Newcastle Knights v Manly Sea Eagles: NRL Thursday preview

Newcastle Knights are in need of a lift on Thursday night as they prepare to take on Manly Sea Eagles.

The Knights came in for some heavy criticism after they slipped to a 14-point loss against the Dragons in Round 13, and will be keen to bounce back.

They sit in 16th spot on the ladder and if they are to have any chance of making the top eight, they need to see off the Sea Eagles.

That will be easier said than done as Manly will be on a high after crushing Brisbane Broncos in their last game.

Manly have been on a run of win one, lose one, so they will be keen to go back-to-back for the first in a while.

McDonald Jones Stadium has not been a happy hunting ground however and they will need to turn that around if they are to get the two points.

Newcastle Knights v Manly Sea Eagles betting preview

Knight need a boost

Newcastle put in a poor display as they slipped to a 20-6 defeat against the Dragons at Jubilee Stadium at the weekend.

Back on home soil at McDonald Jones Stadium, they are in desperate need of a win to get them back on track.

They have won just four games all season, and one in the last four, to leave them way off the pace in the race for the top eight.

Scoring points has been an issue for them this season, averaging just 13 a game. The same can be said of their defence as on average they concede 19 points.

They will need to improve on those numbers against the Sea Eagles, and are priced at 2.05 to score over 18.5 points.

They won their last home game against Manly by 10 points, and are 4.00 to win this latest meeting by 1-12 points again.

Manly search for consistency

Manly currently sit in seventh spot on the NRL ladder, but will need some consistency if they are to stay in the top eight, and push for higher.

They are on a run of win one, lose one, but their wins have been against the Broncos, Cowboys and Panthers.

The Sea Eagles impressed against the Broncos, but a week earlier had lost by 20 points against Parramatta.

Their form at McDonald Jones Stadium has not been great either, winning just five out of the 18 games played there.

However they will fancy their chances of turning that around on Thursday night.

The Sea Eagles can be backed at 3.25 to win by 1-12 points, or 2.55 to run riot and win by 13+.

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Newcastle Knights v Manly Sea Eagles odds

Newcastle Knights - 2.80
Manly Sea Eagles - 1.44

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.