Eels v Sea Eagles NRL betting preview & picks | Round 3, 2024

Eels vs Sea Eagles best bets

Parramatta Eels vs Manly Sea Eagles NRL match preview

Sunday afternoon football for round three of the NRL kicks off in Parramatta with the Eels hosting the Manly Sea Eagles at Commbank Stadium. This is one of the oldest, most bitter rivalries in the NRL, and the Eels will be looking to bounce back from an eight-point loss to the Panthers in Penrith.

Eels coach Brad Arthur will be without Bailey Simonsson (concussion) on Sunday, with Blaize Talagi named as his replacement in the centres. Arthur has also opted to replace bench hooker Brendan Hands with Luca Moretti to strengthen their middle third of the field.

Sea Eagles coach Anthony Siebold has also been forced to make a change, with Tommy Talau (ankle) being replaced by Raymond Tuaimalo Vaega on the wing. The visitors’ starting 17 is otherwise unchanged.

Eels vs Sharks NRL betting predictions

The Manly Sea Eagles have won their last four NRL matches, and despite only winning two of their last five against the Eels, they are primed to make it five on the bounce. Not only are the Sea Eagles a better side with Tom Trbojevic at fullback, but their improved forward pack and spine combination between Daly Cherry-Evans and Luke Brooks has changed this team completely. At coin-flip odds, get on Manly to beat the Eels in Parramatta.

Reuben Garrick’s permanent shift to the centres in 2024 has started brilliantly with a try, a line break, and four tackle breaks, along with an average of 168 metres run. Garrick particularly enjoys playing the Eels at CommBank Stadium, scoring at least one try in each of Manly’s last five matches there. Expect the trend to continue with Garrick as an anytime tryscorer at +200 with the top NRL bookmakers.

Eels second-rower Bryce Cartwright has also had a brilliant start to the season, scoring two tries, despite having to make positional adjustments mid-game to compensate for injuries. Coach Arthur has developed Cartwright into a strike edge-forward who has scored at least one try in each of Parramatta’s last four games at home. The +215 at Bovada for Cartwright to score a try at any time looks like great value.

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