogs vs Manly Sea Eagles? Click here for ticket information on 2020 NRL matches
THE TEAM NEWS
CANTERBURY BULLDOGS
Starting 13: Hopoate, Meaney, R. Smith, Watene-Zelezniak, Okunbor, Averillo, Lewis, Tolman, Marshall-King, To'omaga, Faitala-Mariner, Doorey, Jackson – Interchanges: Wakeham, Sue, Britt, C. Smith – Reserves: Katoa, Lafai
Unavailable: Joe Stimson (Injured), Adam Elliott (Injured), Kieran Foran (Injured), Dylan Napa (Injured), Luke Thompson (Injured), Ofahiki Ogden (Injured)
- Canterbury Bulldogs moved a step closer to the wooden spoon as they were edged by Gold Coast Titans last week and they now have just three matches remaining to try and overhaul the teams ahead of them on the ladder.
- The Bulldogs struggled to contain the Titans at times and missing 29 tackles did not aid their cause and despite completing at 83%, Canterbury failed to ask enough of the Gold Coast defence in the 14-18 loss.
- In their quest to collect just their third win of the season, the Bulldogs will have to make do without the influential Kieran Foran in the halves while Dylan Napa is also injured so Jake Averillo will start at five-eighth and there is also a spot for Jayden Okunbor on the wing following his lengthy suspension. In a further blow for Canterbury, Luke Thompson and Ofahiki Ogden were ruled out 24 hours before kick-off which has caused a big reshuffle in the pack.
MANLY SEA EAGLES
Starting 13: Funa, Hopoate, Parker, Harper, Miski, Cust, Cherry-Evans, Fonua-Blake, Levi, Taupau, Gosiewski, Sironen, J. Trbojevic – Interchanges:
Croker, Waddell, Keppie, Paseka – Reserves: Olakau’atu, Boyle
Unavailable: Manase Fainu (Disciplinary), Tom Trbojevic (Injured), Dylan Walker (Injured), Brendan Elliot (Injured), Moses Suli (Injured), Joel Thompson (Injured), Reuben Garrick (Injured), Jorge Taufua (Injured), Josh Schuster (Injured)
- Manly Sea Eagles blew a brilliant opportunity to end their losing run as they failed to hang on to a 14-point advantage with just over ten minutes of their clash with Wests Tigers remaining last week.
- Despite scoring 32 points on home soil, it was not enough for Des Hasler’s side as they conceded 34 in what was their sixth consecutive defeat in what has turned into a disappointing campaign.
- Josh Schuster impressed on debut last week but will be unable to build on that after he suffered an ankle injury while Jorge Taufua is also out so Abbas Miski comes in along with Cade Cust, although there will be no late call-ups for youngsters Ben Trbojevic and Luke Metcalf after they dropped off the extended bench.
THE PREDICTION
Canterbury Bulldogs were unable to get the better of Gold Coast Titans as they remain rooted to the foot of the NRL ladder and they are running out of time to avoid collecting the wooden spoon. They take on an out-of-form Manly Sea Eagles outfit in this game who come into this on the back of six straight losses after blowing a solid lead late into their clash with Wests Tigers last week. Neither side inspire any real confidence but with Manly set to give the ball some air like they did last week, this should be an open contest that produces at least 42 points.
