NRL Round 2 Preview - Sea Eagles v Eels @ Lottoland

Manly Sea Eagles v Parramatta Eels @ Lottoland
 
Preview - Bitter rivals, Manly and Parramatta, clash in a Round 2 rivalry game on Sunday afternoon at Lottoland, with both sides looking to rebound from Round 1 defeats. Manly pushed the Knights all the way in front of a massive crowd in Newcastle, before going down 19-18 in Golden Point. The Eagles lost 3 of their first 4 home games last season, so will be looking to give their fans more to cheer about early in the season. Parramatta were one of the disappointments of the Round, having been run down by the Panthers, despite shooting out to a 14-0 lead in the local derby at Panthers Stadium
 
History - The Sea Eagles have a dominant overall record against Parramatta, having won 82 and lost 51 with 2 draws. However, in 2017 the Eels ambushed Manly in Round 1 at Lottoland, with a physically dominant display, winning 20-12 in a bruising affair. The Eels have completely dominated Manly of late, winning the last 6 clashes between the teams. However, they do have a poor overall record at Brookvale, having won less than a third of their games there over the years. 
 
Manly Sea Eagles’ Scouting Report - Trent Barrett has surprisingly swung the axe and made a couple of changes after his side’s Round 1 defeat. Matthew Wright is replaced at centre by Brad Parker, and Jackson Hastings and Lloyd Perrett join the bench in place of Lewis Brown and Frank Winterstein. Kelepi Tanginoa retains his interchange spot after a strong display against the Knights. 
 
Parramatta Eels’ Scouting Report - Brad Arthur has stuck solid with the side that coughed up a big lead against the Panthers last game. Corey Norman and Mitchell Moses looked electric as a pairing in the first 25 minutes, before fading out of the game in the second half. Jarryd Hayne had a reasonable outing in the centres, despite being kept fairly quiet by the Panthers. 
 
Verdict - Manly by 1-6
 
I was confident about a Parramatta victory here, however their display last week worried me with the way they wilted after 40 minutes. They go to a similarly hostile rival’s suburban ground here, so there could be a few demons there. I am sure Coach Brad Arthur would be fuming with the way his side clocked off last week, so I’m expecting a pretty closely contested game here between two sides that will be desperate to avoid at 0-2 start. I will give a slight edge to Manly given they are coming off a 9-day turnaround, whilst Parramatta played in hot conditions and are off a 7-day turn around.