Match Preview: Jersey Flegg Cup Round 14 vs Souths

The Sea Eagles return to 4 Pines Park for the first time since mid-March on the back of consecutive away wins against Canberra and Cronulla.

A dominant first half laid the platform in Manly’s 28-18 victory over Cronulla last Friday night in a performance that pleased Coach Chris Crotty.

“It was our most complete game of the year,’’ Crotty said.

“We had some adversity to deal with after losing centre Max Davies after 10 minutes to a calf injury and then prop Lewis Saad with an elbow injury after 20 minutes.

“It meant five-eighth Charlie Boyle had to play centre with Tamoko Berryman-Duff coming off the bench to play half-back.

“The young SG Ball kids in our side then had to play much bigger minutes as a result.

“All the boys stepped up and handled the changes well.

“Our try line defence was much improved and we showed good resilience.  Half Tyler Melrose’s kicking game allowed us to build pressure.

“I thought Tyler, (hooker) Zaidas Muagututia, and (second-rower) Simon Green were standouts.”

Crotty said the side was thrilled to be back home after six weeks on the road. Manly sit in 13th place on 10 points with Souths eighth on 15 points.

“We’re excited about the challenge that Souths presents us,’’ he added.

“As a squad, we’re not getting ahead of ourselves, but momentum is contagious and confidence within our group is building.”

Kick-off at 4 Pines Park on Saturday, June 6, is 1pm. The NSW Cup match between Manly and Souths will follow at 3pm. Both matches will be shown live on BarTV.