Matchday Details
Friday, August 8 – 8pm (AEST) – GIO Stadium
📺 Broadcast: Nine / Fox League / Kayo
Referee: Peter Gough | Bunker: Chris Butler
Raiders
1. Kaeo Weekes 2. Jed Stuart 3. Matthew Timoko 4. Sebastian Kris 5. Xavier Savage 6. Ethan Strange 7. Jamal Fogarty 8. Josh Papali’i 9. Tom Starling 10. Joseph Tapine 11. Hudson Young 12. Zac Hosking 13. Corey Horsburgh 14. Owen Pattie 15. Simi Sasagi 16. Morgan Smithies 17. Ata Mariota 18. Noah Martin 19. Danny Levi 20. Manaia Waitere 21. Trey Mooney 22. Ethan Sanders
Sea Eagles
1. Tom Trbojevic 2. Jason Saab 3. Tolutau Koula 4. Tommy Talau 5. Reuben Garrick 6. Luke Brooks 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Matthew Lodge 9. Jazz Tevaga 10. Siosiua Taukeiaho 11. Corey Waddell 12. Michael Chee Kam 13. Jake Trbojevic 14. Jake Simpkin 15. Aaron Schoupp 16. Ethan Bullemor 17. Toafofoa Sipley 18. Caleb Navale 19. Clayton Faulalo 20. Simione Laiafi 21. Joey Walsh 22. Gordon Chan Kum Tong
Match Preview
A rare slip-up and a quick reprieve happened for the Canberra Raiders’ last round after losing to the Dragons in difficult Wollongong conditions. The loss gave the Bulldogs a chance to overtake Canberra with a big win over the Tigers, but the reprieve was official when a motivated Wests sprung the upset in a fiery game with lots of backstory and tension. The Sea Eagles’ season all but feels like it’s on a knife’s edge after back-to-back big losses to the Roosters and Bulldogs whilst in a battle for a top eight spot. Manly needs to mentally re-set: they have five games to go to turn their fortunes around and put the poor performances behind them.
The panic button has not been pressed by the Raiders, naming the same 17 that played in Wollongong. A good fortune not all teams have, especially at this time of the season as the gruelling season takes its toll. Manly have had to reshuffle their team this week after fresh injury news to Lehi Hopoate (shoulder). Tom Trbojevic’s switch to right centre has come to an end for now as he moves back to fullback. Tommy Talau has been named in the centres, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Rueben Garrick makes a late positional swap with Talau back into his regular role. Ben Trbojevic (concussion) will miss out this week, allowing Michael Chee Kam to play his first game of the season. Chee Kam signed for the Raiders back in 2010 but never made a first grade appearance for the Green Machine. The final change for the Sea Eagles sees Aaron Schoupp get another opportunity off the interchange bench.
Last time these teams met was in round 3 this season at 4 Pines Park, where Manly eased their way to a 40-12 win. In fact, in three of the last four meetings against Canberra, the Sea Eagles have piled on 40 points or more. This makes life a bit awkward for Ricky Stuart preparing for this game, especially with a fresh loss eating at the back of their minds. Usually, a trip to Canberra on a Friday evening at this time of year is a daunting task. It’s freezing, the crowd are booing you, and a loss hurts that much more when you know you have a long journey home, but the Sea Eagles are a rare breed. Their recent record in Canberra is very impressive. After their 46-24 win last year, they have won nine of their last 12 games at GIO Stadium.
Manly fans are getting more and more tired with Anthony Seibold at the helm, with reports coming out every week in the media a new coach is imminent. I feel if the Sea Eagles don’t make the top eight, Seibold might not make the first off-season training run. The season seemed to take a turn for the worse after Daly Cherry-Evans announced he was not going to play on at the club after this season. Manly’s response to his departure was to go after current Raiders halfback Jamal Fogarty, who lines up against Cherry-Evans on Friday evening. They got their man, and we will be seeing Fogarty in the maroon and white from 2026. I feel for all the sub-par performances we have seen from Daly this season: the best will come out of him Friday night to assert dominance over the guy who is about to replace him. Watch this space.
Prediction
RLZ Tip: Raiders by 6
See our full Round 23 Predictions (live Wednesday 12pm) here: 2025 NRL Tipping: Round 23 Writer Predictions
Have your say: Who wins? Drop your tip in the comments or vote in our poll.
