Test second-rower Anthony Watmough is as ready as he can be for the gruelling task of playing two huge rugby league matches in as many days this weekend.

Watmough is one of eight Manly players expected to back up from either the Anzac Test or the annual City-Country clash on Friday in Saturday night's NRL top-of-the-table clash against St George Illawarra.

The Dragons have five players in the same predicament.

But Watmough is grateful for small mercies, saying that fronting up for another game 48 hours later is even tougher.

"I know personally that two days after a game I'm a lot worse than the next day," the 26-year-old Watmough said on Tuesday.

"I feel like a grandpa on the second day so hopefully I'll still be feeling young that first day after the Test."

With Watmough, Josh Perry, Jamie Lyon, Kieran Foran, Steve Matai, Trent Hodkinson, Glenn Stewart and Michael Robertson all on representative duty, Manly coach Des Hasler only had five members of last weekend's starting lineup available for training on Monday.

They were told not to report back to club training until Wednesday.

"I thought Dessy might have given them the week off," said Watmough.

"But that's football, it's our job and it's what we've got to do.

"We're going to have to turn up here (for Friday night's Test in Melbourne), then get off the plane and pretty much go straight to the footy on Saturday which is not going to be easy, but it has got to be done.

"There's things in place which we can't control so we've just got to take care of what we can do and that's play footy.

"So whether it's two games in 24 hours or three games in 24 hours it's got to be done.

"Dessy is on the ball.

"He's got little machines ready for us as soon as we finish the game.

"He'll have everyone down here to get us in the best shape we can.

"... but it's certainly pretty tough."

The five members of the first-placed St George Illawarra squad backing up from rep duty for Saturday night's Brookvale Oval clash against the third-ranked Sea Eagles are Brett Morris, Michael Weyman, Jason Nightingale, Ben Creagh and Dean Young.

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