It's D-day for the Red V as they look to arrest a five-game losing streak and ease the pressure on coach Shane Flanagan.
The Dragons faithful will be right behind their side at WIN Stadium and hoping for a far more committed performance against a Manly side riding high after demolishing the Dolphins in Kieran Foran's first game as coach.
From there we head to Suncorp Stadium for another instalment in the Broncos-Cowboys rivalry that has intrigued us for three decades.
The Cowboys are riding a three-game winning streak and get a golden chance to take down a Broncos side missing big guns Reece Walsh and Ben Hunt.
Follow all the action from Round 6 of the NRL Telstra Premiership on NRL.com's live blog.
Dragons v Sea Eagles at WIN Stadium
Match: Dragons v Sea Eagles
Round 6 -
home Team
Dragons
17th Position
away Team
Sea Eagles
12th Position
Venue: WIN Stadium, Wollongong
Match broadcasters:
- WatchNRL
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.
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.
Reuben Garrick 2nd Try
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
Tom Trbojevic Try
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.
What a try saver from Manly!
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.
Reuben Garrick Try
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.
Dragons fans show up in force to help kickstart the season
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
Match: Broncos v Cowboys
Round 6 -
home Team
Broncos
9th Position
away Team
Cowboys
8th Position
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Match broadcasters:
- WatchNRL
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.