7.36am EDT
07:36
7.34am EDT
07:34
7.31am EDT
07:31
7.27am EDT
07:27
TRY! Sea Eagles 42-6 Roosters (Saab, 70)
Updated
at 7.35am EDT
7.24am EDT
07:24
7.22am EDT
07:22
7.21am EDT
07:21
7.20am EDT
07:20
7.17am EDT
07:17
7.16am EDT
07:16
7.13am EDT
07:13
7.10am EDT
07:10
7.09am EDT
07:09
7.06am EDT
07:06
7.03am EDT
07:03
TRY! Sea Eagles 36-6 Roosters (Walker, 48)
Updated
at 7.07am EDT
7.00am EDT
07:00
TRY! Sea Eagles 30-6 Roosters (T Trbojevic, 46)
Updated
at 7.03am EDT
6.57am EDT
06:57
6.54am EDT
06:54
6.38am EDT
06:38
Half-time: Sea Eagles 24-4 Roosters
Updated
at 6.40am EDT
6.37am EDT
06:37
Penalty! Sea Eagles 24-6 Roosters (Keighran 40+2)
6.33am EDT
06:33
6.29am EDT
06:29
TRY! Sea Eagles 24-4 Roosters (Harper, 32)
Updated
at 6.33am EDT
6.25am EDT
06:25
6.23am EDT
06:23
6.20am EDT
06:20
TRY! Sea Eagles 18-4 Roosters (Ikuvalu, 26)
Updated
at 6.23am EDT
6.17am EDT
06:17
6.15am EDT
06:15
6.12am EDT
06:12
TRY! Sea Eagles 18-0 Roosters (Cherry-Evans, 18)
Updated
at 6.20am EDT
6.10am EDT
06:10
Updated
at 6.12am EDT
6.06am EDT
06:06
TRY! Sea Eagles 12-0 Roosters (Foran, 12)
Updated
at 6.17am EDT
6.03am EDT
06:03
6.01am EDT
06:01
6.00am EDT
06:00
TRY! Sea Eagles 6-0 Roosters (T Trbojevic, 7)
Updated
at 6.19am EDT
5.57am EDT
05:57
5.54am EDT
05:54
5.52am EDT
05:52
5.50am EDT
05:50
Kick-off!
5.50am EDT
05:50
5.49am EDT
05:49
5.41am EDT
05:41
5.36am EDT
05:36
5.34am EDT
05:34
5.21am EDT
05:21
5.13am EDT
05:13
Roosters XIII
Updated
at 5.21am EDT
5.10am EDT
05:10
Manly XIII
4.59am EDT
04:59
Preamble
Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of Manly Warringah Sea Eagles v Sydney Roosters in the first NRL semi-final. Kick-off at BB Print Stadium in Mackay is 7.50pm.
For one of these sides a long rollercoaster of a season will be bookended by this match-up. Back in round one at the Sydney Cricket Ground the Roosters strolled to a 46-4 victory and looked set for another premiership tilt. But a season decimated by injuries means only half that victorious Chooks line-up will feature tonight. After squeaking past Gold Coast with a field goal last week, they will need to up their game if they are to match Manly in an eliminator.
“It’s the reason why you play footy,” Jared Waerea-Hargreaves said during the week. “You play footy to be in the finals and to be there at the end of the year. We started training last November and you’ve really got to make the most of your time. Enjoy your time but not lose focus of why we’re here: that’s to win footy games and make sure we’re at the big dance.”
After losing to the Roosters in round one, Manly didn’t pick up a win until round five when Daly Cherry-Evans rescued his side’s season with a last minute drop goal against the Warriors. It’s been smooth sailing ever since with Tom Trbojevic returning from injury and catapulting the Sea Eagles into the playoffs in red-hot form. However, that momentum was halted in brutal fashion last time out against a Melbourne Storm outfit who rag-dolled their opponents for 80 minutes in a one-sided final.
Des Hasler’s troops will need to bounce back quickly, and do so against recent history with Easts winning four of the past five contests between these sides. But it’s a rivalry that goes back much further than that, and it’s history Trent Robinson is keen to channel.
“I think it’s great that you have a rivalry that goes back to the 1970s with guys like Crusher (Noel Cleal), going back and forth and Bobby Fulton. There’s an incredible history there right through to the big games and the modern era,” Robinson said. “It’s amazing. When people see those two jerseys on the field a lot of supporters see that and feel that, and that’s awesome.”
Who will survive and make it through to face Souths next weekend?
I’ll be back with more shortly, but if you would like to join in, you can reach me by email or Twitter (@JPHowcroft).
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