Manly Sea Eagles vs Brisbane Broncos
11th June 1050hrs
Rugby League – Australia – NRL
Pick Sea Eagles -10 Handicap
Bookmaker Bet365
Odds: 8/11 odds taken 02:17 GMT, Wednesday 10th June
The Sea Eagles were hard done by in round four as they were cruelly and wrongly the NRL concluded, denied a game-winning try for a forward pass.
Things took another dive for Thursday’s opponents the Broncos. They were torn to shreds in a heavy defeat against the Rooster in their last fixture, leaving them with back to back losses.
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Sea Eagles can continue to soar
It was a near miss for the Sea Eagles against Parramatta last weekend. They so nearly healed themselves across the winning line only to be denied by an incorrect ruling.
That really will have stung them as it saw them miss a chance at three straight wins. The Sea Eagles had returned from lockdown with a strong 32-6 win over the Canterbury Bulldogs.
But given the nosedive in form of the Broncos, this could be a golden opportunity for the Sea Eagles to get themselves back on track.
Their W2 L2 record for the season leaves them in 8th place ahead of the next round of ladder fixtures.
They are, notably, the second-lowest scoring side in the top-nine in the ladder. Their 19-16 defeat against the Parramatta Eels last weekend leaves them with an overall +10 in the points difference chart.
The team news for the Sea Eagles is good. Nothing is really broken so there is nothing to fix. They remain unchanged for this fixture which is being played at Gosford at the Central Coast Stadium.
The Sea Eagles have won eight of their last nine games played at that particular venue. There is going to be a big factor in the pack for Manly in this game who will be keen to tear into a fragile Broncos forward unit.
Can the Broncos get the lift they need
Let’s start with a positive for the Brisbane Broncos. They won their two ladder meetings with the Sea Eagles last season. Those were very good 26-10 (away) and 48-16 (home) wins that they recorded.
Now back to the current state of play. In their first game back after lockdown, the Broncos had a tough match on their hands against the Parramatta Eels. The Broncos came up a long way short in a 6-34 reverse.
Things got a lot worse for them last weekend as they were demolished and embarrassed 59-0 by the Roosters. That was, incidentally, the heaviest loss in the history of the club. It’s little surprise that they are ringing the changes.
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The Broncos do get one of their star players, Kotoni Stagss back into action here. That’s a big lift. There are changes up front as well for them because their pack was decimated by the Roosters last weekend.
That’s the big area where they need to stand tall this weekend and make themselves counted. They have won four of their last five contests against the Sea Eagles, so have had the upper hand over them recently.
But there is no denying that there is a bit of a crisis happening at the club at the moment. Once again they failed to really show up against one of the better sides in the ladder. That’s becoming an issue.
Manly Sea Eagles vs Brisbane Broncos Betting Advice
After their back to back crushing defeats against the Eels and the Roosters, there is no way the defence of the Broncos can be trusted.
The line up changes have happened, but they boast now the worst points-against record in the ladder. A flimsy defence isn’t likely to be fixed overnight.
Key Facts – Manly Sea Eagles vs Brisbane Broncos Betting Tip
- Manly Sea Eagles have won 1 of their last 5 against the Broncos
- The Sea Eagles were wrongly denied a win over table-topping Parramatta in their last match
- The Broncos were beaten 59-0 by the Roosters last weekend
- Brisbane Broncos have lost their last two
The Broncos have been poor in the pack. In contrast, the Sea Eagles have some big engines up front who can damage the Broncos. The fact that they just missed out against the Parramatta Eels who tore the Broncos apart in Round 3 just about sums it all up.
They do have to buck the head to head trend in meetings, but in the current state of play Manly can be supported to do that.
You get the feeling that it won’t take much for the heads of the Broncos to drop.
But the Sea Eagles aren’t the most prolific in putting points on the board, so a Sea Eagles -10 handicap at 8/11 is about right* (betting odds taken at 02:32 GMT on Wednesday, 10th June 2020)
The best betting odds for Manly Sea Eagles vs Brisbane Broncos
Manly Sea Eagles to win: 2/9 at Bet365
Draw: 20/1 at Bet365
Brisbane Broncos: 7/2 at Bet365
