League: Stronger Sea Eagles good test for resurgent Warriors

The Manly Sea Eagles celebrate 60 years in the Aussie premiership this season and have adopted a slogan that declares 2006 will be one of the greatest seasons in their history.

The Eagles have won the title six times, the last in 1996 when Matthew Ridge was there, and since then there has been the failure of the Northern Eagles experiment and financial problems prompting a complete re-build.

After a loss to Newcastle in the ARL grand final during the year of competition with Super League in 1997, the Eagles slipped down to bottom-dwellers where they have frequently enjoyed the company of the Warriors.

There is little love lost between the clubs, with the Eagles raising hackles when they tried to set up a talent development school here.

Last season's opening game featured running slanging matches, with Warriors centre Clinton Toopi notably put off his game by veteran mouther Terry Hill - the result a 26-20 loss that robbed the Warriors of confidence.

By round 25 they were able to repay the favour, scraping past Manly 22-20 and consigning them to the eighth and last playoff place, a meeting away with their arch-rivals Parramatta and a 46-22 elimination in the first weekend of finals.

The Manly team that comes to Ericsson Stadium tomorrow is considerably stronger than that of 2005. Melbourne buys Matt Orford and Steven Bell give them more attacking prowess, 2005 rookies including former Ponsonby centre Steve Matai are maturing well and contributing more and captain Ben Kennedy has a new lease on life, this week calling back his test retirement slip as he wants to play in Andrew Johns' last international.

Bell has been a huge danger for the Eagles with his line breaks. Orford gives them a long-kicking game as well as an array of tactical attacking kicks.

But the Warriors should have this game if they again win up front.

It won't be easy, the Eagles having won their last two games after coming from behind against the Sharks and Roosters.

But the Warriors seem to have at last found some comfort in their ability and confidence to come from behind themselves without resorting to the sort of helter-skelter football that can turn badly wrong.

They are showing signs of maturity in learning how to mount pressure and grind out points.

Coach Ivan Cleary said his players didn't execute their chances as well against the Knights in Newcastle as well as they had the previous week against champs the Wests Tigers in Christchurch.

"To still be able to come away with the win is probably the most pleasing thing to come out of the weekend. We did some good things but some other stuff we could do a lot better."

That's a theme coming from the players too. It was in rounds 24, 25 and 26 in 2003 when the Warriors last won three on the trot. It is that lack of consistency that has kept them at the tail of the competition ladder.

Tomorrow they need to continue to gather momentum if they are to press on as a threat and, if they do win and the rest keep beating each other, they will be right back in the frame.

Cleary said his old Manly side had made changes in key positions and much of their attacking play came out of nothing, when they produced a wide spread of the ball. The Warriors would have to work hard to contain Kennedy because he was a game-breaker and a game-winner.

Manly will have to work hard to contain Steve Price and Ruben Wiki but the Warriors pair should still win up-front and from there the home side have the opportunity to press on.

Their work in the halves is looking more polished and with that come chances for the likes of Toopi. Big wing Manu Vatuvei is a huge danger whenever he gets the ball at pace. Tony Martin has been kicking at above 80 per cent accuracy. They are a big chance.

* Ericsson Stadium, 2pm tomorrow

NZ WARRIORS

Brent Webb
Todd Byrne
Tony Martin
Clinton Toopi
Manu Vatuvei
Jerome Ropati
Nathan Fien
Ruben Wiki
George Gatis
Steve Price (c)
Awen Guttenbeil
Wairangi Koopu
Louis Anderson

Interchange: Grant Rovelli, Micheal Luck, Evarn Tuimavave, Sione Faumuina.

SEA EAGLES

Brett Stewart
M. Robertson
Steven Bell
Steve Matai
Chris Hicks
Travis Burns
Matt Orford
Jason King
M. Monaghan
Brent Kite
Steve Menzies
A. Watmough
Ben Kennedy (c)

Interchange: Shane Dunley, Luke Williamson, Adam Cuthbertson, Mark Bryant.