Payten questioned over new-look spine
NRL: Cowboys coach Todd Payten spoke to the media after they were outclassed by the Manly Sea Eagles for the second time in 2025.
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The Advertiser
5 minutes ago
- The Advertiser
Dropped DCE has little to prove, but data says Manly do
Anthony Seibold insists Daly Cherry-Evans has nothing to prove following his State of Origin axing, as Manly try to right a poor run on the road against low-ranked teams. Cherry-Evans will play his first game on Friday night since being dropped as Queensland No.7, leading a near full-strength Sea Eagles side against Gold Coast. The 36-year-old's Origin omission has dominated headlines this week, with Cherry-Evans the first captain dropped mid-series by either state this century. Manly's No.7 has not spoken publicly, but played one of his best games of the year a fortnight ago against Brisbane when talk first emerged around his selection. Seibold did not want to delve into the debate around Queensland's decision to drop Cherry-Evans, but said the halfback had responded well. "He hasn't got anything to prove," the Manly coach said. "He's coming up somewhere around 340 games in the NRL, plus all the representative footy, so he doesn't have a point to prove to anybody. "There's obvious disappointment there, but there's also a great deal of pride. "(He's captained) his state 20 times and he's played 26 games for Queensland, so there's a lot to reflect on and look back and be proud about." Manly will have Tom Trbojevic back from a cork to his thigh, while winger Jason Saab will return from illness and Siua Taukeiaho a calf issue. That means the Sea Eagles enter Friday night as firm favourites, with the Titans in last place and without Origin representatives Tino Fa'asuamaleaui and Moeaki Fotuaika. Recent history is, however, not kind to Manly in games they have been expected to win. Data from Sportsbet shows the Sea Eagles have lost their past four away games when considered favourites. Since August, Manly have given up 16-0 leads to Wests Tigers and Newcastle away from home, to go with losses to the Warriors and Parramatta. As if to underline their Jekyll-and-Hyde status, Manly have also beaten Canterbury twice away from home and Penrith once in that time after entering as outsiders. Speaking generally after being asked about the Sea Eagles' inconsistencies, Seibold was adamant his ninth-placed team was not alone in a salary cap-based competition. "They (the NRL) want an even competition, so that means there's going to be wins and losses along the way," he said. "I've never seen a competition where the top four or five sides all had losses by 40 points, and that's what we've got this year. "Everyone talks about inconsistency, but the NRL is designed to have an even competition, which means that if you win more than 50 per cent of your games you're going all right. "And if you're losing more than 50 per cent of your games there's always going to be a challenge for you. "I think we're right in that sweet spot. We've got a great opportunity with somewhere near our best squad this week." Anthony Seibold insists Daly Cherry-Evans has nothing to prove following his State of Origin axing, as Manly try to right a poor run on the road against low-ranked teams. Cherry-Evans will play his first game on Friday night since being dropped as Queensland No.7, leading a near full-strength Sea Eagles side against Gold Coast. The 36-year-old's Origin omission has dominated headlines this week, with Cherry-Evans the first captain dropped mid-series by either state this century. Manly's No.7 has not spoken publicly, but played one of his best games of the year a fortnight ago against Brisbane when talk first emerged around his selection. Seibold did not want to delve into the debate around Queensland's decision to drop Cherry-Evans, but said the halfback had responded well. "He hasn't got anything to prove," the Manly coach said. "He's coming up somewhere around 340 games in the NRL, plus all the representative footy, so he doesn't have a point to prove to anybody. "There's obvious disappointment there, but there's also a great deal of pride. "(He's captained) his state 20 times and he's played 26 games for Queensland, so there's a lot to reflect on and look back and be proud about." Manly will have Tom Trbojevic back from a cork to his thigh, while winger Jason Saab will return from illness and Siua Taukeiaho a calf issue. That means the Sea Eagles enter Friday night as firm favourites, with the Titans in last place and without Origin representatives Tino Fa'asuamaleaui and Moeaki Fotuaika. Recent history is, however, not kind to Manly in games they have been expected to win. Data from Sportsbet shows the Sea Eagles have lost their past four away games when considered favourites. Since August, Manly have given up 16-0 leads to Wests Tigers and Newcastle away from home, to go with losses to the Warriors and Parramatta. As if to underline their Jekyll-and-Hyde status, Manly have also beaten Canterbury twice away from home and Penrith once in that time after entering as outsiders. Speaking generally after being asked about the Sea Eagles' inconsistencies, Seibold was adamant his ninth-placed team was not alone in a salary cap-based competition. "They (the NRL) want an even competition, so that means there's going to be wins and losses along the way," he said. "I've never seen a competition where the top four or five sides all had losses by 40 points, and that's what we've got this year. "Everyone talks about inconsistency, but the NRL is designed to have an even competition, which means that if you win more than 50 per cent of your games you're going all right. "And if you're losing more than 50 per cent of your games there's always going to be a challenge for you. "I think we're right in that sweet spot. We've got a great opportunity with somewhere near our best squad this week." Anthony Seibold insists Daly Cherry-Evans has nothing to prove following his State of Origin axing, as Manly try to right a poor run on the road against low-ranked teams. Cherry-Evans will play his first game on Friday night since being dropped as Queensland No.7, leading a near full-strength Sea Eagles side against Gold Coast. The 36-year-old's Origin omission has dominated headlines this week, with Cherry-Evans the first captain dropped mid-series by either state this century. Manly's No.7 has not spoken publicly, but played one of his best games of the year a fortnight ago against Brisbane when talk first emerged around his selection. Seibold did not want to delve into the debate around Queensland's decision to drop Cherry-Evans, but said the halfback had responded well. "He hasn't got anything to prove," the Manly coach said. "He's coming up somewhere around 340 games in the NRL, plus all the representative footy, so he doesn't have a point to prove to anybody. "There's obvious disappointment there, but there's also a great deal of pride. "(He's captained) his state 20 times and he's played 26 games for Queensland, so there's a lot to reflect on and look back and be proud about." Manly will have Tom Trbojevic back from a cork to his thigh, while winger Jason Saab will return from illness and Siua Taukeiaho a calf issue. That means the Sea Eagles enter Friday night as firm favourites, with the Titans in last place and without Origin representatives Tino Fa'asuamaleaui and Moeaki Fotuaika. Recent history is, however, not kind to Manly in games they have been expected to win. Data from Sportsbet shows the Sea Eagles have lost their past four away games when considered favourites. Since August, Manly have given up 16-0 leads to Wests Tigers and Newcastle away from home, to go with losses to the Warriors and Parramatta. As if to underline their Jekyll-and-Hyde status, Manly have also beaten Canterbury twice away from home and Penrith once in that time after entering as outsiders. Speaking generally after being asked about the Sea Eagles' inconsistencies, Seibold was adamant his ninth-placed team was not alone in a salary cap-based competition. "They (the NRL) want an even competition, so that means there's going to be wins and losses along the way," he said. "I've never seen a competition where the top four or five sides all had losses by 40 points, and that's what we've got this year. "Everyone talks about inconsistency, but the NRL is designed to have an even competition, which means that if you win more than 50 per cent of your games you're going all right. "And if you're losing more than 50 per cent of your games there's always going to be a challenge for you. "I think we're right in that sweet spot. We've got a great opportunity with somewhere near our best squad this week."
News.com.au
10 minutes ago
- News.com.au
NRL live round 15: Sharks v Dragons, SuperCoach analysis, VC Nicho Hynes?
Welcome to our live coverage of tonight's NRL clash between the Sharks and Dragons. Despite falling in Origin week, the local derby is relatively unaffected by representative duties with only Valentine Holmes in Queensland camp. SuperCoach players to watch include: * Nathan Lawson - The most popular cheapie of the week and third most popular buy overall. The 19 points last week were hardly encouraging as the Dragons were smashed by 50, so don't expect huge price rises. But the job security is good given he won his spot ahead of Tyrell Sloan and the other winger Christian Tuipulotu has an injured hamstring. Far from the best cheapie, but still cheapie of the week by a long way. * Mawene Hiroti - With KL Iro out at least until the final few rounds, Hiroti has the Cronulla left centre spot wrapped up. He has averaged 77 there this year but comes cheap after an injury affected game and stint on the wing. Averages 129 against Dragons over his career and 90 at Shark Park.
News.com.au
27 minutes ago
- News.com.au
NRL star's daughter unveils huge move
A young Australian woman who has spent more than a decade dancing for an NRL team could be set to land one of the most coveted cheerleading gigs in the world. Indianna Carroll, who has cheered for the Manly Sea Eagles' Seabirds for 10 years, has made it to the third round of the NFL's Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders try outs. She will now compete against 64 others and is set to find out if she has progressed on July 14 after an intense four week training camp where she will learn the team's choreography. She has come far — with as many as 4000 women applying for just 10 open spots this year. Overall, there are 36 spots on the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, which was the subject of an incredibly popular Netflix series that debuted in 2024. Ms Carroll, who is the daughter of former NRL player Mark and of Seabirds cheerleading director Monique, left for training camp on Monday and revealed she has 'put her life on hold' to achieve her dream. 'Dallas cheerleaders are the epitome of cheerleading in the world,' Ms Carroll told The Daily Telegraph. 'I have been in a cheerleading outfit with pompoms since I was one year old. It's part of who I am.' It's the third time that Ms Carroll has auditioned, getting to the same place in the try outs last year before being cut. She said she's needed to be mentally and physically strong to not only cope with missing out previously, but in order to push herself to keep going. The young cheerleader said getting as far as she has done has been 'surreal' and she knows it will be 'hectic' in the coming weeks. Ms Carroll said she loves cheerleading, and the NFL team's squad bring a certain kind of sparkle, adding it would be a dream come true to be part of the squad. 'When you love something so passionately, the most sensible thing to do is follow your heart. It's such a burning desire for me. I can't let it rest until I give it a good go. At the end of the day you just have to back yourself and Dallas is the most iconic NFL organisation, for sure,' she said. Ms Carroll, who also works for Zimmerman, said getting to this stage 'felt right', and both her parents have expressed how proud of her they are. Last year, after not making the cut, Ms Carroll penned a lengthy letter to Instagram, saying the experience was 'unforgettable and insightful'. 'While my path ended here this season, I am unhesitatingly thankful for the lessons this has taught me and continues to. Without a little bit of darkness, I'd never see the stars so I will continue to live for the hope of it all,' she shared.
