Recalibrate the radar, the Sea Eagles are on the rise.
As other top-eight sides suffer mid-season stumbles, Des Hasler's men have quietly accumulated three straight wins through the State of Origin period to sit on the edge of the top four with the level of belief growing by the week.
Saturday's 30-12 win over the Titans on the Gold Coast won't be the blueprint that Hasler uses to plot another premiership push, rather another crucial step in the right direction.
For 40 minutes they looked capable of scoring with almost every set, with Hasler left lamenting missed opportunities in spite of the lopsided 20-2 half-time scoreline.
The second stanza was symptomatic of a team that didn't train with its full contingent until the captain's run on Friday but it was a satisfied Hasler who heads to the bye with his team in position to mount a genuine top-four charge.
Match Highlights: Titans v Sea Eagles
"We're just going through this period of Origin and the international weekend where you just want to be able to grab these points. It's important that you win these games in this period of the year," Hasler said post-game.
"We should have executed a lot better in the second half but considering the scoreline a month ago against the Titans, to walk away from here with the points is good.
"We've got another week off now with the bye and get them back after the Origin period and get a bit of momentum hopefully going into the back-end part of the season."
Garrick burns the Titans down the right
As the Rabbitohs have lost four on the trot and the Roosters four of their past five, the Sea Eagles have made progress in the opposite direction to sit just one win out of second spot.
Sympathising with teams who have been without their best players either through representative commitments or injury, Hasler said it was incumbent on his side to make the most of the momentum they'd been able to generate.
"You want to capitalise on it. That's what you want to try and do,” Hasler said of their progress the past three games.
“You look at some sides who you would expect to be winning like the Roosters for example have lost three. It's very rare that the Roosters lose three in a row but it's that commitment to Origin and injuries and getting through it.
"Once you get all through that it's hopefully a bit of stability once they all come back. It's just a real momentum killer."
Manly captain Daly Cherry-Evans will join the Queensland camp on Sunday as Jake and Tom Trbojevic link up with the Blues ahead of Origin III on July 10.
Cherry-Evans is excited about how much better Manly will be when the competition returns to normal programming.
"It's a tough period for all sides in the NRL. You've seen some stumble but we've been lucky to win all our games through the Origin period," Cherry-Evans explained after a classy showing against the Titans.
"It's really solidified our spot in the top eight. If we can keep the majority of the 17-19 players for the next couple of games, we're going to be able to hone in on our combinations."
