1st Semi Final
Manly Sea Eagles v Wests Tigers
Friday, September 18, 5:15pm, Allianz Stadium – LIVE on Fox Sports 1
Manly Sea Eagles
1. Tom Trbojevic 2. Jesse Bogle 3. Addison Demetriou 4. Jesse Ramien 5. Mitch Thomas 6. Will Pearsall 7. Nick Hynes 8. Liam Knight 9. Hugh Pratt 10. Jyi Seymour 11. James Parker 12. Billy Bainbridge 13. Darcy Cox. Interchange: 14. Riley Travers 15. Luke Garner 16. Dallas Koen 17. Moses Noovao-McGreal. Coach: David Heath.
West Tigers
1. Veiru Mapasone 2. Ryland Jacobs 3. Obed Karwhin 4. Marion Seve 5. Jayden Wheelhouse 6. Te Maire Martin 7. Jeremy Marshall-King 8. Junior Tatola 9. Jacob Liddle 10. JJ Felise 11. Esan Marsters 12. Bayley Sironen 13. Matthew Woods. Interchange: 14. John Tohi 15. Pio Sokobalavu 16. Ray Stone 17. Thomas Grealy. Coach: Brett Kimmorley.
Manly started brilliantly in their qualifying final against Penrith last Saturday, jumping to a 6-0 lead and having all the early possession.
Penalties and errors allowed Penrith back into the game and they capitalised, finishing 44-24 winners.
Despite the great start and late tries, Penrith did it comfortably for most of the game, repelling most Sea Eagles attacking raids.
It was a relatively quiet game for star fullback Tom Trbojevic who will be looking to bounce back in a big way against the Tigers.
The Tigers had a tight battle with Canberra on Saturday, prevailing with a two-point victory.
Te Maire Martin set up three tries while halves partner Jeremy Marshall-King scored a double, one of which broke the deadlock late in the game.
Canberra did well to limit the effectiveness of the Tigers forward pack, but the Martin and Marshall-King were still dangerous close to the line.
If the Tigers big boys roll forward on Friday afternoon, their halves will have the space and time to do some damage against the Sea Eagles.
Ins and Outs
After being late withdrawals last weekend, winger Jesse Bogle and second rower Billy Bainbridge return for Manly.
They come into the starting side for Kyle Saunders and Matt Douglas, which means Luke Garner moves to the bench.
Tyler Cassel is out for the Tigers after copping a one week suspension for a dangerous throw, with Esan Marters taking his place.
Veiru Mapesone moves from bench to fullback for Sione Alofi, which means Thomas Grealy and John Tohi take the final two interchange spots.
Week 1 Standouts
Liam Knight (Manly) – 205 metres, 3 tackle breaks, 33 tackles, 6 offloads
Jeremy Marshall-King (Wests Tigers) – 2 tries, 116 metres, 1 try assist, 5 tackle breaks, 19 tackles, 2 linebreaks
2015 Head to Head
Round 15 – Manly 44-24 Wests Tigers at Campbelltown Stadium
Addison Demetriou was dominant when these sides met in Round 15. The centre scored two tries, ran for 299 metres and broke 26 tackles.
Keep An Eye On
Jesse Ramien (Manly)
Often overshadowed by the likes of Demetriou and Trbojevic, 18-year old Ramien has put together a very good 2015. The Coonamble junior scored a try, ran for 143 metres and broke 6 tackles last weekend.
Jacob Liddle (Wests Tigers)
A Central Coast junior, Liddle ran for 107 metres and made 30 tackles against Canberra. Perhaps the most dangerous dummy half runner in the NYC, Liddle will be on the look out for any lazy defenders around the play the ball.
18TH MAN 