Matty Johns predicts either Manly Sea Eagles or Melbourne Storm will be upset this weekend I CAN sense an upset coming, if not on Friday night then maybe on Saturday. Yes, Manly and Melbourne have been far superior this season than their respective opponents, but in sudden death football this stands for little. The Sharks and the Knights are coming off a victory, they are confident, they have momentum and will fight with that underdog mentality of feeling as though they have little to lose. On paper and on form these two games look straight forward, but they ain't! Manly are the more talented team, but the Sharks have built their season on grinding down and beating more talented teams. Jamie Lyon is key to Manly hitting top gear. The more talented the opponent, the more the Sharks are up for the fight. Remember back to round 24 when the Sharks met the competition's form team, the Roosters? The Sharks attacked them viciously with a rushing defence and the Roosters were never in it. The result was 32-22 to the Sharks, but Cronulla's dominance was much greater than that. Manly might have the talent, but it will be their ability to grind away and play patient for long periods which will be of primary importance on Friday night. Take a look at the key match ups ahead of Friday night's 'Battle of the beaches' sudden death semi-final between the Manly Sea eagles and Cronulla Sharks. The other major factor will be how tired Manly will be after their war with the Roosters last Saturday night. As far as physicality and speed, the Roosters-Manly game was far superior to the Sharks-Cowboys. On form, that points to a Manly victory, but what was the toll on the Sea Eagles players? This will be telling because win or lose the Sharks are a side who generally take a game into the final moments. The return of Brett Stewart and how close to 100 per cent fit he is, is another major factor. Manly got a little bogged down in attack last week. They continually set and reset their attack from the centre of the field and split Kieran Foran and Daly Cherry-Evans either side. The Roosters handled these centre field assaults with relative ease, while Manly's best attacking movements came from wider field positions where they could use more width and variation. More of this style of attack is needed against the Sharks, because like the Roosters, Cronulla's defence handles ball movement from centre field positions very well. We know what we will get from the Sharks. They are extremely unlikely to score flashy, long distance tries, instead they will, play-by-play, set-by-set, work their way upfield and put together their best attacking movements from close range. With Todd Carney extremely unlikely to take to the field on Friday night, the Sharkies will steel themselves for trench warfare. They will pour the majority of their energy into a rushing defence in an attempt to rattle Manly. They will kick long to the corners of the field and test Manly's patience. Injured Newcastle captain Kurt Gidley says there isn't a better time for the Knights to break their drought in Melbourne, ahead of the semi-final against the Storm. They will spoil, they will fight, they will wrestle, they will be desperate. They should not be underestimated. Newcastle's record in Melbourne is miserable. They haven't won there since 2004, but boy they have a lot going for them on Saturday night. They are playing their best football for at least a couple of years. A style which is not just suited to finals, but also the greasy, slippery surface of AAMI Park. They are against a great side but one whom is playing with a genuine tiredness, as highlighted by their extremely slow starts over the past five to six weeks. But above all and most importantly, Newcastle arrive in Melbourne with a strong belief that they will win the football game. Like Manly in Friday night's match, Melbourne have a clear advantage when it comes to game breakers and the ability to score points, but Knights coach Wayne Bennett will be encouraged by the way Souths won the ruck battle over the Storm, and that's where Newcastle will attempt to win this match, right through the middle. Bennett has built this Knights side upon a hard nosed, experienced pack of forwards, who were assembled with exactly this type of clash in mind. Labelled "Dad's Army," now people can see the method in Wayne's madness. Willie Mason, Beau Scott, Jeremy Smith and Danny Buderus, all big game players, all in terrific form. I love some of the match-ups in this contest, not least the clash between the coaches, Craig Bellamy and Wayne Bennett. Bellamy last week took on the man he taught so much to, Michael Maguire. This week he takes on the man he learnt his craft from. The battle of the playmakers, Cooper Cronk v Jarrod Mullen, will be crucial. Mullen played the most valuable game of his career last week, and he will need to be every bit as good on Saturday night. Both Cronk and Mullen possess two of the best kicking games in rugby league today, who kicks best, who kicks smartest, may decide the contest. And finally the battle of the No.9s, Cameron Smith v Danny Buderus. Smith stole Buderus's Australian jersey and took his title as rugby league's greatest hooker. In the final meeting between the two, I can't imagine what it would mean to Danny to get the last laugh.