Do we actually want to finish in the Top 4?

[IQofalimabean]

its better to have a second chance then to finish 5th and get knocked out first week of the finals.

 

[susan]

Won't be in Canberra as there is no way we can play Raiders in week 2 if we finish 4.
If we finish 4 and lose then we'll play a winner from the bottom half of the 8 and we will be the home team.
Whether that is at Brookvale or not, I am unsure, but we will be the home team.

If we finish 4 and lose we do not play at Brookvale no matter who we play . Sydney suburban home ground advantage only apply to week 1. We will play at a neutral venue which is ANZ. I assume BankWest would only be used as an option if we are not playing Tigers or Parra.
Home ground advantage after week one only applies to non Sydney sides which is Melb and Canberra this year.

 

[XV-1]

Top 4 would be absolutely cream on the cake.

We beat Storm week one and get the next weekend off to rest the battered bodies.

 

[Wombat64]

I had a dream a couple of weeks ago that manly will play Canberra in the GF. Doesnt mean much just putting it out there

Wet dream?

 

[The Indian]

There's still a decent chance we wont finish top 4 anyway. I'm not counting that chicken.

Agree we'd be massive underdogs against the cheats in a Melbourne semi where they would try and wrestle and jiu jitsu us to death but you never know until you try and also we'd then be on the opposite side of the draw to the cheats and likely based in Sydney thereafter.

Brookie semi would be great but a sudden death match against an experience Sharks team with lots of old hardheads would be no picnic......take the 2nd chance.

 

[ellakasmar]

Just doing a bit of ladder predictor work to see where we may end up after next round.

But it dawned upon me - do we really want 4th anymore? With the amount of injuries we have and picked up tonight, I don’t think going to Melbourne in a couple weeks time is the greatest situation for us.

Whereas if we were to come 5th, there’s a chance we could avoid going interstate at all during the finals series, and not playing Melbourne until the grand final - if we are luckily enough to get there!!!

This is all hypothetical in situations that would affect us, but this could be the scenario:

QUARTER FINALS
1st (Storm) v 4th (Souths) - Storm win
2nd (Roosters) v 3rd (Raiders) - Roosters win
5th (Manly) v 8th ??? - Manly win

SEMI FINALS
Souths v Manly - Manly win

PRELIMINARY FINALS
Roosters v Manly - Manly win
Storm v ??? - Storm win

GRAND FINAL
Manly v Storm

We would definitely have to learn to hold the ball for this to all happen (lol) but just an example to show how 5th could be a better run for a better chance of a successful finals series.

So funny because only last week I was petitioning for the need to get into the top 4 hahaha, but now I think 5th would be more ideal with our situation!

Who knows - maybe we could be the first NRL side to win the grand final from outside the top 4 😉

 

[Heckenberg]

we definitely do

 

[ellakasmar]

we definitely do

The second chance would be amazing - and chance to even win in Melbourne. But I just don’t want any more injuries with the Storm’s dirty tactics

 

[BH72]

good point. I don't like our chances down there (VFL land). We have to play ourselves back into confidence without Tom & Joel T. The draw you have predicted looks ok. Souths are the team that least bother me as far as who Manly may have to play.

 

[mave]

Said this a month ago. 5th or 6th is where it's at in 2019 for us. Home final at Brpokie is invaluable.

Melb/Roosters
The rest. And we are the best of the rest, even without Tommy. We are certainly the toughest.

We only need a 4 game winning run.