We finally reach the end of the home and away season, and I think I speak for most fans in saying it’s about time the Finals started. The past month has been a poor look for the game, with one-sided hidings being periodically interspersed with the odd game between two contenders that really gets the blood pumping for September football.
In the early Friday game, two sides who won’t be playing in the Finals take to Accor Stadium, with the Bulldogs hosting the Sea Eagles. Whilst the Bulldogs will come out of this season with plenty of positives to look back on and optimism for season 2023, the Sea Eagles have imploded as a club, and mass changes are expected heading into next year. With nothing to play for but pride, let’s dive into the data and see if we can find a winner.
Canterbury Bulldogs vs Manly Sea Eagles Betting Tips
Accor Stadium, Friday 2nd September, 6:00pm (AEST)
Squads
Canterbury Bulldogs
1. Jake Averillo 2. Jacob Kiraz 3. Aaron Schoupp 4. Braidon Burns 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Matt Burton 7. Kyle Flanagan 8. Max King 9. Jeremy Marshall-King 10. Paul Vaughan 11. Corey Waddell 12. Raymond Faitala-Mariner 13. Josh Jackson. INTERCHANGE: 14. Zach Dockar-Clay 15. Joe Stimson 16. Chris Patolo 17. Tevita Pangai Junior. RESERVES: 19. Declan Casey 20. Bailey Biondi-Odo 21. Jackson Topine 22. Paul Alamoti 23. Luke Thompson
Manly Sea Eagles
1. Kaeo Weekes 2. Ray Tuaimalo-Vaega 3. Brad Parker 4. Tolutau Koula 5. Christian Tuipulotu 6. Kieran Foran 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Toafofoa Sipley 9. Lachlan Croker 10. Martin Taupau 11. Haumole Olakau’atu 12. Andrew Davey 13. Dylan Walker. INTERCHANGE: 14. Ben Trbojevic 15. Josh Schuster 16. Ethan Bullemor 17. Kurt De Luis. RESERVES: 18. James Roumanos 19. Zac Fulton 20. Jacob Sykes 21. Jamie Humphreys 22. Gordon Chan Kum Tong
Match Preview
Woof, what a way to wave goodbye to the early Friday night slate, with two teams that gave up about a month ago. Manly are currently on a 6-game skid, the worst in the NRL, whilst the Bulldogs haven’t won for a month, meaning both sides will need to produce something against the grain to get the two points in this one.
The market opinion of the Sea Eagles has dropped like a stone since the rainbow jersey controversy, and right now they are rated as one of the worst teams in the NRL. This makes sense, if you’ve watched this side play over the past 6 weeks, and I can get my head around this number (Bulldogs -6.5) despite my number being closer to Bulldogs -3.5.
Manly have been horrific all season away from Brookvale, with their only two wins away from home coming against the lowly Knights and Tigers. This doesn’t necessarily write them off for this one, however it shows a trend in form away from home, which added with their current form makes it exceedingly difficult to bet on them.
The Bulldogs, on the other hand, have looked good in patches at Accor Stadium this year, with wins over the Eels and Roosters, mixed in with losses to the Rabbitohs and Broncos. They tend to draw a crowd of supporters at Accor, and given this is the last game of the season, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a vocal Bulldogs crowd at this one.
Ultimately, I can’t in good conscience recommend betting large amounts on this game. Both sides have given up on the year, and the game could go either way. I see the Bulldogs winning, and they showed last year with a 38-0 victory over the Tigers in the final round that they don’t mind turning it on late in the season. Small stakes, but I’ll trust the Bulldogs to get the job done.
Prop Bet: Sea Eagles (team total) under 23.5 - $1.92 @ Ladbrokes
