Not done yet.
The Sea Eagles get back down to business on Saturday evening in a must-win game against the Dragons at Kogarah.
Last weekend’s big win over the Dolphins ended a four-game losing streak and kept Manly’s finals hopes alive. Just.
For the Sea Eagles to scrape into the top eight, a few things must fall into place.
First up is a win against the Dragons on Saturday followed by another win against the Warriors at 4 Pines Park next Friday.
Manly will also need the Roosters to lose both of their remaining games (Storm and Rabbitohs) and the Dolphins to drop at least one of their remaining games (Titans and Raiders).
Should the Roosters lose only one of their remaining two games, while still mathematically possible, the Sea Eagles would need to overturn a substantial margin in the points for-and-against column.
Anyway, for now, let’s just focus on beating the Dragons.
Cool as: Tolu scores one of Manly’s 10 tries against the Dolphins in Round 25
Won’t be easy given Manly’s poor record at Kogarah in recent years, but last weekend’s 10-try romp against the Phins showed a team oozing with confidence and still with plenty to play for.
The Dragons were thumped 40-0 by the Rabbitohs last round on a wet Thursday night at Homebush, a record loss they’ll be keen to atone for.
Sloan bagged a double in the Dragons 20-18 win over the Sea Eagles in Round 7
In team news, no changes for Manly. It’s the same lineup that got the job done last weekend.
For the Dragons, plenty of changes in the forwards with Jaydn Su’A (knee), Jack de Belin (concussion) and Hame Sele (concussion) all back on deck. Damien Cook shifts back to hooker pushing Jacob Liddle to the bench while Tyrell Sloan has been recalled on the wing.
Stat Zone
The Sea Eagles have won just two of their past nine at Kogarah and have been thumped in each of their past two trips.
The Dragons have won three of their past four games at Jubilee Stadium.
The Sea Eagles have not won at Kogarah since 2014.
Dragons centre Mat Feagai has scored four tries in his last four games.
Sea Eagles centre Tolu Koula has scored six tries in his last seven games.
Dragons winger Christian Tuipulotu has scored four tries in his last four games at Jubilee Stadium.
Stats supplied by David Middleton