Kieran Foran has won every game he has coached. Manly took down Parramatta 33-18 at 4 Pines Park on Sunday afternoon to make it four straight under the rookie coach, with the Sea Eagles climbing to sixth on the ladder and setting up a CommBank Stadium showdown with the unbeaten Panthers next weekend. Since Foran took over in Round 5, Manly have scored 151 points to 60 across four wins.
Koula Doing What Tommy Turbo Used to Do
With Tommy Turbo sidelined for the month, Tolu Koula was given the No.1 jersey and used it. 171 Run Metres, seven tackle breaks, two linebreaks, a try saver in the second half. Reuben Garrick scored a typical Garrick try off the wing, his 13th in 14 outings against the Eels. Lehi Hopoate added another double from the other wing, and Jason Saab broke an 11-game try drought with a 60-metre special in the 63rd minute.
The numbers told the story. Manly completed 40 of 45 sets at 88 per cent, posted eight linebreaks to one, and ran for 1,941 metres across the team. Haumole Olakau'atu has now racked up 25 tackle breaks across the four-game winning run and his hit on Dylan Walker in the 40th minute set up Jamal Fogarty's go-ahead field goal. Captain Jake Trbojevic crossed in the third minute for his first try since Round 15, 2024.
Eels Late Show Cannot Save the Day
Parramatta hit back through Mitchell Moses and Luca Moretti in the final 15 minutes but were never seriously in the contest after Manly went 27-6 up. Brian Kelly's seventh-minute try was a glimpse of what the Eels could be. The rest of the afternoon was the team that has now conceded an average of 35 points per game in 2026 and sits 15th. Coach Jason Ryles has work to do. The full match report is available at ABC Rugby League.
Where the Markets Land
Manly's premiership price has shortened from $34 to $19 in three weeks. The Sea Eagles are now $4.50 to make the top four and $1.85 for finals qualification, the shortest those markets have been since 2024. Penrith hold at $2.80 favourites for the title. The Eels have drifted to $51 for the eight and short prices are starting to appear in their wooden spoon market. Neds's Round 9 head-to-head price for Manly against the Panthers opens at $4, which is fair given Penrith are unbeaten at home in 2026 but Manly have not lost since Foran took the chair. Olakau'atu Anytime Tryscorer at $4.50 is the standout multi anchor for next Sunday on current form.
The Round 9 fixture list is locked in across three days from Friday 1 May, with Roosters versus Broncos at Allianz on Saturday night the marquee match. Full NRL Round 9 tips and predictions for every match are now live.