The Manly Sea Eagles are determined to do whatever it takes to secure a home final at 4 Pines Park, with the stats showing why it's so important they do.
Anthony Seibold's side has won eight from nine at the venue this year and they can secure a home final in the opening week of the playoffs with a victory over the Sharks on Sunday. The match sold out days ago.
The club's record in finals games at 4 Pines Park is even better, Manly winning all three playoff matches played at the ground.
It's this record that has forward Jake Trbojevic so desperate to deliver a victory this weekend.
Jake Trbojevic Try
"It’s everything on the line this week," Trbojevic said. "For us to play at Brookie, that is motivation enough. We don’t have to win because we still play next week but we have to win because we want to play at Brookie next week.
"The Northern Beaches have really turned up for us this year, they’ve been phenomenal, they’ve made it a special place to play, we want to reward them with a final.
"You get 15,000 there and it’s unbelievable, 15,000 at other stadiums is just different. I don’t know how to explain it but it’s a special place to play football as a Manly player."
Manly fans have turned out in droves to support their team this season, with eight of nine games selling out.
Match: Sea Eagles v Sharks
Round 27 -
home Team
Sea Eagles
7th Position
away Team
Sharks
4th Position
Venue: 4 Pines Park, Sydney
The lone exception was a Round 9 clash with the Raiders in the Friday 6pm time slot. Perhaps not coincidentally, it's the only match the Sea Eagles have lost at the ground this season.
Former captain and coach Geoff Toovey is currently working in the club's development pathway and said a lot of time and energy has been put into strengthening the team's connection with the Northern Beaches community. The crowd numbers highlight how successful the strategy has been.
"There's been a lot of hard work done behind the scenes in getting the connection back with junior league and the fans," Toovey told pan66.com. "That's gone a long way to helping drive memberships and crowds at home games.
"The way they're going and the success we've had, I'm pretty sure that will continue."
Should they defeat the Sharks on Sunday, the Sea Eagles will play the loser of Saturday's match between Canterbury and North Queensland in an elimination final next weekend.
It would be the fourth post-season game played at Brookvale and the first since a 28-16 victory over the Sharks in 2019.
Manly legend Steve Menzies played in the first two finals matches, wins over South Sydney and St George Illawarra in 2007 and 2008.
A charge down and a falcon for Beaver
The latter was the last game Menzies played at the venue, 15 years after he made his NRL debut as a 19-year-old at Brookvale.
The Manly icon grew up watching the team play at the stadium and went on to feature in nearly 150 games there throughout his career. So Menzies is well-placed to comment on the boost the team receives when they play at home.
"It's a large fan base on the Northern Beaches," Menzies told pan66.com. "There's no other clubs around, the history that the club's had and they've had success over a long time.
"I grew up going to games as a kid and sliding on the hill. Most people in that area have a connection to the ground. The fans create the atmosphere where you love to play, they're supportive and parochial and it makes it hard for other teams.
"A home ground is such a big advantage in this competition. To have a home semi-final is a big help, especially when you're going into round one of the finals. It's going to be knock out, you lose and you're out. To get any advantage is big, it's a massive advantage for the team."
Concern for Trbojevic
Manly enter Sunday's game on the back of a costly 34-22 win over the Bulldogs last Friday night.
The victory was impressive, but fullback Tom Trbojevic and winger Jason Saab suffered injuries in the clash. Trbojevic hopes to be available for the opening week of the finals while Saab's timeline is less clear as he fights to overcome a syndesmosis injury.
Menzies has watched the side closely throughout the year and he's confident they can challenge the top teams in the competition if both men are able to return during the finals.
"I have no doubt we can compete with the best teams, we just need to do that for the whole 80 minutes," he said.
"Top four is an easier path but a home semi-final is the second easiest path for us so this week is super important. If we get a full team we can compete with the best teams."
