2026 R1 Sat - Manly 28-29* Canberra @ 4 Pines

[League Unlimited News]

NRL 2026 - Round 1
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles v Canberra Raiders
4 Pines Park, Brookvale / Cammeraygal (TICKETS)

Saturday 7 March 2026
7:30pm AEDT
Live on Fox League, Kayo Sports

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

1. Kaeo Weekes 2. Savelio Tamale 3. Simi Sasagi 4. Sebastian Kris 5. Xavier Savage 6. Ethan Strange 7. Ethan Sanders 8. Josh Papali'i 9. Tom Starling 10. Joseph Tapine 11. Hudson Young 12. Noah Martin 13. Corey Horsburgh 14. Jayden Brailey 15. Zac Hosking 16. Ata Mariota 17. Morgan Smithies 18. Daine Laurie 19. Jed Stuart 20. Matt Nicholson 21. Matthew Timoko 22. Owen Pattie

Referee: Liam Kennedy
Sideline Officials: Jon Stone, Daniel Luttringer
Video Referee: Chris Butler

HEAD TO HEAD - 1982 - 2025​

	TOTAL	MANLY	CANBERRA	DRAWN
ALL MATCHES	67	41	25	1
4 PINES	32	20	12	0

LAST FIVE MEETINGS​

YEAR	ROUND	RESULT	VENUE	CROWD
2023	Round 12	MANLY 42-14	GIO	14730
2024	Round 9	CANBERRA 26-24	4 Pines	10215
2024	Round 23	MANLY 46-24	GIO	16690
2025	Round 3	MANLY 40-12	4 Pines	16125
2025	Round 23	CANBERRA 28-12	GIO	14527

BIGGEST WINS​

YEAR	ROUND	RESULT	VENUE	CROWD
1982	Round 20	MANLY 61-20	Brookvale	7133
2022	Round 24	CANBERRA 48-6	GIO	16647

NEXT FOUR MATCHES​

	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5
MANLY	NEWCASTLE (H)	(BYE)	SYDNEY (H)	DOLPHINS (A)
CANBERRA	WARRIORS (A)	CANTERBURY (H)	CRONULLA (H)	NEWCASTLE (A)

 

[mozza91]

Interesting one here. Raiders were great last year and should be favourites but I’ve got a feeling there might be a boil over.

Manly by 4 Skeepe meltdowns.

 

[horrie hastings]

This looks like game of the round.

 

[Patorick]

Skeeping it real.

 

[Vic Mackey]

Fairly surprised at the odds here. I think the Raiders do it without too many dramas.

 

[Warrimoo3]

Cast your minds back to round 1 2025. Same teams. Same venue. 1st half Raiders 220 tackles to Manly 70. Manly 75% possession. Set restarts 6 to 1 in favour of Manly. Referee: G. Atkins

Prediction: G.Atkins won’t be allocated this match.

 

[skeepe]

Whenever we have a good season, nobody expects us to back it up the next. That’s not an unreasonable point of view given our history. Hopefully 2026 will be different.

If we can avoid another Grant Atkins railroading, we should be ok here.

 

[This Year?]

I wonder which side will get screwed in the NobodylikestheRefereebecausetheyarecheatingscumLeague.

 

[Warrimoo3]

Cast your minds back to round 1 2025. Same teams. Same venue. 1st half Raiders 220 tackles to Manly 70. Manly 75% possession. Set restarts 6 to 1 in favour of Manly. Referee: G. Atkins

Prediction: G.Atkins won’t be allocated this match.

Correction: Round 3 2025

 

[mongoose]

Cast your minds back to round 1 2025. Same teams. Same venue. 1st half Raiders 220 tackles to Manly 70. Manly 75% possession. Set restarts 6 to 1 in favour of Manly. Referee: G. Atkins

Prediction: G.Atkins won’t be allocated this match.

yes a very questionable referee performance. Weekes had a shocker that game, Horsburgh went full genius too...

 

[gerg]

yes a very questionable referee performance. Weekes had a shocker that game, Horsburgh went full genius too...

He collected a season worth of pubes that day

 

[Fangs]

Manly don't have a great looking squad for 2026. But they do have Fogarty. Arguably might be a more effective 7 than DCE.

While the Raiders have 3 Ethans for halves cover. None of them are proven in the 7 jumper. So many are rightly sceptical about how they will go this year. Its a talented squad otherwise.

Leaning Raiders but in round one who knows.

 

[eagles4eva]

Things are looking up for 2026 so far, no Waddell in the 17

 

[Chief_Chujo]

Ahh ffs no Pattie. Why are you like this Stick

 

[Bobby DIGital]

Ahh ffs no Pattie. Why are you like this Stick

Yeah, things are starting off weird unfortunately. I hope we don't end up with Laurie starting at 7.

 

[KickPressure]

I think the Manly spine will be too organised for Canberra this weekend.

 

[Cutoutpass]

Up the

MILK

 

[Valheru]

The Raiders season this year comes down to how they recover from what happened int he finals last year. They know that it could (should??) have been them lifting the trophy last season.

Sticky is great at fostering a victim complex but they have no one to blame but themselves so I think they will go backwards quite a ways.

Manly by 4

 

[Someone2]

Raiders by 10

 

[Warrimoo3]

From a tactical point of view this game has piqued my interest. Let’s pinpoint each team’s major weakness. Manly’s right defensive edge and the Raiders’ right defensive edge.

Manly supporters will be worried about a Fogarty/Garrick/Saab triumvirate defending together. Saab joins a cast of other NRL wingers like Dom Young , DWZ and Tyrell Sloan who like to stand in no man’s land on the wing allowing their opposite winger to stroll over for a try untouched. They like to jam in for no reason. Young and Saab might get the odd intercept due to their height but it’s a very low percentage play. As I’ve said before , Garrick is an elite winger but a centre he is not. Defensively this role will find him out.

I thought Timoko would play and line up on the right in defence with Savage but that looks unlikely due to Timoko apparently lacking match fitness. Manly nevertheless will target Canberra’s right defensive edge. Turbo/Koula/Hoppa will be in the game.

In attack I can see Strange and Tamale cashing in on the scoresheet with Chris(if he plays on the left as he normally does or Sasagi if they swap sides) as well.

If Laurie starts at half I think he will dismantle the Manly right edge . His performance at half against the Storm is etched in my mind .

It’s good to see Noah Martin starting. He looks something special and could be a NSW origin bolter.

Interesting to see Waddell out of the starting side. Must be a change of thinking by the Manly hierarchy as he has always been a favourite. If he somehow gets some game time I wouldn’t discount him scoring from either a Fogarty grubber or a Fogarty short ball a la Galvin to Preston (but not forward). Weekes under the high ball has improved but he’ll get targeted by Fogarty’s kicking game.

If Laurie starts at half it’s the Raiders by 16

If he doesn’t start at half it’s the Raiders by 4

First and anytime tryscorer Martin or Strange

MOTM. Martin or Strange

Pencil in tries to Strange (2), Tamale (2) Martin and Savage

Pencil in tries to Turbo,Koula and Hoppa