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Sport Nation
Warriors face golden opportunity to erase Vegas nightmare against red-hot Sea Eagles
Sport Nation • March 10th, 2025 10:45 am
Photo: Photosport
The cream has quickly risen to the top after the opening round of the NRL, and the NZ Warriors and the Manly Sea Eagles have been at opposite ends of that spectrum.
On Friday, the Warriors will try to shake off their pounding Las Vegas hangover against the red-hot Sea Eagles, who made a resounding statement of intent against the North Queensland Cowboys on Saturday.
Daly Cherry-Evans' men put on a clinic at Brookvale Oval, laying on 42 unanswered points to stamp themselves as one of the early Premiership favourites.
While they'll clearly present a daunting challenge for the Warriors, the Sea Eagles also offer a golden opportunity for the NZ side to instantly erase their drubbing at the hands of the Raiders and inject a huge dose of hope in a fanbase which had precious little to cling to after the team's efforts stateside.
In terms of a form guide, the intangibles of Vegas could be misleading. NRL veteran and Sport Nation commentator Blake Ayshford believes the Sea Eagles will provide the true litmus test of where the hosts stand in the grand scheme of things.
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"It's going to give us an early look at where we stand this year, if we can compete in this game," Ayshford told Sport Nation's Scotty & Izzy.
"For me, Manly tick all the boxes. They're strong, they've got size, they've got speed, they've got the veteran leadership, you've got X-factor, depth - they have everything from one to 17 and some more.
"If the boys come away with a win this week after what they dished up in Vegas, that'd be a massive boost to the season and would give everyone a heck of a lot of confidence."
There was widespread concern among the Warriors fanbase after their abysmal outing against Canberra at Allegiant Stadium.
But the first 'full' round of action over the past weekend has given a bit more perspective to that performance, with a few heavy defeats doled out - the Eels and Broncos conceding 50 alongside the Cowboys' battering.
Ayshford admits it may seem unlikely when comparing the team's respective displays in their opening games, but "anything can happen in the NRL".
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"If they turn up and perform and make this a real fist fight and make it a close game, I have plenty of hope of where we'll end up at the end of the year," Ayshford added.
"If they make this a fight, I definitely think top eight is where they will end up."
Coming in off an extended rest and preparation time for Andrew Webster and his cohorts, the Warriors are well poised to erase their Vegas night and inject some hope into what is certain to be another rabid packed house at Go Media Stadium.
"They will take their learnings obviously from what we spoke about last week in the Raiders and now they've had a full almost week and a half to prepare for the Sea Eagles," said Ayshford.
"I know the coaches would have already been cutting up the video Saturday night ready for training this week.
"I expect a packed out stadium. I expect the Warriors just to come out and really show what they can do - not what they dished up in round one.
"I think there'll be a different team this week and you're going to need it, because if you don't turn up with an attitude wanting to win, this Manly team will put 50 on you."
Tune into Sport Nation for live commentary of the One NZ Warriors vs Manly Sea Eagles at Go Media Stadium, kick-off 8pm Friday - download the Sport Nation app on the App Store and Google Play today.
