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St George Illawarra Dragons vs Manly Sea Eagles NRL Round 6 Tips - Manly momentum

jeremy-darke
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Last updated: Thu 09 Apr 2026 10:28

In the NRL 2026 Round 6 clash, Manly Sea Eagles are predicted to maintain their momentum and defeat the struggling St George Illawarra Dragons. Expert analysis suggests backing Manly to cover the 8.5 points spread as favorites. With Kieren Foran's impressive start as head coach, the Sea Eagles will rely on players like Tom Trbojevic, who has been on a try scoring spree this season. The Dragons, currently winless and struggling in both attack and defense, face significant pressure to improve their performance.

Jeremy Darke 09 Apr 2026
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  • Kick off is at 6:00 PM (AEST) on Friday, 10th April at WIN Stadium
  • Manly Sea Eagles favored to win against Dragons in Round 6, 2026.
  • Tom Trbojevic expected to continue his try scoring streak.
  • Dragons remain winless, struggling both offensively and defensively.
St George Illawarra Dragons vs Manly Sea Eagles NRL Round 6 Tips

St George Illawarra Dragons vs Manly Sea Eagles, Round 6 2026 - Expert Prediction


Ride the momentum of Foz and the Sea Eagles and back Manly to keep the Dragons winless in 2026, covering the 8.5 points as the favourite WIN Stadium on Friday night.
What a response from the Sea Eagles, putting up 52 points against the Dolphins to make it a night to remember for Kieren Foran as goes 1 from 1 in his head coaching career of his beloved Manly side. 

Foran wanted effort and a full 80 minutes of footy and he got 70 minutes of keeping his tryline uncrossed while putting up 9 tries of their own. Can we expect a similar performance against the Dragons, probably not, but if Manly are half the team they were last week and the effort from the like of Haumole Olakau'atu and Trbojevic brothers it will be enough to keep the struggling Dragons at bay. 

The Dragon’s attack was worthless last week against the , unable to break North Queensland’s line with no direction or creativity at all. There is no switch to be flicked for Shane Flannagan so back the under on the Saints team total of 18.5 and take Manly to cover as the 8.5 point favourites.

When Tom Trbojevic is involved like he is now for Manly you back him to cross the line in every game until the tap runs cold. Turbo has scored in every game this season and has been the first try scorer in 3 of 4 Manly matches in 2026. 

  • 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 pair faced each other twice last season, splitting the pot with a win each on enemy soil. 

2026 NRL Stat Rankings

Dragons Atk RankSea Eagles Def RankStatSea Eagles Atk Rank
Dragons Def Rank
1713Points513
710Run Mts1017
179Linebreaks614
413Compl %712


St George Illawarra Dragons Form Analysis 


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 Form Analysis 


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.

St George Illawarra Dragons vs Manly Sea Eagles Team List & Team News


Team News and Lists are in our dedicated Round 6 Team List Article.

St George Illawarra Dragons vs Manly Sea Eagles NRL 2026 Round 6 FAQ’s

How to livestream St George Illawarra Dragons vs Manly Sea Eagles NRL 2026 Round 6?

You can livestream the St George Illawarra Dragons vs Manly Sea Eagles NRL 2026 Round 6 game via Fox Sports or Kayo Sports. If you are watching from outside of Australia the WatchNRL app is the perfect solution.

How to buy tickets to St George Illawarra Dragons vs Manly Sea Eagles NRL 2026 Round 6?

To buy tickets to the St George Illawarra Dragons vs Manly Sea Eagles NRL 2026 Round 6 game check the NRL website or the official St George Illawarra Dragons site.

Verdict

Manly will keep the Dragons under their team total of 18.5 points and cover as 8.5-point favourites. Tom Trbojevic will keep his try scorer streak alive and cross for the Sea Eagles.
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Betting Slip | 10 Apr 2026

St George Illawarra Dragons v Manly Sea Eagles