Here is all you need to know about the Manly Sea Eagles' revised 2020 Telstra Premiership draw.
The Lowdown
Teams they play twice
Eels, Knights, Storm, Bulldogs, Warriors.
Teams they play once
Roosters, Broncos, Raiders, Sharks, Dragons, Cowboys, Panthers, Rabbitohs, Wests Tigers, Titans.
Day-by-day breakdown
Thursday - 6 games, Friday - 3, Saturday - 7, Sunday - 9
The restart
Coach Des Hasler's former club the Bulldogs trek up the M1 to Manly's new Gosford base before another serious grudge match against Parra at Bankwest in round four then the Broncos back at Gosford.
Five key match-ups
Sharks (Round 7, Central Coast Stadium): This rivalry hearkens back to the two 1970s grand final wins over Cronulla but is refreshed every year. Last season, Manly beat the Sharks (24-14) before their home crowd in round 10. But Manly also ended Paul Gallen's career with a 28-16 qualifying final win at Lottoland, which few in the Sutherland Shire are likely to forget. The "Battle of the Beaches" has a new beachside home in 2020 but don't expect that to mean any less feeling.
The best are coming back
Dragons (Round 9, Campbelltown Stadium): Manly players won't forget the escort rule penalty they felt they deserved in the 12-10 round six loss at WIN Stadium last year. Winger Reuben Garrick was hustled off the ball by Tim Lafai with skipper Daly Cherry-Evans arguing emphatically with referee Dave Munro for a penalty. That could have locked up scores and sent the match to extra time. Manly were searching for their first win in Wollongong since 2003 but went hungry again - though they had their revenge with a big round-14 win at Lottoland.
Panthers (Round 12, Venue TBC): The round-12 game last season was their only meeting and resulted in Manly being one of Penrith's victims in their seven-game winning streak. The close match was decided by a penalty and then a field goal to James Maloney after the teams had scored two converted tries each. The Sea Eagles, who were coming home with a wet sail after being down 9-0 at half-time, took the 15-12 loss to heart as they were sitting sixth on the ladder and trying to consolidate a finals spot after missing out the previous year.
Rabbitohs (Round 15, Venue TBC): One point decided the result in 2019 in both competition games - Manly won 13-12 in round four and then lost 21-20 in round 13. The kicker came in the finals when South Sydney ended Manly's season in the semi-finals by scoring two tries (John Sutton, Cameron Murray) while Jake Trbojevic was sin-binned with 14 minutes left to play. Des Hasler's men will be looking for a little revenge in 2020.
Storm (Round 16, Venue TBC): These two clubs shared the spoils in 2019 - Manly winning away at AAMI Park in round 19 but losing at home at Lottoland five weeks later. They lost at home again in the opening round of 2020, which seems an age ago now. The personnel may be different from the fiery 2011 clash known as "The Battle of Brookvale", where 10 players were charged, but add in the 2007 and 2008 grand finals between these clubs and you see why feelings run deep. They've already met once this year, with Melbourne too good in round one despite plenty of fight from Manly.
It's game on
Toughest stretch
Rounds 4-7. Manly are in a decent position with games against the Storm and Roosters already behind them. The Eels, Broncos, Raiders and Sharks in four rounds from round four should give Des Hasler's men a good idea of how they're shaping up this year.
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