NRL Round 5 Preview and Prediction - Sydney Roosters v Manly Sea Eagles @ Allianz Stadium

Sydney Roosters v Manly Sea Eagles @ Allianz Stadium
 
Preview - The Roosters will be shooting for 5 straight wins to start 2017 when they host the rejuvenated Sea Eagles in the early kick-off on Friday night at Allianz Stadium. The Roosters were convincing 20-6 winners over bitter rivals South Sydney last weekend, and confirmed themselves as equal Premiership favourites with plenty of improvement still to come. The Sea Eagles have taken plenty by surprise in the past couple of weeks, with their convincing victories over the Cowboys and then a 36-0 shut out over the Bulldogs at Lottoland. Trent Barrett and Bob Fulton were men under the microscope just a couple of weeks ago, however the team has responded by piling on 66 points and conceding just 8 points, with their goal line defence and desperation a real feature of the team’s play.
 
History - The Sea Eagles have an unbelievably dominant record over the Roosters overall, winning 82 games and losing 44 overall. The Sea Eagles have also won 3 of the past 4 matches, including a tight 22-20 victory over the Roosters in their only clash last season. 
 
Sydney Roosters Scouting Report - Blake Ferguson has been named on an extended bench for the Roosters and could be a late inclusion for Joseph Manu. Whilst the Roosters’ attack and silky set plays have been their biggest asset this year, they have tightened the screws defensively in the past 2 weeks, conceding just 18 points combined in the last two rounds against Penrith and Souths. 
 
Manly Sea Eagles’ Scouting Report - Lloyd Perrett is free to return after a fractured eye socket, however is unlikely to break back into a Manly side that has been playing great football in the past two weeks. Daly Cherry-Evans has really stepped up as Captain, putting together back-to-back man of the match type performances in wins over the Cowboys and Bulldogs. The Manly forward pack certainly has a more physical presence about them with the return of Martin Taupau and Addin Fonua Blake who were both strong in their returns from suspension. 
 
Verdict - Roosters by 6-12 in a high scoring game

I'm expecting this game to be a little bit closer than many people predict. I don't think Manly's form is totally legitimate; however they are a side playing with plenty of confidence and some flair at the moment. Daly Cherry-Evans is a real confidence player and, in this sort of mood, he is one of the very best players, let alone halfbacks, in the NRL. I think the big test for Manly this week will be how they handle a Roosters’ side that has attacking threat and punch all over the park. In recent weeks they have been able to shut down an injury riddled Cowboys’ team and a terrible Bulldogs’ team, so this is a different challenge all together. I'm expecting this to be quite an open and high scoring game, and I think Manly might be capable of putting 3 or 4 tries on the Roosters. However, I can see the Roosters scoring one or two more.