Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles v St George Illawarra Dragons
Lottoland, Brookvale
Saturday, 3pm
Both teams will head into Round 6 with a three-game winning streak in toe and another huge battle in front of them.
The Sea Eagles left it late to beat the Roosters while the Dragons had no troubles against the Wests Tigers in Round 5 of the NRL Telstra Premiership.
The Dragons will celebrate Euan Aitken's 50th NRL game this weekend upon his return from a hamstring injury. He will replace Josh Dugan who is out for the next fortnight with a hamstring strain of his own.
Jason Nightingale will don the No. 1 jumper and Kurt Mann will shift to the wing as a result.
Hame Sele will make his NRL debut from the interchange, with Jacob Host returning to the Intrust Super Premiership in name of getting extra minutes.
The Sea Eagles will welcome Darcy Lussick (wrist) back into the fold with utility Jackson Hastings returning to coach Trent Barrett's reserves list.
Teams –
Sea Eagles: 1. Tom Trbojevic, 2. Jorge Taufua, 3. Dylan Walker, 4. Brian Kelly, 5. Akuila Uate, 6. Blake Green, 7. Daly Cherry-Evans (c), 8. Brenton Lawrence, 9. Apisai Koroisau, 10. Martin Taupau, 11. Frank Winterstein, 12. Curtis Sironen, 13. Jake Trbojevic. Interchange: 14. Lewis Brown, 15. Nate Myles, 16. Darcy Lussick, 17. Addin Fonua-Blake, 18. Jackson Hastings, 20. Matthew Wright, 21. Jarrad Kennedy, 22. Lloyd Perrett.
Dragons: 1. Jason Nightingale, 2. Nene Macdonald, 3. Euan Aitken, 4. Tim Lafai, 5. Kurt Mann, 6. Gareth Widdop (c), 7. Josh McCrone, 8. Russell Packer, 9. Cameron McInnes, 10. Paul Vaughan, 11. Tyson Frizell, 12. Joel Thompson, 13. Jack de Belin. Interchange: 14. Tariq Sims, 15. Leeson Ah Mau, 16. Hame Sele, 17. Taane Milne, 18. Blake Lawrie 19. Kalifa Faifai Loa, 20. Luciano Leilua, 21. Jacob Host.
Key Match-Up: Nate Myles and Darcy Lussick v Leeson Ah Mau and Tariq Sims – A huge forward battle is expected on Saturday afternoon and the importance of winning the middle extends to those on the interchange. The Sea Eagles have received a huge boost in Lussick's return, with him to complement incumbent Queensland Origin representative Nate Myles. They will contend with Dragons duo Tariq Sims and Leeson Ah Mau who have been holding the fort in the middle-third all year long.
The History: Played 24; Sea Eagles 9, Dragons 15. The Dragons have past four games at Lottoland as they look to make it four wins in a row. The Red V's trouble with Manly has seen them lose four of their past five against their upcoming opponents. The last time they played in Round 17, 2016, the Sea Eagles recorded a 36-6 victory.
Match Officials: Referee: Gavin Badger. Assistant Referee: Chris James. Sideline Officials: Rohan Best and Dave Ryan.
Televised: Fox League – Live coverage from 2:20pm
Radio: ABC and Triple M
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