North Sydney Bears Vs Manly Sea Eagles
North Sydney Oval, Saturday, April 7
Kick-off: 3.00pm
Referee: Jon Stone
Broadcast: Triple H 100.1FM (Link available via the www.nswrl.com.au Broadcast page)
Summary: One of the great rivalries in Rugby League is set to be renewed here as the North Sydney Bears play host to the Manly Sea Eagles at North Sydney Oval. Both of these sides have won three matches thus far in 2012 and have shown plenty of positives in doing so. The Bears appear to have one of the strongest halves combinations in the competition with Hunt and Carr while Manly’s strength appears to be in the pack with the likes of Rose, Robinson, Annear and Co. North Sydney lose McQueen for this one after his two try cameo last week while Manly are also largely unchanged with the exception of Michael Oldfield who comes into the centres and shifts Ben Falcone back onto the bench. One of the great features of the VB NSW Cup is having the opportunity to watch traditional teams square off at traditional venues. Case in point here, get out there if you can.
Talking Point: Baby face George Burgess – 2011 saw the emergence of George Burgess for the North Sydney Bears. Despite being eligible for the Toyota Cup both last year and this season, Burgess continues to blossom in the open age competition. It is worth noting that Burgess did start 2012 in the Toyota Cup but his elevation back to the VB NSW Cup perhaps indicates that Michael Maguire is trying to fast track his Rugby League education with a view to blooding him in the NRL sooner rather than later.
Prediction: Leaning towards the Bears but a Manly win wouldn’t surprise. Norths by 4.
BROADCAST PAGE
http://www.nswrl.com.au/default.aspx?s=broadcast-information