The Tigers looked to be on the rise after thrilling wins over the Eels and Rabbitohs but losses in four of their past five games have stalled their momentum and sapped their confidence.
A bye in round 13 gave the Tigers a chance to reset and look to better times ahead but the upheaval continued on Tuesday when Michael Maguire departed as coach effective immediately.
With interim coach Brett Kimmorley at the helm the Tigers must find a way to put the clamps on a Manly side that ran in seven tries to totally outclass the Warriors and steady the ship after three consecutive losses.
With Reuben Garrick looking right at home at fullback and flyer Jason Saab returning from a four-game absence with 113 run metres and a try, Manly stormed to their sixth win of the season to keep in touch with the top eight.
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The Rundown
Team news
Tigers: The Tigers are 1-17 with no late changes. David Nofoaluma returns on the wing for his first game since round eight and hooker Jacob Liddle (head knock) is also back on deck. Jock Madden grabs a spot on the bench and Fa'amanu Brown drops out.
Sea Eagles: No late changes om game day after skipper Daly Cherry-Evans withdrew on Saturday with a quad injury sustained in Origin One. Kieran Foran moves to halfback and Josh Schuster joins the starting side at five-eighth. Ben Trbojevic comes into the 17 in his return from a shoulder injury.
Taniela Paseka made a successful return from a knee injury in NSW Cup on Saturday and has been named 18th man. Karl Lawton will miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury.
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Key match-up
Daine Laurie v Reuben Garrick: The Tigers No.1 made an impressive return from injury against the Rabbitohs, running for 142 metres and dishing off two try assists. If Michael Maguire's men are to turn their season around they need Laurie getting involved at every opportunity and using his speed to test out opposition defences. Garrick yet again finds himself filling in for Turbo Tom and going to great lengths to avoid comparisons with the 2021 Dally M Medal winner. Garrick is a pointscoring machine and a super talent in his own right, blessed with lightning pace and great instincts for sniffing out a try.
Stat Attack
Lachlan Croker and Jake Trbojevic continue to work themselves into the ground for the Sea Eagles, sitting first and fifth respectively on the top tacklers list. Croker has racked up 558 tackles in 13 games at an average of 43 per game while Trbojevic has 524 tackles 40 per game. The Tigers' top defender is Joe Ofahengaue, who sits 20th in the NRL with 419 tackles at 35 per game.
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