Accor Stadium will play host to Sunday's NRL game between Canterbury Bulldogs and Manly Sea Eagles. The game kicks off at 4:05 pm with Manly Sea Eagles heading into the game as favourites with the bookmakers. Continue reading for our in-depth preview of the Canterbury Bulldogs vs. Manly Sea Eagles game and give you our free tips and bets.

When: Sunday September 15, 2024 at 4:05 pm

Where: Accor Stadium

Bet 💰: Bet On This Match HERE

Canterbury Bulldogs vs Manly Sea Eagles Odds

Canterbury Bulldogs vs Manly Sea Eagles Preview

Lining up in their first finals match in eight years, Canterbury Bulldogs are aiming to defy a disrupted build-up and a late-season form slump ahead of a Sunday afternoon barnburner against a Manly Sea Eagles side that also received a Round 27 reality check.  

A watershed campaign that saw the Bulldogs go on a 10-2 run with what was briefly the NRL’s best defensive record and a blossoming offence has been tempered over the past fortnight.  

They were outplayed 34-22 by the Sea Eagles in Round 26, before capitulating 44-6 to the Cowboys last Friday with their lightweight middle-forward contingent exposed and their defensive resolve wilting.  

Compounding those performances, Josh Addo-Carr has stood himself down after failing a roadside drug test. Addo-Carr’s absence gives Jeral Skelton the opportunity of a lifetime on the wing, while Matt Burton and Bronson Xerri are back on deck this week.  

Manly was on course for a home elimination final but their season-best defeat of the Bulldogs – which was accompanied by another Tom Trbojevic injury setback – was bookended by a shock loss to the Tigers and a disappointing 40-20 defeat to the Sharks in front of a packed Brookvale crowd.  

The Sea Eagles welcome Trbojevic back but he’s likely to be less than 100 percent. Tolu Koula goes back to centre and Tommy Talau moves to the wing with Jason Saab still sidelined.  

Manly’s victory a fortnight ago was its 10th in 11 games against Canterbury. The Bulldogs are 4-1 against the Sea Eagles in finals matches – including wins in the clubs’ only NRL-era post-season clashes, in the 2012 qualifying final and 2014 semi-final.  

Playing in the finals for the first time since 2021, the Sea Eagles are 2-4 in the post-season since the Bulldogs’ last appearance in 2016.  

But the big-match experience of Daly Cherry-Evans shapes as a major trump card for the team in maroon and white – though the Bulldogs boast four players who have played in a grand final in the past three seasons.  

In a pick ’em, Manly shapes as the best bet after Canterbury’s recent wobbles on and off the field.