Rugby League

2025-07-27 - Canterbury Bulldogs vs Manly Sea Eagles

A Sports Betting Pick by Stu

Canterbury Bulldogs v Manly Sea Eagles
Rugby League : Australia : NRL
Sunday 27th July 2025 - KO 1805 AEST

Canterbury Bulldogs

For the Bulldogs, 2025 has been a year of huge improvement but after having a wonderful start to 2025, they have dropped off offensively and have a mere 6 weeks to rectify this to challenge for the title. Sitting 2nd on the ladder with a 13-4 record and no byes remaining, their top 4 finals hopes are all but confirmed.

Last week’s very tight victory over the Dragons 20-18 —where the Bulldogs leaked some cheap points, highlighted their drive to win, but also their persistent struggle for points, despite some encouraging individual performances.

Coach Cameron Ciraldo has improved their defence over the past 2 seasons and this is the main reason the Dogs are going so well, it remains to be seen though if they can defend as stoutly when the pressure of the finals kicks in. In a bid to reignite their spine, mid season recruit Lachlan Galvin has been named to start pushing Toby Sexton out of the side at least for now.

Canterbury Bulldogs Team News - Bronson Xerri is back from injury along with Sam Hughes.

Manly Sea Eagles

The Sea Eagles arrive in Round 20 knowing full well what’s at stake. Currently 7th on the ladder at 9-8, Manly are part of the logjam of mid-table teams separated by just one or two wins, and every match is crucial in shaping their finals destiny.

With the Roosters losing last night to the Storm, this provides a small amount of breathing room with 6 rounds remaining, the Roosters, Dolphins, Sharks, Sea Eagles and Broncos are all fighting for 4 places in the finals.

Manly’s recent form has been good—two wins either side of their last bye, and their attack remains one of the more explosive in the competition when they’re on. Daly Cherry-Evans continues to lead with distinction in his last season with Manly, while the left edge pairing of Luke Brooks and Tolutau Koula has caused headaches for opposing defences. Of note, Brooks is under an injury cloud heading into this match.

A major concern for Manly remains their defensive lapses away from home. While they average around17 points per game in attack, they also concede nearly as many—something coach Anthony Seibold will want to correct against a Bulldogs side not short on firepower.

Manly Sea Eagles Team News – gun edge forward Haumole Olakau'atu returns in the only change.

Odds

Bookmakers have installed the Sea Eagles as outsiders at $2.35, with the Bulldogs at $1.62, the line sits at 4.5 points, and the total points line is 43.5.

The Betting Verdict

Sunday afternoon in Sydney brings together two teams with vastly different motivations as the Canterbury Bulldogs host the Manly Sea Eagles at Allianz Stadium. With the Bulldogs sitting pretty at the right end of the ladder and Manly clinging to the edge of the finals race, this clash sets up as a litmus test of professionalism, consistency, and resolve for both sides.

Overall H2H is slightly in favour of Manly 21-23 but the undeniable stat in the recent matches is Manly's dominance winning 10 of the last 11 matches dating back to 2018. The one loss to Canterbury was by a solitary point too, Canterbury will be well aware of this and will no doubt be right up for this one.

this venue the home team holds a 50% winning record, as does Manly 18-18. These two clubs share a storied rivalry stretching back decades. In 151 meetings, Manly leads comfortably with 89 wins to Canterbury’s 57, with 5 draws and this is the first meeting in 2025.

From a betting perspective, this match offers some interesting possibilities. While the head-to-head price for Manly isn’t overly generous, the -4.5 line at $1.90 looks very achievable given the Bulldogs ongoing lapses in defence and lack of offensive fluency.
Another angle worth exploring is total points over 44.5. With Manly’s high-scoring nature and Canterbury’s sometimes leaky defence, the game could easily open up in the second half.

The result here depends on which Manly team turns up to Allianz stadium. They have probably been the hardest team to pick this season, case in point was a recent loss to the last placed Titans then an outstanding away victory in Melbourne.

I am expecting Manly’s attack to eventually wear down a committed but vulnerable Bulldogs outfit in this Sunday afternoon showdown and cause a big upset or a very close loss.