Offload Preview - Sea Eagles -V- Warriors, Round 4, 2007

The Matchup:
The Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles versus the New Zealand Warriors.
Sunday 8^th April, 4pm (NZT), Brookvale Oval, Sydney.

History:
The Sea Eagles and the Warriors first met in round 5, 1995, with the Warriors losing at home. This trend has since continued, with the winner of all but two of their eleven matches being the away side. The teams have played eleven times, with the Warriors coming out victorious five times – four of those five victories were at Brookvale Oval.

Last Five Encounters:
2004, Round 4: Sea Eagles 10-28 Warriors
2004, Round 10: Warriors 20-42 Sea Eagles
2005, Round 1: Warriors 20-26 Sea Eagles
2005, Round 25: Warriors 22-20 Sea Eagles
2006, Round 5: Warriors 8-22 Sea Eagles

Last Week:
The Warriors stumbled to the in-form Melbourne Storm, conceding an early 14-0 deficit. The club managed to regather, though, and ended up losing 30-12, avoiding what could have been a very embarrassing score line.

The Sea Eagles were fairly decisive in their victory over the Roosters, despite a slow start. After trailing 8-6 early in the second half, they powered to a 30-8 win.

In The Engine Room:
The Warriors forwards struggled against the Storm last week, due in part to the slippery surface at Olympic Park, but mostly because the Melbourne defence moved up quickly and prevented a lot of go-forward. Ruben Wiki gained only 65m, and Steve Price only managed 81m. Similar gains were made by Micheal Luck (77m), Evarn Tuimavave (77m), Epalahame Lauaki (70m), and Sam Rapira (65m). The defensive efforts from the forward pack was admirable, however.

The Manly forwards had a field day against the embarrassed Roosters. Jason King (161m), Brent Kite (138m), and Anthony Watmough (181m) punished their opposition.

Out The Back:
The Warriors’ backline struggled in Melbourne, with gaps appearing on the fringes, particularly on the right hand side. Coach Ivan Cleary was quick to make changes, however, and the slightly smaller, slightly slower Manly backline should be much easier to contain than the Storm were.

The most dangerous players for the Sea Eagles appear to be fullback Brett Stewart and centre Jamie Lyon. These two players both made more than 100m, and also did most of the scoring, with 18 points between them.

Injury Ward:
For the Warriors, Jerome Ropati (hamstring), Wairangi Koopu (shoulder), Louis Anderson (ankle), and Aiden Kirk (knee) are all still unavailable for selection.

The Sea Eagles are without Matt Orford (knee), Steve Matai (ankle), and Steve Menzies (groin).

Taking The Punt:
Warriors Logan Swann and Sam Rapira celebrate two separate achievements this weekend. For Swann, this will be his 150^th match for the club, whereas Rapira will take the field on his 20^th birthday. Ivan Cleary has showed faith in his side, despite losing to the Storm, and has named an unchanged seventeen – the only alteration being Nathan Fien will start, with George Gatis to start on the bench. The Sea Eagles have named an unchanged line up from last week, and while they have shown that they have depth, their backline may struggle, especially without the assistance of halfback Matt Orford. Both sides finished well last week after a slow start, so look for some fireworks as the game progresses. Warriors by 6.