Matchday Details
Saturday 16 May – 3pm (AEST) – Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
📺 Broadcast: Fox League / Kayo
Referee: Grant Atkins | Senior Review Official: Ashley Klein
Wests Tigers: 1. Heath Mason, 2. Sunia Turuva, 3. Patrick Herbert, 4. Taylan May, 5. Luke Laulilii, 6. Jarome Luai, 7. Jock Madden, 8. Terrell May, 9. Latu Fainu, 10. Fonua Pole, 11. Sione Fainu, 12. Kai Pearce-Paul, 13. Alex Twal, 14. Tristan Hope, 15. Mavrik Geyer, 16. Alex Seyfarth, 17. Royce Hunt, 18. Ethan Roberts, 19. Jeral Skelton, 20. Charlie Murray, 21. Bunty Afoa, 22. Javon Andrews.
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles: 1. Clayton Faulalo, 2. Jason Saab, 3. Tolutau Koula, 4. Reuben Garrick, 5. Lehi Hopoate, 6. Luke Brooks, 7. Jamal Fogarty, 8. Taniela Paseka, 9. Jake Simpkin, 10. Ethan Bullemor, 11. Haumole Olakau’atu, 12. Ben Trbojevic, 13. Jake Trbojevic, 14. Zach Dockar-Clay, 15. Nathan Brown, 16. Kobe Hetherington, 17. Jackson Shereb, 18. Blake Wilson, 19. Joey Walsh, 20. Josh Feledy, 21. Simione Laiafi, 22. Aaron Schoupp.
Match Preview
The first game of Super Saturday at Magic Round sees the decimated Tigers take on the soaring Sea Eagles, with both sides fighting for a spot in the top four.
Last week, the Tigers lost their second straight game by a big margin, going down 44-16 to the Storm at AAMI Park. Meanwhile, the Sea Eagles bounced back to form, handily beating the Broncos 32-4 at 4 Pines Park. The Tigers have slipped to sixth after a promising start, while the Sea Eagles have risen to fifth after losing their first three games.
For the Tigers, Terrell May returns after missing last week due to the birth of his child. He replaces Bunty Afoa in the front row, who drops to the reserves. Latu Fainu is named to start at hooker, replacing Tristan Hope who drops to the bench. Ethan Roberts is the new inclusion on the six-man bench.
For the Sea Eagles, Jamal Fogarty is named to return at halfback, with Joey Walsh shifting to the bench. Clayton Fualalo is named at fullback, with Tolu Koula moving to centre. Brandon Wakeham is out suspended, which sees Jake Simpkin start at hooker against his old club. Kobe Hetherington and Zach Dockar-Clay join the six-man bench.
The key for the Tigers could be the inclusion of Latu Fainu at hooker. With Api Koroisau still suspended, Latu’s ball-playing ability at dummy-half will give the Tigers more looks around the ruck and provide another string to their attacking bow in general. He’ll need to have his defence in order, with the Sea Eagles carrying a big forward pack who like to play a power game down the middle.
On the flip side, Fogarty’s return from a groin injury should only bolster an already confident Sea Eagles attack. If he takes his place on the right edge, he’ll be looking to get plenty of ball to Haumole Olakau’atu. The Tigers’ left edge defence has been shaky for most of the season, and with a hard ball runner like Olakau’atu, he could create plenty of opportunities for himself and his teammates outside him. Expect plenty of involvement from the rest of the right edge attack in Reuben Garrick and Jason Saab as a result.
Lehi Hopoate is on a six-game try scoring streak. Alex Seyfarth will play his 100th NRL game.
Prediction
RLZ Tip: Sea Eagles by 12.
Bold call: Haumole Olakau’atu scores a hat-trick.
Related
- NRL Round 10 Review
- NRL Round 11 Predictions
- NRL Round 11 Team Lists
- NRL Round 11 Hub
- NRL Injury List
- NRL Match Review Tracker
- Magic Round Historical Stats
