http://manly-daily.whereilive.com.au/sport/story/skipper-s-battle-cry/ LEADING Manly players have pinpointed the next three weeks as vital if the Sea Eagles hope to make the finals. The Sea Eagles are in 11th position, four points outside the top eight, ahead of Saturday afternoon’s round-13 NRL clash with the Roosters at Brookvale Oval. The premiers will then take on the Panthers (away) and Raiders (home) before their final bye after State of Origin two. It’s a crucial period for the Sea Eagles to stay in touch with the top eight and prop Brent Kite has stressed the importance of stringing some wins together to makes things easier later in the year. “Because otherwise it just gets to the stage where we’ll have to keep winning or the pressure will keep building,†Kite said. “(The Titans loss) was disappointing, that one would have put us on the edge of the eight. “But we’ve just got to keep going and keep winning. When a team is down like (the Roosters) they always come ready to play. “But I’m confident we’ll have a win.†Manly skipper Matt Orford is confident his team can get on a roll, insisting they are building nicely into the season and getting closer to their best form. “We have a very important month coming up but we can’t look past the Roosters yet,†Orford said on Friday. “Even though we didn’t get the points (against the Titans) it was probably one of the better games we’ve played this season. “It hasn’t stopped the momentum we built up before the bye. “It’s good to finally be back at Brookie and the boys are all feeling pretty good.†The Sea Eagles have had little trouble against the Roosters on their home soil in recent years, winning the past two encounters by a total of 98-0. Meanwhile, Cowboys coach Neil Henry said he expects North Queensland-bound winger Michael Bani to immediately fit in at the club. Both Manly and the Cowboys have finalised the mid-season swap deal that will see Ben Farrar arrive at Brookvale next week. Kick-off at Brookvale Oval is 5.30pm.
