Friday night lights: Dragons v Sea Eagles; Broncos v Cowboys

76 min: Ethan Bullemor is ruled to have lost the ball in the ruck but Manly challenge the call and the bunker rules a strip by the Dragons.

74 min: The Dragons run the ball on the last but Tyrell Sloan slips over and the play breaks down with the Manly defence not really tested.

72 min: Manly forward Corey Waddell is placed on report for a dangerous tackle.

71 min: Val Holmes loses the ball and the referee rules loose carry. The Dragons challenge the call but come up empty. Manly take over 40 metres out from the Dragons line.

66 min: All class from Tom Trbojevic to put Lehi Hopoate over in the corner with a superb pass that left defenders grasping at thin air. Jamal Fogarty converts. Sea Eagles 28-18

63 min: A golden opportunity for the Dragons to hit back when space opens up on the right but Luciano Leilua goes to the boot and his grubber is wayb too heavy and goes into touch.

59 min: The Dragons go to the air on the last, Lehi Hopoate puts it down, Manly are penalised for an escort. More pressure for Manly to absorb.

55 min: Manly are back in front after Kobe Hetherington powers through Blake Lawrie and Jaydn Su'A to score under the sticks. Jamal Fogarty converts. Sea Eagles 22-18

52 min: Tom Trbojevic takes on the line from close range and tries to get a flick pass away when the defence closes in but Ben Trbojevic can't handle.

50 min: Tolu Koula gets over the line but Setu Tu does a great job to steal the ball one-on-one to deny the try.

45 min: The Dragons sweep to the right where Tyrell Sloan delivers a cut-out pass for Setu Tu who slips over but leaps to his feet and gets across for a try to draw the Dragons level before Val Holmes converts to put the home side in front. Dragons 18-16

43 min: Lehi Hopoate crosses in the corner courtesy of a freakish flick pass by Tolu Koula that is ruled forward.

41 min: Luciano Leilua spills the ball on the fourth tackle in the first set and the Dragons are under pressure early.

Run Reuben run: Manly's flying centre racked up 159 run metres and three tackle breaks as he gave the Dragons' left edge plenty of headaches. Garrick's try straight from the kick-off was an absolute cracker on the back of a clever pass from Jason Saab and blinding speed to leave Tyrell Sloan in his wake.

Half-time: On the back of 53 per cent of possession the Dragons showed plenty of ticker to fight back from 16-0 down to go to the break trailing 16-12. Fullback Tyrell Sloan ran for 82 metres in his comeback game and Blake Lawrie had eight runs for 85 metres off the bench.

40 min: A clever chip over the top from Dan Atkinson gets away from Tom Trbojevic and finishes up with Setu Tu who looks set to grab the Dragons' third try but Trbojevic comes across in cover and manages to knock the ball loose.

36 min: Jacob Liddle scoots out of dummy half from 10 metres out and gets through Simione Lafai and Jake Simpkin to get the ball down. Val Holmes converts. Sea Eagles 16-12.

35 min: Haumole Olakau'atu is placed on report for a high shot and the Dragons go inside the red zone.

32 min: Luciano Leilua takes the quick tap and catches the Manly defence napping to get the Red V on the board with a try from a couple of metres out. Val Holmes converts. Sea Eagles 16-6

31 min: Kyle Flanagan takes on the line and is chopped down just short but the Sea Eagles are penalised for being inside the 10m.

29 min: Moses Suli leaves the field for a HIA and Damien Cook slides to the centres. Manly's Jake Trbojevic also goes off the field for a HIA with a cut under his eye. Trbojevic passes his HIA but is ruled out with his eye closed over and stitches in the cut.

26 min: Kyle Flanagan chooses to run the ball on the last from close range rather than kick. The defence shuts him down and the ball is lost.

22 min: The Dragons get across the line through Moses Suli but the 'try' is disallowed due to an obstruction by Jaydn Su'A in the lead-up.

20 min: Dragons winger Christian Tuipulotu leaves the field with a knee injury. Mat Feagai enters the game.

17 min: The Sea Eagles score straight from the kick-off as Jason Saab takes the catch and sends it to Reuben Garrick who streaks away down the right edge to score Manly's third. Jamal Fogarty adds the extras. Sea Eagles 16-0

16 min: The Sea Eagles receive two six-again calls and then swing the ball to the right where Tom Trbojevic steps past Kyle Flanagan and posts his sixth try of the season. Jamal Fogarty converts. Sea Eagles 10-0

14 min: A 40-20 from Jamal Fogarty has Manly in prime field position again.

12 min: Luciano Leilua grubbers on the last tackle and Christian Tuipulotu regathers but is cut down by Reuben Garrick five metres out.

11 min: Another pinpoint bomb from Luke Brooks is well handled by Tyrell Sloan.

7 min: Jamal Fogarty hoists the ball high, Jason Saab flies through the air and taps it back to Reuben Garrick who juggles the ball and scoops it up inches from the turf to score. Fogarty pulls the conversion wide. Sea Eagles 4-0

6 min: A poor last-tackle option by the Dragons sees the ball spill to Luke Brooks who sprints 50 metres to put Manly on the attack.

4 min: An error by Ben Trbojevic in contact lets the Dragons off the hook and a penalty piggybacks them out of their own end.

3 min: A mistake by Setu Tu coming out of his own end puts the Dragons under immediate pressure.

Late Mail

Dragons: Jacob Halangahu drops out 90 minutes before kick-off and is replaced on the six-man bench by Mat Feagai. With fullback Clint Gutherson (hamstring) injured, Tyrell Sloan plays his second NRL game of the season while Setu Tu returns on the wing in place of David Fale (suspended). Kyle Flanagan returns from concussion and shifts to halfback with Dan Atkinson moving to five-eighth. Young playmaker Kade Reed is part of the six-man bench and is in the mix for an NRL debut.

Sea Eagles: Joey Walsh is the last man to come out of the squad on game day. Speedster Jason Saab has served a one-game ban and his return moves Clayton Faulalo to the interchange. Nathan Brown and Josh Feledy dropped out of the squad 24 hours before kick-off and will play NSW Cup on Saturday. Joey Walsh is the last man to come out of the squad on game day.

Numbers Game

• The Dragons have won nine of their last 10 games against the Sea Eagles at WIN Stadium.
• Sea Eagles fullback Tom Trbojevic has scored five tries in his last four games.
• The Dragons are aiming to avoid a 10th consecutive loss.
• Sea Eagles centre Tolu Koula has scored 11 tries in his last 13 NRL games.
• Dragons hooker Jacob Liddle has scored a try in his last three games against the Sea Eagles. 

 

Broncos v Cowboys at Suncorp Stadium

Late Mail

Broncos: No further game day changes after coach Michael Maguire confirmed on Thursday that captain Adam Reynolds (adductor) had been ruled out and former Cowboy Thomas Duffy would slot in at halfback. Josh Rogers moves from the reserves to the bench. Blake Mozer takes the No.14 jersey in the absence of Ben Hunt (knee). Jesse Arthars gets the nod in fullback in the absence of Reece Walsh (fractured cheekbone). Hayze Perham is also part of the six-man bench.

Cowboys: Kai O’Donnell is the new man in the pack with Sam McIntyre expected to miss 2-3 weeks with a torn plantar fascia. Braidon Burns suffered an ankle sprain last week and failed to get through captain's run on Thursday. His place will be taken by Zac Laybutt. Coach Todd Payten said the short turnaround had worked against Burns but he would be a certain starter in Round 7. Mason Barber is the final player to drop out 90 minutes before kick-off. Fullback Scott Drinkwater will play his 150th NRL game.

Numbers Game

• The Broncos have won their last six games against the Cowboys.
• The Cowboys have conceded 99 points in their last three games at Suncorp Stadium.
• Broncos fullback Jesse Arthars will make his 100th NRL appearance.
• Cowboys fullback Scott Drinkwater will play his 150th NRL game.
• Broncos centre Kotoni Staggs has scored 11 tries in his last 12 games against the Cowboys.