The Sea Eagles will be looking to dust off their feathers and regroup following their one-point loss to the Raiders, taking on Round 1 winners the Knights.

Manly started well with their new-look side without long-term halfback and captain Daly Cherry-Evans, racing out to a 14-6 lead by halftime.

However, they could not maintain their composure, allowing Canberra back into the match which was pushed into golden point extra time, with rookie Raiders halfback slotting the winning field goal.

Under new coach Justin Holbrook, the Knights started their season with a bang, taking the two points over the Cowboys in Las Vegas.

The victory was their first since Round 16 last year – but did come at a cost with five-eighth Fletcher Sharpe sustaining a knee injury set to keep him out until Round 3. 

However Star recruit Sandon Smith was able to step up in the match played a leading role in guiding the side to the ground-breaking win.

Team News

Sea Eagles: Youngster Joey Walsh drops out of the squad 90 minutes before kick-off. Former Bronco Kobe Hetherington comes into the starting side in place of Siosiua Taukeiaho (calf). Hetherington had a disrupted pre-season but made his club debut off the bench in the Round 1 loss to Canberra. Centre Tolu Koula is looking to keep a remarkable try-scoring streak alive, having crossed the chalk in 10 consecutive games at 4 Pines Park. Paul Bryan, Brandon Wakeham and Josh Feledy are all part of the six-man bench and in line to play their first NRL match for Manly.

Knights: Sandon Smith will wear the No.6 jersey after Fletcher Sharpe suffered a knee injury in Las Vegas. Tyson Frizell was named to start at lock but has again swapped with Mat Croker on game day. History is against the Knights, however, with Newcastle winning just four of 23 games at 4 Pines Park. Tyson Gamble and James Schiller came out of the squad in the 24-hour update while Cody Hopwood dropped out on game day.

Stat Attack

The Sea Eagles have won only one of their past four games against Newcastle.
The Knights have won only four of 23 games at 4 Pines Park.
Sea Eagles centre Tolu Koula has scored a try in 10 consecutive games at 4 Pines Park.
Knights winger Greg Marzhew has scored six tries in seven games against the Sea Eagles.
Sea Eagles second-rower Haumole Olakau’atu has scored five tries in his last six games against the Knights.

Stats supplied by David Middleton, League Information Services, author of the official annual of the NRL.