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St George Illawarra Dragons vs Manly Sea Eagles NRL Betting Tips - Manly to cover the line

jeremy-darke
Jeremy Darke
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Last updated: Wed 08 Apr 2026 16:46
The upcoming NRL clash sees the winless St George Illawarra Dragons facing the Manly Sea Eagles, who recently delivered a dominant win under interim coach Kieran Foran. The Dragons are struggling with both defense and attack, maintaining a poor average score of just 13.6 points per game. Meanwhile, Manly boasts a strong lineup, including Tom Trbojevic's impressive try-scoring streak. Despite inconsistencies, Manly is favored to continue their momentum and push for a spot in the top 8. The forecast suggests a challenging night for the Dragons.
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Jeremy Darke 08 Apr 2026
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  • Dragons are struggling, winless in 2026 NRL season.
  • Manly boasts strong recent performance under new coach Foran.
  • Tom Trbojevic spearheads Manly's attacking threat.
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manly sea eagles
Manly Sea Eagles to cover the line (Getty Images)

St George Illawarra Dragons vs Manly Sea Eagles Preview


The Dragons are winless in 2026 and Manly can extend that run by winning and covering a 8.5 points line. After piling on 52 points against the Dolphins last time, the Sea Eagles should have too much firepower. 

  • The Dragons are 0-4 this season.
  • Manly have won 2 of the last 3 games as the away team against the Dragons.
  • The Dragons are averaging 13.6 points per game this season.
  • Tom Trbojevic has scored 5 tries in 4 matches this season. 

Head to Head 


The head to head stats are pretty even between the Dragons and Sea Eagles with the Saints holding a 6-5 lead since 2019. The two teams faced each other twice last season, splitting the pot with a win each on enemy soil. 

St George Illawarra Dragons Remain Winless


The Dragons are officially the worst team in the competition as the only winless team after the first 5 rounds of footy losing to the Titans in Round 3 and backing it up with a scoreless effort in their 32-0 loss to the Cowboys last weekend. 

Shane Flannagan is now under enormous pressure and his job will likely be on the line over the next few weeks. Don’t expect to see Flanno in the Shire too much longer if the Saints stay winless. 

Last season the Dragons were able to lean on their defence during patches of the season, but are now giving up 29 points per game in 2026. Considering they are averaging just 14 points themselves, this doesn’t bode well for the probability of a victory. 

There is simply no creativity in attack, making the least amount of line breaks of any team in the comp (2.8/G) and it goes even more stale when they are close to the line. . 

Manly Sea Eagles Respond To Foran


What a response after the sacking of Anthony Seibold and what a way to get up for new coach Kieren Foran. Manly were up 52-0 before switching off and letting the Dolphins put up 3 tries in the last 10 minutes handing Foz his first win as interim head coach 52-18 at Kayo Sports Stadium. 

Manly shaped completely different from one week to next. The most obvious example was the production of Haumole Olakau'atu who had 23 runs compared to the 8 he had the week prior against the Roosters. 

Jake Trbojevic was also revived making 31 tackles and 8 runs. The effort was something different and the Sea Eagles fed off it. 

The challenge now is the consistency to back up last week’s performance again. Manly have the talent there and can obviously put up the points if the effort stays. 

I don’t think we can expect another performance of that against the Dolphins but there is enough there for the Sea Eagles to contend for the top 8.

Verdict

Manly are backed to keep the Dragons under their team total of 18.5 points and cover as 8.5-point favourites. Tom Trbojevic can keep his try scorer streak alive and cross for the Sea Eagles.
Best Bet1: Manly -8.5 Handicap/Line @9/10 at Hollywood bets - 3 Units
Best Bet2: St George Under 18.5 Team Total @9/10 at bet365 - 2 Units
Best Bet3: Tom Trbojevic Anytime Tryscorer @4/5 at Star Sports - 2 Units
Best Bet4: Tom Trbojevic First Tryscorer @13/2 at Hollywood bets - 1 Unit
Manly -8.5
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