Mals said:
Your analysis makes no mention of the halves & barely a mention of the hookers (apart from Ennis being a villain). In my opinion Manly's 6, 7, & 9 are much stronger than CBs & this fact will have a major bearing on the game.
Cherry-Evans is the stronger half-back but Foran can drift in and out of games. If Foran is on form for the full 80, then Manly will have the edge at 6 and 7. I don't agree that Manly are that much stronger at hooker.
Manly do have the playoff experience over the Bulldogs and it will be a close game.
I still think that the Bulldogs forwards are better placed to give them the field position where the backs can finish things off.
Mr InviswannahangoutnobigDEAL! said:
Caketiger said:
Hi there
For anyone interested, I have written a blog previewing this weekend's finals.
NRL Finals Preview
Sorry guys, I think the Bulldogs will win on Friday night :s
Can you convince me otherwise?
Challenge accepted, firstly Manly have a good record at ANZ in recent times that includes the dogs. Secondly, the last time these two teams played Manly went into the game on the back of a big loss to Newcastle, that is not the case this time. Thirdly, after big wins, like the dogs had against the roosters, teams usually have a drop in total score the next round. In addition, If you look at the amount of try's Stewart has saved for games played this year and last year you would know that without him Manly's last line of defense usually does not hold up. Furthermore, when you take into account how much he can add to a team in attack you would understand why the Bulldogs won the last encounter by a narrow margin. Lastly, the team has improved since losing to Newcastle, as they returned the favor a few weeks ago, which means they have improved since the last dogs match, but i wonder whether the dogs have improved given that they lost to Canberra two weeks ago. All i know is that beating a Roosters side before the finals does not mean that you are prepared to face the premiers.
The Bulldogs will definitely have to keep a watch on the Stewarts in attack. The great thing about this game is how many attacking options both sides have - it should be a great game to watch.
Hasler has been through the playoffs and knows what to expect whereas this is Toovey's first finals as a coach. Will that make a difference?