Two teams desperate for a win meet in the opening match of NRL Round 4 this Thursday, as the Sydney Roosters head to 4 Pines Park to take on the Manly Sea Eagles.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a bit of extra spice to this fixture, given it\u2019s Daly Cherry-Evans\u2019 first time playing in front of the Manly faithful since leaving the club for the Roosters.<\/p>\n
Neither side has set the world on fire so far this season, with just one victory between the two clubs in 2026.<\/p>\n
The Roosters began with a big loss to the Warriors, bounced back with a tight win over the Rabbitohs, then suffered another heavy defeat to the Panthers last week.<\/p>\n
For Manly, they\u2019ve had no joy so far, with losses to the Raiders and Knights.<\/p>\n
Manly may be winless in 2026 so far, but they\u2019ve had the benefit of an early-season reset following a Round 3 bye.<\/p>\n
Expect them to have spent the fortnight working on their defence after leaking 36 points to the Knights last match.<\/p>\n
With the added motivation of playing against Cherry-Evans, it\u2019s hard to see them getting blown away here. There\u2019s a good chance they win outright, but they should at least keep things tight.<\/p>\n
The Roosters are yet to crack the 27-point mark this season, posting totals of 18, 26 and 4.<\/p>\n
They looked clueless in attack against the Panthers. Manly aren\u2019t the same calibre opponent, but in a match that\u2019s shaping up to be a gritty, physical contest, Sydney are unlikely to post their highest total of the season.<\/p>\n
The Sea Eagles fullback has scored in both of their games so far this season.<\/p>\n
Against the Knights, he looked sharp early, running for 109 metres in the first half before things fell apart in the second.<\/p>\n
Given the Roosters leaked seven tries to both the Warriors and Panthers, a well-rested Trbojevic in front of his home fans should be hard to stop.<\/p>\n