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Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles v Parramatta Eels Sunday 4:05pm at 4 Pines Park, Brookvale / Cammeraygal

The high flying Manly Sea Eagles welcome a familiar foe as they get used to life, once again, without Tom Trbojevic.

Sunday afternoon sees the lights shining bright on Brookvale Oval as Manly welcome Parramatta to the northern beaches. Both sides are coming off convincing wins, albeit compounded by injuries once again to key players.

The Sea Eagles, in another lifetime, would have had their wings clipped when Tom Trbojevic went down with a nasty hamstring injury last Thursday. Under interim coach Kieran Foran, in 2026, the Sea Eagles ended up playing arguably their best game of the season.

Tolutau Koula seamlessly slotted into the fullback position, running for 238 metres and allowing his side to get on the front foot every time they had the ball. While it was against a Cowboys team who, admittedly, will struggle to defend at the best of times, Manly racked up 38 points in a demolition job at QCB Stadium.

On a three game winning streak now, the Sea Eagles, led by Jamal Fogarty and the power running of Taniela Paseka, will look to run riot over yet another questionable defensive line up.

The Parramatta Eels had, on paper, no right to win last week against the Canterbury Bulldogs. You could create a full starting line up with the players that the Eels have out injured, and yet they put the Dogs back in their kennel with an 18 point win at Commbank on Sunday.

Ronald Volkman had his best game as a Parramatta Eel, if not his best game in the NRL. His running game freed up Mitchell Moses to guide the team around the park, something that he's not been able to do this season.

The backline for Parramatta, led by Will Penisini, were at their chaotic best. It was a litter of free flowing, unpredictable, almost disrespectful attacking football that sent the Bulldogs crawling back to Belmore with their tails between their legs.

The defense of Parramatta still, despite some fantastic last ditch efforts, leaves plenty to be desired. If they want to walk away from Brookvale Oval with the win, they'll need to shut down Manly's attack early and often.

Manly lose Tom Trbojevic for two months with a torn hamstring, which sees Tolu Koula move to fullback and Clayton Faulalo come into the centres. Josh Feledy takes the bench spot of Faulalo, while Simione Laiafi comes onto the bench for Jackson Shereb.

Parramatta welcome back Sean Russell and Kelly Tuilagi from their respective concussion layoffs, with Russell being a late scratching last week. Araz Nanva and Teancum Brown slide out of the side.

Last meeting: Round 12 2025 - Eels 30 Sea Eagles 10

Who to watch: Tolu Koula will be the one player that can single-handedly break the hearts of Parramatta fans. He's lightning fast on his feet, has some good ball playing skills and can break any team apart from anywhere on the field. What should scare Parramatta fans the most, is that he has the ability to break tackles from a standstill, to create points from nothing. With Parramatta‘s defence being quite shaky, the eels will need to shut down the fullback almost immediately to ensure that manly attack isn't freeflowing.

Mitchell Moses is having a quiet season by his own standards, not being helped in part by Parramatta's massive injury toll. Against the Bulldogs on Sunday, Moses was able to finally utilise his kicking game to shut down the Bulldogs from the back. Whilst the running game hasn't really come through in 2026, his ability to lead Parramatta around the park in a hostile environment will be crucial to their chances against a fit and firing Manly.

Favourite: The bookies are backing Manly at home despite the absence of Tommy Turbo.

MY TIP: Brookvale Oval used to be a fortress - a place no team wishes to visit. While the crowd still rumbles in and the Sea Eagles perk up for a home game on hallowed ground, it's not the same scary experience for the veterans of the competition. That said, this Eels side doesn't have enough veteran experience to win this away from home. Manly by 6.

1. Tolutau Koula 2. Jason Saab 3. Clayton Faulalo 4. Reuben Garrick 5. Lehi Hopoate 6. Luke Brooks 7. Jamal Fogarty 8. Taniela Paseka 9. Brandon Wakeham 10. Kobe Hetherington 11. Haumole Olakau'atu 12. Ben Trbojevic 13. Jake Trbojevic 14. Jake Simpkin 15. Corey Waddell 16. Ethan Bullemor 17. Siosiua Taukeiaho 18. Simione Laiafi 19. Josh Feledy 20. Nathan Brown 21. Joey Walsh 22. Jackson Shereb

1. Joash Papali'i 2. Brian Kelly 3. Viliami Penisini 4. Sean Russell 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Ronald Volkman 7. Mitchell Moses 8. Luca Moretti 9. Ryley Smith 10. Junior Paulo 11. Charlie Guymer 12. Jack Williams 13. Dylan Walker 14. Tallyn Da Silva 15. Saxon Pryke 16. Toni Mataele 17. Jack de Belin 18. Kelma Tuilagi 19. Lorenzo Talataina 20. Araz Nanva 21. Jezaiah Funa-Luta 22. Teancum Brown

Referees: Peter Gough; Sideline Officials: Kasey Badger, Kieren Irons; Video Referees: Grant Atkins;