Manly v Dragqueens

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Yea!
Really lookin' forward to this game at Brookie!

Need to see Matai, Lyon, Ballin & Bell put in solid first-half performances, particularly in defence, as well as some nice confidence-building ball distribution; and our other big playmakers will follow suit, step up and really take it to the dragons!

Menzies on the bench is great I think too!

Go Sea Eagles!

BTW: anyone know how many tickets have been sold, or rough estimation of the % of tickets left as at now (around 24 hrs prior to kickoff)?
 
Hasler puts no value in Dragons jinx

Greg Prichard | September 13, 2008
http://www.leaguehq.com.au/news/news/hasler-puts-no-value-in-dragons-jinx/2008/09/12/1220857835922.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

MANLY coach Des Hasler last night dismissed St George Illawarra's excellent recent record against the Sea Eagles as meaningless and predicted it would be the team that got sick of running into the other first that would lose tonight's third qualifying final at Brookvale Oval.

"The track record will mean stuff-all going into this match," Hasler said. "It's finals football now. For and against, bogy teams … all of that fades into oblivion now. It [Manly's record against the Dragons] hasn't figured in our thinking, and I'm sure it wouldn't have figured in Brownie's [Dragons coach Nathan Brown's] either. He'd be too smart for that. In semi-final football, all the little things count, and that's what will matter tomorrow night.

"It'll be about making good yardage through the forwards, winning the arm wrestle, the quality of the kick and chase, and no unforced errors. Forcing good field position will be critical, and the team that loses the arm wrestle, the one that gets sick of it first, will be the one that falls behind. Both teams have got plenty of players who can do that job, so it's going to be interesting."

St George Illawarra have won seven of the past eight clashes against the Sea Eagles. Manly's only success during that stretch came in their second-most recent meeting, in round 25 of last season, when they won 28-24 at Brookvale. Their only clash this reason resulted in a 20-18 win to the Dragons in round 11, also at Brookvale. Manly have sometimes allowed themselves to be tempted away from their normal game by the Dragons, but it is clear tonight the Sea Eagles intend to concentrate on the style that took them to second place in the regular season and will try to dominate the game through their powerful forwards, before attempting to set their dangerous backs free.

"It'll be a tough game," Hasler said. "Two physical packs going at each other. We let the game slip away when we played them earlier this year, and we can't do that again. They're a dangerous team. They've got experience, in blokes like [Jason] Ryles, [Ben] Hornby, [Matt] Cooper and [Mark] Gasnier, and terrific back-rowers, like [Ben] Creagh and [Lagi] Setu. That [Josh] Morris kid is very good, as well. We've got to be aware of what they're capable of doing.

"But, beyond all that, we've got to concentrate on doing what we do well. We have to make sure we're on our game. Any team that is playing this weekend will be looking to make sure they take care of the middle of the field first. You've got to lay the platform before you think about anything else, and that's what we'll be aiming to do. You've got to play with a lot of intensity at this time of the year."

Five-eighth Jamie Lyon's return from a knee injury for Manly off the bench against Penrith last weekend was timely. The Sea Eagles lost three of the six games they played while he was out.

"Jamie looks terrific," Hasler said. "He's a big-match player and he adds another dimension to our attack. I think he's going to be great for us tomorrow night."

There wasn't much coming out of the St George Illawarra camp yesterday. A spokesman said Brown was yet to decide who would make the cut out of the eight players on the bench.
 
Manly pack the pick of the NRL: Ryles

September 12, 2008
http://news.leaguehq.com.au/sport/manly-pack-the-pick-of-the-nrl-ryles-20080912-4fe1.html

Dragons prop Jason Ryles has delivered a pre-game compliment to finals foe Manly, labelling their forward pack the most physical in the NRL.

In a slap in the face to minor premiers Melbourne, Ryles said the Sea Eagles now set the NRL benchmark for toughness in the forwards.

But Ryles won't be exchanging any pleasantries on Saturday night at Brookvale Oval as his side must beat the Sea Eagles in their qualifying final to stay alive in 2008.

"Manly are far and away the most physical side that I've played this year, we know what we're in for in that department," said Ryles.

"The early onslaught will definitely be tough and then we need to get into the groove of the game.

"They don't really have many weaknesses over the park which indicates their position on the table."

Ryles' endorsement is matched in the stats with Manly rated No.1 in the NRL for most metres gained (1391.5m) and least metres conceded (1187.5m), proving they typically win the forwards battle.

But winning the war up front isn't the only factor, as the Dragons proved at Brookvale Oval in round 11 this year.

They overcame less possession, metres gained, penalties and linebreaks to post a 20-18 upset of the Sea Eagles.

Manly are only too aware the Dragons have a strong record over them in recent seasons, winning nine of their past 12 clashes, but are not daunted by history.

Halfback Matt Orford, who collected his first Dally M Medal on Tuesday night, believes the Sea Eagles are well-placed to improve on last year's grand final loss to Melbourne.

Orford says his combination with former Test star Jamie Lyon, who is one week back from a knee injury, is ready to pay dividends in the finals.

"We've just got to become more unpredictable and it probably gives me a free rein," said Orford.

"Jamie will obviously take a fair bit of heat off me and if we can sort of keep teams guessing, well that's want we want to do in this finals series."

The Dragons have had their own halves dramas this season and it wouldn't surprise Manly if Jamie Soward (back injury) is reinstated to the starting line up at the expense of five-eighth Ben Rogers.

While it is a must-win clash for the Dragons, a Sea Eagles loss would not kill their 2008 season as their top two finish guaranteed their week one safety net.

It would also give departing veteran Steve Menzies a chance to bring up 350 games if Manly reaches the grand final.

But Lyon says Manly will be hunting the week off and direct passage to a Sydney preliminary final that comes with a victory on Saturday night.

"You want to win every game that you play and you don't want to go into big semi-finals with a loss under your belt so hopefully we can get a good win on Saturday night," said Lyon.

"I think it's a bit of an advantage and gets you to freshen up and get your mind on the job."
© 2008 AAP
 
[img=134x200]http://images.whereilive.com.au/images/uploads/b255f6a0653a0e00141487f332c29cde_resized.jpg[/img]
 
Team P W L PD Pts
3 3 0 48 6
4 3 1 28 6
3 2 1 10 6
4 2 2 39 4
3 2 1 28 4
3 2 1 15 4
3 2 1 14 4
2 1 1 13 4
2 1 1 6 4
3 2 1 -3 4
3 1 2 0 2
3 1 2 -5 2
3 1 2 -15 2
3 1 2 -22 2
3 1 2 -36 2
2 0 2 -56 2
3 0 3 -64 0
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