No slip ups as Roosters, Sea Eagles continue NRL finals march

Both the Sydney Roosters and Manly Sea Eagles delivered clinical performances on Friday night in the NRL, dispatching lower-ranked opposition to continue their march towards the NRL finals.

The Roosters saw off the Paramatta Eels in bizarre conditions, with Allianz Stadium covered with puddles due to heavy rain and a drainage issue.

Sydney had no issues in the wet, however, running in seven tries to defeat the Eels 38-14 and solidify their grip on third place in the NRL standings.

The Sea Eagles had a slightly tougher task against the New Zealand Warriors, who they drew with earlier in the season.

The sides could not be separated for the first 50 minutes, with the match locked at 10-all until Manly ran in two second half tries to pull away 24-10.

They tentatively sit in fifth spot on the ladder but can be passed by the Canterbury Bulldogs depending on the weekend’s results.

Both teams have also strengthened their odds of finishing in the top four now.

The Roosters have all but confirmed their spot, paying just $1.02 at NRL bookmakers to make the top four.

Manly are less of a chance, but have a health shot with odds of $5 at PlayUp.

Allianz conditions slammed

While there was no drama in either of Friday night’s matches, players and commentators had plenty to say about the conditions at Allianz Stadium.

The ground underwent a redevelopment just two years ago, which cost a total of $828 million.

However, Parramatta captain Clint Gutherson was far from pleased with the end result.

“It was one of the worst fields I’ve played on for a while,” he said after the match.

“Especially with the fields these days as they’re normally pretty quick and I didn’t think it rained that much.

“It was hard to play in but there’s no excuse for letting some of those tries in.

“We didn’t know it was that bad until we got out there and your feet was fully underwater.”

The Roosters’ James Tedesco agreed, saying the conditions were “pretty crazy”.

“I mean when we got here two hours before the game the field was looking great.

“Then we got a bit of a downpour there and it was soaking wet.

“There wasn’t much bounce, and it was pretty slippery.

“It was tough conditions but it was fun as well.”

NRL legend Paul Gallen weighed in on the matter too in NINE’s coverage of the match.

“I’m actually really disappointed,” he said.

“I think the NRL will be having a chat to the groundsmen or the stadium itself.”

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