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England assistant coach Marcus Trescothick has warned Australia they risk being beaten mentally on day five in Manchester if Pat Cummins' men arrive at the ground hoping for rain.

After a wet Saturday at Old Trafford, Australia will resume on Sunday at 5-214 and need another 61 runs to make England bat again in the fourth Test.

With heavy rain forecast around Manchester again, England know they must first rely on the weather clearing before having any chance of staying in with a chance of winning the series.

Australia have been realistic about the fact they would be happy with rain to save them in this Test and ensure they retain the Ashes with a draw.

And while Trescothick is not surprised Australia are hoping for rain, he believes it could work to the hosts' advantage.

"It's a natural thing to say. When you're trying to save the game and there's an opportunity of rain, everyone's going to say the same things," the former Test opening batter said.

But he warned: "It can be a little bit dangerous.

"If you start looking for other ways than internally in your team to stop games happening, or to not lose a game, potentially it becomes a dangerous point.

"At the end of the day you have to go out and earn that victory whatever way it is."

England are also preparing for the possibility of needing to rely on spin to win the match, after Joe Root and Moeen Ali were asked to bowl close to half the overs on Saturday due to bad light.

England staff remain adamant the quicks should have been able to continue bowling, but the concern would now be that the precedent is set for the same decision to be made on Sunday.

The change ended up working to some extent for the hosts, after Joe Root had Marnus Labuschagne caught behind for 111 - the only wicket of the day.

"We were sat on the balcony and we didn't think it had deteriorated that much to not allow the seamers to bowl," Trescothick said.

"The umpires out in the middle deemed it was too dark and they've got to make that decision.

"And tomorrow, if that's what we're given, then that's what we'll take.

"Any opportunity that we can get out in the middle tomorrow we will be grabbing with both hands."

© AAP 2023

Marnus Labuschagne's first century of the Ashes has given Australia the chance to wrest back momentum for the series finale at The Oval, regardless of the result at Old Trafford.

Australia will enter the last day in Manchester knowing the best they can do is draw the match, after copping the full brunt of an England onslaught earlier in the match.

A stalemate on Sunday would keep Australia 2-1 up in the series and ensure they retain the Ashes, but the tourists have long stated they are in England to win the series and not draw it.

It means this Ashes series will now have a fitting finale at The Oval from Thursday, as Australia push for their first Test series victory on English soil since 2001.

On paper, Saturday was a neutral day at Old Trafford after rain washed out both the first and last sessions.

England edged closer to victory with the key wicket of Labuschagne, but Australia managed to whittle down the deficit to 61 by finishing at 5-214.

But beyond all that, Australia may have landed an even more crucial blow after days of being put on the back foot by England.

Labuschagne, who entered the series as the world's No.1-ranked Test batsman, found his groove again with a near-chanceless 111.

And it has the potential to be series-defining for both sides at The Oval.

"I do feel like my series with my batting has built," Labuschagne said.

'From Edgbaston, where it was a bit of a rabble, then to Lord's, to Headingley, to today.

"It's trending in the right direction, but you've just got to make sure you keep sticking to the process.

"I felt like it was all sort of coming together. It was nice to at least get a bit of a bigger score today."

Labuschagne had indicated after a first-innings 51 at Manchester that he had finally found his sweet spot in this series, after making several technical changes.

That showed on Saturday, as the rash shots and pushes outside off stump that had plagued his tour disappeared and he looked a far more settled batsman.

Labuschagne's quirkiness also shone through when he asked to inspect a fresh ball after the original one was replaced for being out of shape.

The request clearly frustrated England captain Ben Stokes, but also showed the attention to detail that makes Labuschagne so successful when in his zone.

"If you look at the ball once, you can pretty much tell straight away what it's going to do," Labuschagne said.

"I looked at the ball and I was like, 'well, this is going to swing'.

"They were obviously not very happy with (me doing) that.

"It's just being meticulous. I mean, it was pretty common sense. Like, why would I not want to have a look at the ball?"

© AAP 2023

James Tedesco has turned on a masterclass performance in the Sydney Roosters' 36-18 win over Gold Coast to keep the Tricolours' NRL finals hopes flickering.

The skipper received criticism for taking a break and visiting Byron Bay with his family last week after a gruelling State of Origin series and a season of scrutiny due to his club team's poor form.

The holiday, suggested by his coach Trent Robinson, seemed to be just the tonic he needed.

Tedesco was everywhere at Cbus Super Stadium on Saturday in an opening half for the ages as prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and his fellow forwards tore through the Titans.

The win took the Roosters to 22 points and just two points outside the top-eight with six rounds remaining.

If they can replicate this kind of form they will remain in the finals hunt.

Robinson said some of the commentary around Tedesco was "really disappointing".

"It was my call. That was it. He came back and he played the way he plays. He was a bit fresher and he was the biggest difference in the game today," Robinson said.

"It was just great to see him playing that way and he dominated the game."

The Roosters had not scored 30 points in any match previously this year but they led 30-0 at the break.

Tedesco started off with a slick piece of ball-playing to hold a pass up to send Egan Butcher over.

Minutes later Tedesco slipped a ball to send Butcher careering through a hole.

The skipper backed up on the inside to race away and score.

And the NSW captain wasn't done.

Later in the half he burst onto a Luke Keary inside ball to send Nat Butcher over to make it 30-0.

It was Harlem Globetrotters-style by the Roosters who were dominant through the middle and creative right across the park.

Prop Lindsay Collins bullocked his way over and winger Joseph Suaalii leapt high to snaffle a bomb in a five-try extravaganza in the first half.

Tedesco put his body on the line to defuse a Kieran Foran grubberkick with desperation on the cusp of halftime to showcase his mindset.

The carnage abated in the second half but Tedesco's commitment didn't.

He came from the clouds to crunch Titans centre Brian Kelly and save a try.

The Titans, stuck on 20 competition points, had lost their previous three games by less than four points in controversial circumstances.

After playing so well for a month and not getting the rewards on the NRL ladder, they appeared drained.

They got what they deserved in the first half but rallied in the second with three late tries.

"It was good for us to keep working hard right through to the end but we just weren't there at the start physically," Titans coach Jim Lenihan said.

"We just have to dust ourselves off and keep working."

Lenihan replaced halfback Tanah Boyd with 20 minutes remaining and called on electric utility Jayden Campbell off the bench in a sign of a positional move he may yet make permanent.

Roosters forward Nat Butcher was put on report for a hip-drop tackle on Titans winger Phil Sami.

© AAP 2023