NRL .COM
Here is all you need to know about the Manly Sea Eagles' 2019 Telstra Premiership draw.
Teams they play twice: Wests Tigers, Warriors, Rabbitohs, Knights, Dragons, Raiders, Titans, Eels, Storm.
Teams they play once: Roosters, Bulldogs, Broncos, Sharks, Panthers, Cowboys.
Day-by-day breakdown: Thursday - Two, Friday - Four, Saturday - Thirteen, Sunday – Five.
Five-day turnarounds: 1 (Rd 11).
Kick-off: Des Hasler’s second stint in charge of Manly begins with three matches in the opening four rounds at Lottoland so the new coach has a chance to make an early impression on the club’s disgruntled fan base. However, all three matches at Brookvale are against 2018 playoff sides.
Five key matches
Eels (Round 18, Lottoland): Both sides inflicted embarrassing defeats on each other in 2018. Manly won 54-0 at home in round two before the Eels responded with a 44-10 win in round seven. Shaun Lane is the latest to jump ship between the two clubs, with many at the Sea Eagles left fuming by his departure.
Storm (Round 19, AAMI Park): Any thoughts the decade-old rivalry had taken a back seat were ended with the brutal round 11, 2018 clash at AAMI Park. Curtis Scott was sent off and Manly pair Dylan Walker and Api Koroisau sin-binned during a hectic second half. Their 2019 rematch will be must-watch TV.
Sharks (Round 10, Southern Cross Group Stadium): Manly hold a comfortable record against the Sharks in the battle of the beaches with 15 wins from 17 games in the past decade, including a one-point thriller at Southern Cross Group Stadium.
Panthers (Round 12, Panthers Stadium): The Sea Eagles were on the end of one of Penrith's absurd comebacks last year when the Panthers four tries in seven minutes in the final stages of their round 20 clash. That loss was the last thing the under-siege Sea Eagles needed. In 2017, Penrith eliminated the Sea Eagles in week one of the finals.
Raiders (Round 7, Lottoland): Manly inflicted two heart-breaking losses on Canberra in 2017 only to get a taste of their own medicine in round 12 of the 2018 season. On that occasion, a converted Jack Wighton try and Aidan Sezer field goal inside the final five minutes gave Canberra a 21-20 win.
Toughest stretch: Rounds 2-6. The second Des Hasler era gets underway with a fairly even draw that features the tougher games and away trips fairly well spread out. It's arguably trickiest in the early stages: they host premiers the Roosters in round two before travelling to Christchurch to play the Warriors followed by a home game against the Rabbitohs before heading up the M1 to face a Knights side that bested them twice in 2018, then heading in the other direction to meet the Dragons in Wollongong in round six.
And another thing: In round three the Sea Eagles take a home game to Christchurch for a second straight year. The move ended well for the Warriors last year as they romped to a big win in the two teams' only meeting. Manly face the Warriors in New Zealand twice in 2019 with a Warriors home game at Mt Smart Stadium in round 21 but Manly have had a happier time there, winning their past four.
