Sea Eagles faithful won’t have to wait long to see the new look team, with Manly pencilled in for a Round One Friday night blockbuster against the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs at Brookvale Oval.
Coach Trent Barrett and his players will be looking to kick off their season on a winning note in front a packed house at ‘Fortress Brookvale’.
Kieran Foran will go head to head with his former Manly teammates when the Sea Eagles host Parramatta in Round Seven. The match will hold special significance marking the 70th Anniversary for both teams and will also see the return of James Hasson and Clint Gutherson to Brookvale Oval after joining Parramatta in the off-season.
The Club has also announced two home games in Perth and Brisbane. The Sea Eagles settled on nib Stadium and Suncorp Stadium following advances and lengthy discussions with eight venues across Australia and New Zealand over the last six months.
The Sea Eagles will take on the Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium at 7.30pm on Saturday 14 May as part of an exciting double header that will also feature the Melbourne Storm hosting the North Queensland Cowboys. It’s expected that this will become a major annual event on the NRL calendar and coincides with the start of the Brisbane Racing Carnival.
The match will hold no fears for the Sea Eagles who have won 6 of their last nine matches at Suncorp Stadium. That record includes a 34-10 ‘home’ win against the Broncos as part of a double header played at the same venue in 2011.
Manly Warringah CEO Joe Kelly said the decision to play at Suncorp Stadium was a positive one for the Club on many levels.
“This is an exciting opportunity for our Members, Sponsors and supporters to enjoy a weekend in Brisbane that combines two blockbuster games of NRL and the Brisbane Racing Carnival,” Kelly said.
The Sea Eagles and New Zealand Warriors will light up Western Australia with a blockbuster match announced at Perth’s nib Stadium on Saturday 16 July at 5.30pm (EST).
Manly Warringah CEO Joe Kelly said that the match shapes up as one of the must see fixtures of 2016.
“It’s always a great contest between the Sea Eagles and Warriors. The high number of Kiwis playing for both Clubs adds to the occasion given the large expatriate community living in Perth. This promises to be a great match played in front of a huge crowd at Perth’s premier rectangular stadium,” Kelly said.
Kelly added that the home games in Brisbane and Perth presented the Club with strong financial opportunities.
“We wouldn’t have considered home games at nib Stadium (Perth) or Suncorp Stadium (Brisbane) if they weren’t commercially strong for the Club.”
The Club has historically played two home matches away from Brookvale Oval each year, with matches played in Albury and Gosford in 2015.
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