The only dead-rubber match of the round, Canterbury and Manly will both be eyeing off a late-season boost to their win tally.

The 15th-placed Bulldogs have lost eight of their last 10, but responded to a limp 42-6 defeat to the Knights in Round 24 with a comparatively valiant 36-24 loss in Canberra last Sunday.

But the fact remains the Bulldogs are comfortably the worst defensive unit in the NRL (31.5 points per game).

The Sea Eagles officially bowed out of the finals race on the back of their third straight defeat, but they were gallant and unlucky in a controversial 29-22 loss to the Warriors in Auckland.

Jason Saab’s first-half hat-trick put them up at halftime but they were run down in the last 10 minutes.

Kurtis Morrin replaces Jayden Okunbor on the bench in Canterbury’s only change.

Tolutau Koula lines up at fullback for Manly in the wake of Reuben Garrick’s back injury.

Brad Parker and Ben Trbojevic return for the Sea Eagles with Josh Schuster dropping out of the 17 and Gordon Chan Kum Tong to debut from the bench.

The teams met in Round 1, with Manly romping to a 31-6 win at home on the back of a Daly Cherry-Evans hat-trick. It was the Sea Eagles’ eighth win in nine matches against the Bulldogs.

Worryingly, Manly has lost 13 of its last 14 at Accor Stadium, dating back to the 2013 grand final, while Canterbury has split its last 12 games at its primary home venue.

The Sea Eagles are tempting value against a modest start but the over looks the best play in this inconsequential match-up.

The post Canterbury Bulldogs vs Manly Sea Eagles Tips and Odds – NRL 2023 Round 26 first appeared on JustBetting.com.au.