Rugby League / Jake Norton / 05 June 2008 / Leave a comment " class="free-bet-btn" rel="external">Bet Now

Manly look set to grind out a tough victory against the competition leading Roosters with Origin duty hurting the Bondi Boys more than the Northern Beaches Lads, writes Nick Tedeschi.

The last time State of Origin called for Australia's best players to miss competition football, both the Manly Sea Eagles and the Sydney Roosters comfortably disposed of inferior opposition. This time around, the absence of Origin stars will make all the difference.

Quite surprisingly, Manly, runners-up in 2007 and currently third on the premiership ladder, have only fullback Brett Stewart on Origin duty. Brent Kite, Matt Orford, Jamie Lyon, Anthony Watmough and Steven Bell, a quintet of Origin-quality stars, will all line up for Manly this weekend after all narrowly missed State of Origin selection.

The Roosters have not been so lucky, with their forward pack decimated by representative duty.

This week the Roosters will travel to Brookvale Oval without skipper Craig Fitzgibbon, fellow backrower Anthony Tupou and props Willie Mason and Nate Myles.

Craig Fitzgibbon leads the Roosters in tackles made (31.6 per match), has the second most offloads (15) at the club and is third in highest average metreage (114.7) amongst Roosters forwards.

Anthony Tupou leads the club in offloads (28) and line breaks (6) and makes the second most tackles per game (24.6).

Willie Mason has the highest average metres gained (141.9) amongst Rooster forwards and is third at the club in offloads (14) and line breaks (5).

Nate Myles makes the third most tackles per game (20.6) of all Roosters while making 91.6 metres a match.

That is a tremendous amount of oomph and work to lose.

Des Hasler will attempt to take advantage of this by executing a simple game plan of field position and strong defence. Manly want an arm wrestle.

Though Manly and the Roosters sit second and third in attack, this will be a defensive struggle with a strong kicking game and an ability to win the ruck the keys to victory.

Manly are the best team in the NRL at grinding out a win. They play safe with the ball and offer little ground in defence. Manly rank fifth in their NRL in errors made compared to the Roosters, who rank fifteenth, while the Eagles have conceded fewer metres per match than any other team.

Manly has won their last five games against the Roosters, including a 56-0 victory in round seventeen last season. This time around the scoreboard will be closer but it certainly appears that it will still favour Manly. Those looking to bet the Eagles can do so in both points margin markets.

For those looking for added value, consider backing a Roosters-Manly double in the