Check out the match preview and prediction for the 2025 National Rugby League round 17 clash between the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles and the Wests Tigers.
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Vs Wests Tigers
Venue: 4 Pines Park, Sydney
Date: Friday June 27, 6:00pm (AEST)
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Sea Eagles: 1. Lehi Hopoate 2. Tommy Talau 3. Tolutau Koula 4. Tom Trbojevic 5. Reuben Garrick 6. Luke Brooks 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Matthew Lodge 9. Jazz Tevaga 10. Siosiua Taukeiaho 11. Corey Waddell 12. Ben Trbojevic 13. Jake Trbojevic 14. Jake Simpkin 15. Ethan Bullemor 16. Nathan Brown 17. Toafofoa Sipley 18. Michael Chee Kam 19. Jason Saab 20. Clayton Faulalo 21. Joey Walsh 22. Caleb Navale
Tigers: 1. Heath Mason 2. Sunia Turuva 3. Adam Doueihi 4. Starford To’a 5. Jeral Skelton 6. Jarome Luai 7. Latu Fainu 8. Terrell May 9. Apisai Koroisau 10. Fonua Pole 11. Samuela Fainu 12. Jack Bird 13. Alex Twal 14. Tallyn Da Silva 15. Alex Seyfarth 16. Sione Fainu 17. Tony Sukkar 18. Luke Laulilii 19. Charlie Murray 20. Kit Laulilii 21. Charlie Staines 22. Tristan Hope
Referee: Gerard Sutton
Bunker: Kasey Badger
MATCHDAY PREVIEW
Two struggling teams in desperate need of a win to stay in touch with the top eight meet at 4 Pines Park on Friday evening in round 17.
The 10th placed Sea Eagles return from the bye with a host of changes, while the Wests Tigers now sit in the bottom four, having lost five matches in a row, the last three by exactly four points.
Lehi Hopoate is back at fullback for Manly, with Tom Trbojevic moving to centre in a bid to return to form. Reuben Garrick slides to the wing, with Jason Saab out of the side. Corey Waddell will start in the back row after Haumole Olakau’atu dislocated his shoulder in the Sea Eagles’ 28-8 loss against Gold Coast two weeks ago, while Matt Lodge returns to first grade at prop after a stint in NSW Cup, moving Ethan Bullemor back to the bench. Lachlan Croker was dropped to NSW Cup during the bye and is now undergoing HIA protocols, with Jazz Tevaga moving to hooker, and Jake Simpkin joining the bench.
It’s bad news for Wests, with fullback Jahream Bula injuring his hamstring late in the loss against Canberra, with Heath Mason moving from five-eighth to fullback. Blues Origin five-eighth Jarome Luai will move into the Tigers number 6 jersey, with Latu Fainu taking over the halfback role. Fonua Pole and Jack Bird both return to the run-on side, with Sione Fainu and Alex Seyfarth dropping back to the bench. Tony Sukkar is the other new name on the bench.
It’s not quite panic stations yet for these teams, but it’s getting close. Manly won three of their first four but have only won three since Daly Cherry-Evans’ announcement of his departure from the club. Their last three losses have all come against teams that were in the bottom four at the time they met: they’ll be desperate to turn that form around with the Tigers (14th) and South Sydney (16th) in their next two games.
Contract news has been a major distraction for the Tigers as well, with the Lachlan Galvin fiasco causing a great deal of chaos at the joint venture. They’ve been competitive in their past four matches but haven’t managed to win any of them, with their hopes of breaking a 14-year finals drought rapidly fading.
The last meeting of the two teams was a remarkable 34-26 upset win by the wooden spoon-winning Tigers when they met their old teammate Luke Brooks at Leichhardt Oval in round 25 last year, the club’s first win over Manly since 2020. Their record at 4 Pines Park is horrendous, winning just three of the 16 games they’ve played there (2003, 2018, 2020).
Since 1965, Manly (and the Northern Eagles) have played 76 games at Brookvale against Balmain, Western Suburbs, and the Wests Tigers: winning 64, drawing 2 and losing just 10. It’s anybody’s game in this one. Manly should win, but Wests look ready to break through again.
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Sea Eagles by 6 points.
Check out our round 17 predictions here.
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