Match day guide and preview for the 2022 NRL round 24 game between the Canberra Raiders and Manly Sea Eagles.
Match details
- Who: Canberra Raiders vs Manly Sea Eagles
- When: Saturday 27 August 3pm
- Where: GIO Stadium, Canberra
- Weather: min 3 max 16, chance of rain 40%, 0 to 1mm
- Click here to buy tickets
- Head-to-head record: Played 61. Raiders 22 wins. Manly 38 wins. 1 draw.
Raiders and Manly team lists
| RAIDERS | MANLY | |
| Xavier Savage | 1 | Tolutau Koula |
| Jordan Rapana | 5 | 2 | Raymond Tuaimalo Vaega |
| Matthew Timoko | 3 | Brad Parker |
| Sebastian Kris | 4 | Morgan Harper |
| Albert Hopoate | 23 | 5 | Christian Tuipulotu |
| Jack Wighton | 6 | Kieran Foran |
| Jamal Fogarty | 7 | Daly Cherry-Evans |
| Josh Papalii | 8 | Josh Aloiai |
| Zac Woolford | 9 | Lachlan Croker |
| Joe Tapine | 10 | Toafofoa Sipley |
| Hudson Young | 11 | Haumole Olakau’atu |
| Elliott Whitehead | 12 | Andrew Davey |
| Adam Elliott | 13 | Dylan Walker |
| BENCH | BENCH | |
| Tom Starling | 14 | Ben Trbojevic |
| Emre Guler | 15 | Josh Schuster |
| Corey Horsburgh | 16 | Martin Taupau |
| Corey Harawira-Naera | 17 | Dylan Walker |
| RESERVES | RESERVES | |
| James Schiller | 18 | Ethan Bullemor |
| Ata Mariota | 19 | Karo Weekes |
| Matt Frawley | 20 | James Roumanos |
| Trey Mooney | 21 | Jamie Humphreys |
| Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad | 22 | Jacob Sykes |
Winger Nick Cotric has been withdrawn from the Raiders side due to a groin injury and replaced by Albert Hopoate.
Manly have made some changes to their side that lost 40-6 to Cronulla last weekend with Andrew Davey replacing Ethan Bullemor in the second row and Raymond Tuaimalo Vaega coming onto the wing for Alfred Smalley. Martin Taupau moves to the bench for Toafofoa Sipley.
Current form and finals picture
Raiders 9th | 420 points for | 445 points against | 12 wins & 10 losses | WWLWW
Having won five of their past six matches, the Raiders are now right on the brink of the top eight.
Despite the recent wins, Canberra haven’t looked overly convincing, barely scraping past lower sides with close victories against the Warriors, Dragons and Knights.
Canberra are currently in ninth spot on the ladder with 26 points and a points difference of -25, while the eighth-placed Broncos are on 28 points and a -26 points difference after they were thumped 53-6 by Parramatta on Thursday night.
It means a win of any margin over Manly will have the Raiders in eighth spot at the end of the weekend, before playing the Tigers at Leichardt Oval in the final round.
The Raiders will be heavily favoured to win both games, but that won’t do much to settle the nervous Canberra fans.
Manly Sea Eagles 11th | 464 points for | 526 points against | 9 wins & 13 losses | LLLLL
After being right in the hunt for a finals spot, Manly’s season has fallen apart with five straight losses.
It’s hard to believe they beat the Storm in round 16 given what they’ve dished up since, including two incredibly poor performances coming into this match.
After losing to the lowly Titans by 20 points, Manly were then battered at home by the Sharks in what was club favourite Kieran Foran’s final game at Brookvale Oval.
While their season is over, this is still a proud club with a number of quality players who would be desperate for a strong response.
Last 5 meetings and GIO Stadium history
- 2022 round 4: Manly 25 – 6 Raiders at Glen Willow Oval, Mudgee
- 2021 round 23: Raiders 18 – 19 Manly at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
- 2021 Round 17: Manly 16 – 30 Raiders at 4 Pines Park Park, Sydney
- 2020 Round 6: Raiders 6 – 14 Manly at Campbelltown Stadium, Sydney
- 2019 Round 23: Raiders 14 – 18 Manly at GIO Stadium, Canberra
Manly have a terrific recent record over the Raiders having won four of the last five matches and eight of the last ten. In fact, Manly’s dominance over Canberra stretches back a long way, with the Sea Eagles winning 21 of the past 28 meetings dating back to 2004.
Manly were far too strong for Canberra earlier this season with Daly Cherry-Evans putting on a kicking clinic and Tom Trbojevic running amuck.
These two sides haven’t played in at GIO Stadium since 2019 where the Sea Eagles upset the Raiders. In the last ten clashes in Canberra, Manly have a comprehensive 7-3 advantage.
Pre match predictions
Everybody Loves Raymond: Raymond Tuaimalo Vaega to score a try in a losing effort. Raiders by 16.
Eight ball: Josh Papalii to play a big game with over 100 metres and a try involvement. And will the Raiders be in the top 8 after? All signs point to yes. Raiders by 8. – Denholm Samaras
Have any predictions of your own? Let us know in the comments below.
Other match details
Gates open at 10.45am for a triple header at GIO Stadium.
NSW Cup – Canberra Raiders v Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles: 11am
Jersey Flegg – Canberra Raiders v Manly Warringah Sea Eagles: 12:50pm
The match will be broadcast live on Fox League channel 502 at 3pm and is also available to stream on Kayo. Overseas fans can watch via Watch NRL.
You can listen to the match on Raiders on Mix (Mix106.3 FM), Radio 2CC (1206 AM) and ABC Grandstand (666).
