Manly risk a fuel crisis: Johns

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

MATTHEW Johns runs the rule over both preliminary finals and has his say on where they'll be won and lost.

Rabbitohs v Sea Eagles

ARE Manly running on empty? That is the single biggest question heading into this match.

When these sides have met in the regular season, South Sydney have won on both occasions, but not without an element of luck.

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

Manly's speed and energy through the middle worries the giant Souths pack, but is the energy gone?

Of the four sides left in the competition, the Sea Eagles have had the toughest last month.

Their two finals matches, firstly against the Roosters and last week against the Sharks were extremely torrid.

Their last 20 minutes against the Sharks has me thinking they are vulnerable, just like the Storm were last Saturday against the Knights.

The Sharks forwards punched holes in Manly's middle defence at will in the closing stages and the Sea-Eagles looked like a boxer ahead on points, against the ropes, trying to hang on.

Heading into Souths, that's a big concern.

No side in the competition relentlessly pounds your middle defence more effectively than the Rabbitohs.

The Sea Eagles have struggled against big packs of forwards, in 2013 anyway, so this is a monumental challenge for them.

Manly must compete physically with the Rabbitohs tonight or Issac Luke will blow them apart from kick off to fulltime. When talking about competing physically the threat for Manly begins with Greg Inglis. If Inglis penetrates the kick chase, The Rabbitohs set is away and flying.

Daly Cherry-Evans must find a way to nullify Inglis's kick returns with thoughtful kicks.

Put the ball into touch, kick the ball to space, or kick high, where possible to allow the kick chase to attack Inglis flat footed.

While size and power is Souths' greatest weapon, Kieran Foran and Daly Cherry-Evans hold the key for Manly. They are rugby league's best halves combination and it's their threat and creativity which give the Sea Eagles their greatest chance of an upset.

Manly are a tough and talented team, if they can find a way to win on Friday night it will go down as one of the gutsiest in the club's history.

Roosters v Knights

WHEN Wayne Bennett took over the reins of the Knights at the beginning of 2012, many Knights fans were not asking "Can he win us a comp?" It was more like "How many are we about to win?"

Expectations were way out of whack with reality.

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

For many in the Hunter, the past 18 months have been underwhelming.

The side has had its moments but struggled for consistency and lacked a spark.

But that has changed and the Roosters are in for a mighty battle.

While Souths have sat back, had a week off and find themselves against a battle weary Manly, the Roosters face a Knights team brimming with confidence, riding on a wave of momentum and playing their best football in years.

The Roosters are enjoying a mighty season but there's been a common denominator in defeat, and that's coming up against a pack of forwards who hold their own through the middle of the field.

In round 25 the Titans arrived at Allianz Stadium with one thing in mind, to match the Roosters through the middle. They did it and they won.

The Knights are well equipped to do the same with Jeremy Smith, Beau Scott, Willie Mason and Danny Buderus the driving force, physically and emotionally.

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

How the Knights handle the threat of SBW is a big factor. As the season has gone on he's gotten better and has starred whenever the Roosters have needed him to.

But all things considered I get the feeling the battle of the halves will decide this.

The Roosters halves, James Maloney and Mitchell Pearce, have the big game experience and have greatly benefitted from their Origin experience.

The Knights halves, Tyrone Roberts and Jarrod Mullen's rise has typified the explosion in the Knights' form.

A smart play, a clever kick, a brain explosion from one of these four men could decide this contest.

There's so much to look forward to in this match, including one of the best young coaches in the game, Trent Robinson, up against the greatest of all time, Wayne Bennett. Will it be the old or the new?

This game is anything but straight forward.  

Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang

Manly risk a fuel crisis: Johns

Dengan url

http://sportmingguan.blogspot.com/2013/09/manly-risk-fuel-crisis-johns.html

Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya

Manly risk a fuel crisis: Johns

namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link

Manly risk a fuel crisis: Johns

sebagai sumbernya