Check out the match preview and prediction for the 2025 National Rugby League Round 7 clash between the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles and the St George Illawarra Dragons.
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Vs St George Illawarra Dragons
Venue: 4 Pines Park, Sydney
Date: Thursday 17 April, 7:50pm (AEST)
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Sea Eagles: 1. Lehi Hopoate 2. Jason Saab 3. Tolutau Koula 4. Reuben Garrick 5. Tommy Talau 6. Luke Brooks 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Josh Aloiai 9. Jazz Tevaga 10. Siosiua Taukeiaho 11. Haumole Olakau’atu 12. Ben Trbojevic 13. Jake Trbojevic 14. Jake Simpkin 15. Nathan Brown 16. Ethan Bullemor 17. Toafofoa Sipley 18. Clayton Faulalo 19. Aaron Schoupp 20. Jakob Arthur 21. Caleb Navale 22. Michael Chee Kam
Dragons: 1. Clinton Gutherson 2. Tyrell Sloan 3. Moses Suli 4. Valentine Holmes 5. Mathew Feagai 6. Kyle Flanagan 7. Lachlan Ilias 8. Toby Couchman 9. Damien Cook 10. David Klemmer 11. Luciano Leilua 12. Jaydn Su’A 13. Jack de Belin 14. Jacob Liddle 15. Blake Lawrie 16. Hamish Stewart 17. Dylan Egan 18. Sione Finau 19. Raymond Faitala-Mariner 20. Finau Latu 21. Lyhkan King-Togia 22. Loko Jnr Pasifiki Tonga
Referee: Peter Gough
Bunker: Chris Butler
MATCHDAY PREVIEW
Round 7 kicks off on Thursday night with the Sea Eagles hosting the Dragons at 4 Pines Park in Brookvale. The Sea Eagles are coming off a 24-18 loss to the Sharks in Perth, while the Dragons had a big 38-16 win over the Titans in Wollongong.
For the Sea Eagles, Jason Saab returns from an ankle injury on the wing. Tommy Talau keeps his spot on the opposite wing and Clayton Faulalo drops back to 18th Man. The rest of the 17 is unchanged from last week’s loss to the Sharks.
A tough road trip to Perth last week saw the Sea Eagles exposed by the Sharks’ willingness to offload. The scoreboard says it was a six point loss, but in reality it could’ve been more had the Sharks converted their tries. Securing the ball in tackles will be a focus for Anthony Seibold this week as his team returns home to what will likely be a sell-out crowd. The return of Saab should bolster the Sea Eagles’ attack. With his speed he can turn a half-break into a length-of-the-field try. He’s predicted to be lining up against Mathew Feagai, which presents a speed mis-match the Sea Eagles could look to exploit.
For the Dragons, Christian Tuipulotu is out with a hamstring injury. He’s replaced on the wing by Mathew Feagai. Dylan Egan is named on the bench, but could be a late switch into the starting side come gameday, as he was last week.
A confidence-boosting win against the Titans is just what the Dragons needed after a Golden Point loss to the Eels the week prior. It was one of the first games of the year the attack didn’t exclusively flow through Clint Gutherson, which is a good sign for the effectiveness of their attack moving forward. Their young crop of forwards stood up in a big way, with the likes of Toby Couchman, Hamish Stewart, and Dylan Egan all passing the eye test as they continue to put in strong performances. They’ll need the same exuberance of youth again this week if they’re to overcome a Sea Eagles side who they haven’t beaten very often at home. The Dragons have won just one of their last seven games at 4 Pines Park.
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Sea Eagles by 6 points.
Check out all the NRL Predictions here.
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