Friday Night Football kicks off at Fortress Brookvale, as two faltering teams look to get back on track and record their first win in the month of June, with the Sea Eagles hosting the Tigers. Manly are clutching on to the coattails of the top 8, and a loss here will make it tough to come back, whilst a loss here for the Tigers pushes them closer to a fourth straight wooden spoon.
Sea Eagles vs Tigers Prediction & Tips: 2025 NRL Round 17
Will Turbo’s Shift to Centre Pay Instant Dividends?
The Sea Eagles come into this round 17 clash fresh off the bye, and it came at a good time for a team that had lost three of their past four. The last time we saw the Sea Eagles in round 15, they took on a Titans team that looked destined for the wooden spoon. It looked like Manly were the team who should be planted at the bottom of the ladder, as the Titans dominated in a 28-8 victory. Superstar Tom Trbojevic was back for Manly, but it didn’t matter, as the Titans broke the line 7 times on their way to a five tries to two victory. Whilst Trbojevic appeared closer to full health, running for 255 metres, his ball playing appeared laboured, and the Sea Eagles appeared slow and clunky. Head Coach Anthony Seibold has made his move this week, shifting Trbojevic to the centres, with Lehi Hopoate taking over at the back for Manly, in what could be a catalyst for a rejuvenated Sea Eagles attack this week against the Tigers.
Latu the Answer at 7?
The Tigers come into this matchup off the back of five straight losses, the longest losing streak in the NRL. Whilst they have looked far more competitive in their last two games (close losses to the Panthers and Raiders), they haven’t managed to get over the line, and it appears to be turning into a big issue for a team desperate to stop their very own four peat of wooden spoons. The big concern for the Tigers is they dominated last week against the Raiders but couldn’t get the victory. In a positive, Benji Marshall has made the call to start Latu Fainu at halfback, with the exciting young half providing spark off the bench in four games this season and looking to become the long-term Tigers 7. He can start with an impressive performance this week. With Jahream Bula out for over a month, Heath Mason also gets his chance at fullback to show what he has got in the NRL, with teams always looking for the next great fullback and Bula locked in as the Tigers number 1 for the next 10 years if they can re-sign him, Mason could become a valuable commodity over the next 4-6 weeks.
Sea Eagles vs Tigers Recent History
The Sea Eagles have dominated this rivalry over the past five years, winning 6 of 7, whilst scoring 30+ points in all but two of those games. However, in the last matchup between the teams back in round 25 last season, the Tigers got the win at Leichhardt Oval, winning 34-26. The Sea Eagles closed massive 17.5-point favourites, with a total of 54.5 It looked to be business as usual as Manly shot out to a 14-0 lead after 24 minutes, however the Tigers turned the scores, scoring five tries in less than half an hour to take the lead 30-14, and they would never give the lead up, despite two quick tries to Tom Trbojevic to cut the lead to 4. Heath Mason played fullback and was superb, running for 150 metres, scoring a try and breaking seven tackles, whilst Lachlan Galvin was also tremendous for the Tigers.
A Clunky Game Expected with Two New Spines
The Sea Eagles came into this clash as 5.5-point favourites, with money coming in on the Sea Eagles after Jahream Bula was ruled out on Tuesday, pushing the Sea Eagles out to 7.5-point favourites. My numbers say 7.5 is pretty much right, but the bigger concern when handicapping this matchup has been my struggle this season to get a hold of the Sea Eagles and their form. I have struggled to pick which way the Sea Eagles will go, and they surely have one of the biggest deltas in the NRL when it comes to best and worst performances. It is because of this that any game involving the Sea Eagles will be a minimum bet, and I will look towards more extreme outcomes. Whilst the Tigers winning this game is certainly a possibility, I’ve got to believe the Sea Eagles can get the job done here. In their 6 wins this year, the Sea Eagles have won all six of them by a margin of 13+, and as such I’ll look towards a 13+ margin here, possibly in the SGM.
Moving onto the total, and it opened 47.5 and has been bet up to 48.5. This seems a little high to me, and I make a fair total 44.5. Despite these teams historically playing high totalled games, the changes to both teams’ spines screams a clunky game of football. The Sea Eagles have been a heavy unders team, playing 9 unders in their 14 games this season, whilst the Tigers games have ended under the total 8 times out of 14. Again, given the unpredictability of the Sea Eagles, this won’t be a big bet, but I do like the under here, especially now it’s up to 48.5/49.5.
Under 48.5 points
$1.92 (1 Unit)
Sea Eagles vs Tigers Player Prop Bet: Turbo to Shine at Centre
Our Best Player Prop: Tom Trbojevic (1+ try)
Trbojevic has shown in the biggest arena in rugby league that he can play centre at an elite level, and this week he will take on a Tigers defence that isn’t exactly elite. Expect the Sea Eagles to push the ball towards Tommy Turbo close to the line, where he will prove too much for the Tigers.
Tom Trbojevic (1+ try)
$2.05 (1 Unit)
Same Game Multi: Sea Eagles vs Tigers
Leg 1: Sea Eagles (13+) – As above, betting on the more extreme outcome here.
Leg 2: T Trbojevic (1+ try) – See Best Prop Bet.
Leg 3: S To’a (1+ try) – To’a has been a real bright spot this season for the Tigers, busting tackles and scoring tries at a solid clip. This week he will be attacking the weaker Sea Eagles edge and will be looking to score in his fourth straight game.
Sea Eagles vs Tigers Better Odds & Match Info
Location: 4 Pines Park – Brookvale
Weather: Partly Cloudy, 13 degrees
Odds: Sea Eagles ($1.46) vs Tigers ($2.75)
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