NRL Match Preview: Raiders v Sea Eagles

The Canberra Raiders host a top-four clash against the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles at GIO Stadium this Sunday afternoon.

The Green Machine are coming off the back of a thrilling 22-18 comeback win against the top of the table Melbourne Storm at AAMI Park.

Canberra will line-up without Joe Tapine this week, the New Zealand international has been ruled out with a rib injury and is expected to miss one-to-two matches.

The Raiders will move Ryan Sutton into the starting line up as he re-joins the other Englishmen John Bateman, Elliott Whitehead and Josh Hodgson. Hudson Young is also added back in and will come off the bench.

Aidan Sezer will play his 150th NRL match with the Raiders, Sezer made his debut for the Gold Coast Titans in 2012 against the Sea Eagles.

The Sea Eagles will be looking to make a statement when they enter GIO Stadium this Sunday, they are coming off an impressive 32-12 win against the West Tigers at Lottoland.

Game Day Guide: Raiders v Sea Eagles

Last Time:

The Sea Eagles defeated the Raiders 24-20 in Round 7 earlier this year. Despite an early double from Jack Wighton, Canberra was not able to hold off a double from Manly’s Lachlan Croker.

Key Matchups:

Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad vs Tom Trbojevic

A battle of speed takes place at GIO Stadium this weekend, as Tom Trbojevic faces off against Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad.

Nicoll-Klokstad currently sits in the top five in the NRL in both run and run metres, and is number one in the league for kick return metres with 1,450, while Sydney Roosters’ James Tedesco sits at number two with 1,146 metres.

The Raiders fullback has also been a try-scoring machine in his first year, with ten tries in 21 appearances for the side, the Sea Eagles will need to keep an eye out for when Nicoll-Klokstad has the ball.

Trbojevic was a key performer last week against the West Tigers as he posted 265 total running metres with five tackle breaks and one try assist. The NSW Origin representative proved why he is a threat towards any opposing side. 

Aidan Sezer vs Daly Cherry-Evans

Aidan Sezer will have no easy task for his 150th NRL match when he comes up against the Manly captain Daly Cherry-Evans.

Sezer has been a force since being re-introduced into the starting line-up in Round 12 against the Canterbury Bulldogs.

The Raiders halfback has scored three tries this season but it has been his kicking game that has been a massive asset for the Green Machine. Sezer has a total 2,073 kicking metres this season whilst averaging 172.78 metres.

Cherry-Evans will also be looking to help his team with his impressive kicking game, the QLD representative is lethal near the try line with 12 forced drop-outs.

The Queensland captain ranks third in the NRL for try assist with 17, seven behind leader Parramatta Eels’ Mitchell Moses.

Ryan Sutton vs Jake Trbojevic

Ryan Sutton will have a big matchup this Sunday when he goes head-to-head with Jake Trbojevic at GIO Stadium.

Sutton comes into the starting line-up and will join the other Canberra Englishmen, John Bateman, Elliott Whitehead and Josh Hodgson as he comes in for the injured Joe Tapine.

Sutton has been solid defensively this year with 494 tackles made and having only missed 28 giving him a 92.5% tackle efficiency.

Trbojevic will also be looking to make an impact defensively, the NSW Representative has 855 made tackles this season missing only 22 with a tackle efficiency of 93.7%

Their another team you can’t clock off against, you just got to be on your game for the full 80 minutes.

Ryan Sutton

Head to Head:

The Canberra Raiders and the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles have met on 57 occasions, with the Raiders having only won 21 compared to the Sea Eagles 34 with two times ending in a draw.