Sea Eagles vs Eels NRL Friday betting tips & odds – Rd 21, 2022

Round 21’s Friday Night Football wraps up on the Northern Beaches as the Manly Sea Eagles host the Parramatta Eels at 4 Pines Park.

The Sea Eagles will be looking to return to form following back-to-back losses to the Dragons and Roosters. Meanwhile, the Eels will be looking make it back-to-back wins having beaten the Penrith Panthers last weekend at CommBank Stadium. Manly have a host of stars returning after personal issues kept them out of the Roosters game, while the Eels will need to find a way to win without halfback Mitchell Moses.

The Sea Eagles receive major reinforcements with the likes of Haumole Olakau’atu, Jason Saab and Tolutau Koula returning to the starting line-up. The Eels, on the other hand, have lost Moses to hand surgery and have named Jake Arthur at halfback. Not only has Arthur been booed by his own ‘fans’ in recent weeks, but reports suggest the Eels are considering a late change to the spine with Clint Gutherson stepping into the halves.

With a host of Sea Eagles stars set to return to the side this weekend, punters have backed the home side from $2.10 into as short as $1.80 with online bookmakers. On the flipside, the Eels have drifted from $1.75 out to $2.

In 40 clashes between the two clubs in the NRL era, the Eels have been victorious on 21 occasions. Some argue the loss of Tom Trbojevic in their last clash was the deciding factor between the Sea Eagles winning and losing, which makes sense as the Sea Eagles won their previous game by 46 points. Given the history of these two clubs and the changes to their sides for this week, the Sea Eagles are every chance of winning by a 13+ margin at $3.80.

The Eels’ major defensive issues are on the left-hand side of the field, and those issues they’re still facing with Maika Sivo. Returning winger Saab will be one man to watch on that left edge as a target for the Sea Eagles, both in the air and on the outside. Saab to score at any time during the match is a monty at $2.05 with BetOnline.

The other player to watch for Manly is fullback Reuben Garrick. With more attacking weapons around him this weekend, he will be given more space in attack, which will give him the opportunity to score for himself. Garrick’s support play is another facet of his game that rewards him with tries, and at $2.50 he is a great value play to score at any time.

Key matchup: Lachlan Croker vs Reed Mahoney

The battle of these two hookers will be intriguing to watch, as both players play vital roles in the middle third of the field for their teams. Both men are tasked with the job of bringing their forwards onto the ball and over the advantage line to create a fast ruck, and both will use that faster ruck to run and attack. These two have also shown the ability to kick well from dummy half if they simply spot an opportunity to do so, or if their primary kicker needs the pressure taken off them. Whoever wins the battle in the middle by doing these things well and making their tackles will set their team up for success.

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