Sea Eagles v Roosters: Trbojevic back on deck; Two big ins for Robbo
With four teams locked on 20 competition points and only six games to play, the fight to be part of the finals is on in earnest and 4 Pines Park will be humming on Thursday.
The Sea Eagles (9th) and Roosters (8th) are two of those sides along with the Raiders (10th) and Dragons (11th), so this showdown between the boys from Sydney's northern beaches and the Bondi brigade has massive ramifications.
It feels like an eternity since the Roosters downed Manly 26-12 in round two at the SCG, both sides battling injuries to star players and bouts of inconsistency since then but remaining well and truly in the hunt for September.
In the 37 meetings between the two sides in the NRL era, the Sea Eagles hold a slight 20-17 advantage.
Match: Sea Eagles v Roosters
Round 20 -
home Team
Sea Eagles
10th Position
away Team
Roosters
8th Position
Venue: 4 Pines Park, Sydney
The Rundown
Team news
Sea Eagles: Martin Taupau is a late inclusion in the starting 13, taking the place of Kurt Deluis who goes back to the bench. With Jason Saab, Christian Tuipulotu, Tolutau Koula, Josh Aloiai, Haumole Olakau'atu, Toafofoa Sipley and Josh Schuster standing themselves down due to personal beliefs, the Sea Eagles will have two debutants on the wing in Pio Seci and Alfred Smalley, while prop Kurt de Luis and second-rower Ethan Bullemor also join the starting side.
Forward leader Jake Trbojevic, hooker Lachlan Croker and back-rower Andrew Davey all return after missing Round 19 due to COVID.
Roosters: No late changes for the Roosters, with star centre Joey Manu (quad) back on deck Drew Hutchison slides to the bench. Maroons prop Lindsay Collins' return from the concussion he suffered in Origin Three sees Matt Lodge go to the interchange.
Match: Sea Eagles v Roosters
Round 20 -
home Team
Sea Eagles
away Team
Roosters
Team Lists
Backs
-
Fullback for Sea Eagles is number 1 Reuben GarrickFullback for Roosters is number 1 James Tedesco
-
Winger for Sea Eagles is number 2 Pio SeciWinger for Roosters is number 2 Daniel Tupou
-
Centre for Sea Eagles is number 3 Morgan HarperCentre for Roosters is number 3 Paul Momirovski
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Centre for Sea Eagles is number 4 Dylan WalkerCentre for Roosters is number 4 Joseph Manu
-
Winger for Sea Eagles is number 5 Alfred SmalleyWinger for Roosters is number 5 Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii
-
Five-Eighth for Sea Eagles is number 6 Kieran ForanFive-Eighth for Roosters is number 6 Luke Keary
-
Halfback for Sea Eagles is number 7 Daly Cherry-EvansHalfback for Roosters is number 7 Sam Walker
Forwards
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Prop for Sea Eagles is number 8 Taniela PasekaProp for Roosters is number 8 Jared Waerea-Hargreaves
-
Hooker for Sea Eagles is number 9 Lachlan CrokerHooker for Roosters is number 9 Sam Verrills
-
Prop for Sea Eagles is number 16 Martin TaupauProp for Roosters is number 10 Lindsay Collins
-
2nd Row for Sea Eagles is number 11 Ethan Bullemor2nd Row for Roosters is number 11 Angus Crichton
-
2nd Row for Sea Eagles is number 12 Andrew Davey2nd Row for Roosters is number 12 Nat Butcher
-
Lock for Sea Eagles is number 13 Jake TrbojevicLock for Roosters is number 13 Victor Radley
Interchange
-
Interchange for Sea Eagles is number 10 Kurt De LuisInterchange for Roosters is number 14 Connor Watson
-
Interchange for Sea Eagles is number 14 James SegeyaroInterchange for Roosters is number 15 Egan Butcher
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Interchange for Sea Eagles is number 17 Morgan BoyleInterchange for Roosters is number 16 Drew Hutchison
-
Interchange for Sea Eagles is number 18 Zac FultonInterchange for Roosters is number 17 Matthew Lodge
Reserves
-
Replacement for Sea Eagles is number 19 Kaeo WeekesReplacement for Roosters is number 18 Adam Keighran
Match Officials
- Referee: Grant Atkins
- Touch Judge: Chris Sutton
- Touch Judge: Dave Munro
- Senior Review Official: Gerard Sutton
Last updated:
Key match-up
Kieran Foran v Luke Keary: The Roosters No.6 returned in style against the Knights with the game's opening try, one try assist and 126 running metres. In his first game since Round 14 the livewire playmaker barely skipped beat as the Roosters racked up their second big win on the trot. Foran, meanwhile, is enjoying a stellar final season at Manly before he heads to the Titans in 2023. The 32-year-old has produced nine try assists and 14 line break assists and his defence is as rock solid as ever.
Stat Attack
Roosters superstar James Tedesco's stunning season rolled on with 317 running metres and 10 tackle breaks against Newcastle. He sits atop the table for most line breaks in 2022 with an astonishing 120, with team-mate Joey Manu second on 100. Tedesco sits second for running metres with 3664 metres at 215 per game, behind only Dylan Edwards (3992).
Match: Sea Eagles v Roosters
Round 20 -
home Team
Sea Eagles
10th Position
away Team
Roosters
8th Position
Venue: 4 Pines Park, Sydney
