Thursday’s NRL 2018 Round 13 match is between Manly Sea Eagles and Nth Queensland Cowboys. The opening kick is set to commence at 19:50 local time with the game to be played at Lottoland, Sydney. The home team Manly Sea Eagles are the favourites for the match. View our preview and teams for the game between Manly Sea Eagles and Nth Queensland Cowboys.

When: 19:50 | Thursday 31/05/2018

Where: Lottoland, Sydney

Preview:

Let’s have a look at our first game for the split round 13 clash.

Both of these two sides have players missing.

For the Sea Eagles the absence of the Trbojevic brothers, Jake and Tom will be a massive dent in the side.

Tom already this year has over 11 try assists for his side and plays such a vital role, while Jake I feel is close to the glue.

For without him, they’ll need someone to be able to step upon and come up with a massive performance.

The Cowboys on the other hand are without three key members in Coen Hess, Michael Morgan and Gavin Cooper, two starting edge backrowers and Morgan who is a key figure in his side’s spine.

One inclusion they will have is Matt Scott who wasn’t picked for game 1, and in my opinion, the right call by coach Kevin Walters.

Matty has been terrific for Queensland and will be disappointed no doubt on this and will be looking for a big response on Friday.

This also means the reins aren’t solely in JT’s hand in steering the ship, a position the club hasn’t been in ever yet.

KEY BATTLE: Jonathan Thurston v Daly Cherry-Evans

Both  are proud Queenslanders with big points to prove.

The Verdict

The Manly side have been terrific over recent weeks with their victories before going down against the Raiders in the dying minutes.

I’m expecting Manly to bounce back on Thursday night.

Although one stat against Manly is they are 6-10 (37.5 percent) line record as a home team in night matches since 2016.

Unibet Odds:

Manly at $1.80

North Queensland at $2.04

Odds:

OFFER: Deposit $50 BET with $200 via this link – Ends Soon!

Tip: Manly Sea Eagles at $1.75

Value Tip: First Try Scorer: Brad Parker at $14.00

More Info:

Teams:

Manly Sea Eagles:

1 Matthew Wright, 2 Jorge Taufua, 3 Moses Suli, 4 Brian Kelly, 5 Akuila Uate, 6 Trent Hodkinson, 7 Daly Cherry-Evans (c), 8 Addin Fonua-Blake, 9 Apisai Koroisau, 10 Martin Taupau, 11 Joel Thompson, 12 Frank Winterstein, 13 Shaun Lane

Interchange: 14 Bradley Parker, 15 Jack Gosiewski, 16 Lloyd Perrett, 17 Toafofoa Sipley

Reserves: 18 Thomas Wright, 19 Lewis Brown.

Nth Queensland Cowboys:

1 Lachlan Coote, 2 Kyle Feldt, 3 Justin O’Neill, 4 Enari Tuala, 5 Antonio Winterstein, 6 Te Maire Martin, 7 Johnathan Thurston (c), 14 Ben Hampton, 9 Jake Granville, 10 Scott Bolton, 11 Shaun Fensom, 12 Ethan Lowe, 13 Jason Taumalolo

Interchange: 15 Sam Hoare, 16 Corey Jensen, 17 Francis Molo

Reserves: 18 Kane Linnett, 20 Mitchell Dunn, 21 Javid Bowen.

NRL News:

Manly’s sustained run of off-field dramas that threatened to destroy their season could prove the catalyst that propels an unlikely shot at the NRL finals.

Sea Eagles coach Trent Barrett declared his team had turned a corner on Thursday, as they prepare for a shot at a third straight road victory against Canberra on Friday night.

After enduring a winless April following their ill-fated Gladstone trip, Manly have shocked Brisbane and Melbourne in consecutive weeks to put themselves back in finals contention.

Victories over the Raiders and North Queensland in the Origin-affected round 13 could put them back in the top eight, a situation that would have been considered impossible a fortnight ago amid the fallout from the Jackson Hastings affair.

“Through a bit of adversity you do learn a lot about each other,” Barrett said.

“I think we have turned the corner. We pushed through a fair bit of drama on and off the field.

“Through tough times you find out who is in it and who is going to fight their way out of it.”

Central to Barrett’s concerns over the next month is the availability of his players.

Manly are down to just 21 available members of their full-time roster, after Dylan Walker was ruled out for six weeks with a fractured eye socket.

They also face the prospect of being without Tom and Jake Trbojevic next week against the Cowboys due to Origin duties, while Barrett is hopeful Daly Cherry-Evans and Apisai Koroisau could join the brothers at the MCG on June 6.

“(Cherry-Evans) is playing very well,” Barrett said.

“I think his last 18 months of footy have been very good. I think he has done himself no harm in the way he is playing.

“As for Tom and Jake, exactly the same. Their last three or four weeks have been very good. Tom came through a bit of a hard patch and came out the other side of it.

“With Api, it just depends what Freddie (Fittler) wants. They’re all (fellow NSW No.9 candidates Damien Cook and Cameron McInnes) very good ball runners but Api is probably a bit more creative than the other two.”

Barrett’s depth will be further tested if Martin Taupau and Addin Fonua-Blake are picked for New Zealand in the Denver Test.

But they have received good news this week, with Jorge Taufua back on Friday, Brad Parker and Jack Gosiewski fit for next week and forward Kelepi Tanginoa set to return from what was originally thought to be a season-ending knee injury in round 18.