Round 24 Preview — 2026 NRL SeasonNRL Analytics

Sea Eagles v Dolphins

SavvyPlays · Friday 14 August 2026 · 4 Pines Park · 6:00pm AEST

Visual Comparison

01Key Metrics Side-by-Side

Motivation is the finals-race tier each side enters the round on; Wins to Finals is how many of their remaining games they need to reach the top eight ("-" already there, "x" out of reach).

Headline averages from every completed match this season (Sea Eagles n=20, Dolphins n=20). Bars diverge from centre — longer bar wins on the metric (green where lower is the goal, like points conceded or penalties).

Sea Eagles
Metric
Dolphins
PLAYING FOR PRIDE
Motivation
TOP 4 BATTLE
x
Wins to Finals
1
25.2
Points For / G
27.8
21.9
Points Against / G
22.9
1,602m
Run Metres / G
1,674m
4.4
Tries / G
4.8
77.4%
Completion %
76.4%
4.7
Penalties Conceded / G
4.7
4.8
Six Agains / G
4.2

Team Records

02Season Records & Scoring

Sea Eagles
Metric
Dolphins
9-11-0#10
Season Record
#413-7-0
5-5-0 (H)Home games
Home / Away Record
Away games6-3-0 (A)
22.5Home · #11
Avg Points For (Home / Away)
Away · #627.3
21.5Home · #7
Avg Points Against (Home / Away)
Away · #317.7

Against the Spread

03ATS Performance (W-L-P | % = Cover Rate)

Sea Eagles
Metric
Dolphins
9-10-0 (47%)
2026 Season — All
11-8-0 (58%)
4-6-0 (40%)
2026 Season — Home (H) / Away (A)
6-3-0 (67%)
5-4-0 (56%)
2026 Season — Away (H) / Home (A)
5-5-0 (50%)
L4
Current Streak
L1
20-23-0 (47%)
2025-26 — All
23-20-0 (53%)
10-12-0 (45%)
2025-26 — Home (H) / Away (A)
10-11-0 (48%)
10-11-0 (48%)
2025-26 — Away (H) / Home (A)
13-9-0 (59%)

Streak format: W3 = three covers in a row, L2 = two ATS losses. Within each block Home + Away equals All.

Over / Under

04O/U Performance (O-U-P | % = Over Rate)

Sea Eagles
Metric
Dolphins
7-12-0 (37%)
2026 Season — All
8-11-0 (42%)
3-7-0 (30%)
2026 Season — Home (H) / Away (A)
2-7-0 (22%)
4-5-0 (44%)
2026 Season — Away (H) / Home (A)
6-4-0 (60%)
O2
Current Streak
U1
17-26-0 (40%)
2025-26 — All
22-21-0 (51%)
9-13-0 (41%)
2025-26 — Home (H) / Away (A)
8-13-0 (38%)
8-13-0 (38%)
2025-26 — Away (H) / Home (A)
14-8-0 (64%)

Within each block Home + Away equals All.

Halves Breakdown

05How Each Team Builds the Game

1H = first half, 2H = second half. 1H/2H averages across the full 2026 season. "1H win → match win" is how often leading at half-time converts into the win.

Sea Eagles
Metric
Dolphins
12.8
1H Avg For
10.7
9.1
1H Avg Against
12.0
+3.6
1H Net
-1.3
73%
1H Win → Match Win
88%
14.3
2H Avg For
18.9
9.5
2H Avg Against
8.3
+4.8
2H Net
+10.6

Player Contribution Scores

06Spine vs Spine, Forwards vs Forwards, Backs vs Backs

PCS (Player Contribution Score) is a correlation-informed rating built from play-by-play stats — run metres, line breaks, tackle breaks, missed tackles and so on. Each stat is weighted by how strongly it correlates with winning margin across 1,000+ matches. Aggregated to position group over a 15-game rolling window.

Why position groups matter: the spine (FB, halves, hooker) controls structure, the forwards set the ruck and tempo, the backs finish chances. A team can be middling overall but elite at one group — and that often shows up as a directional edge in the result.

Sea Eagles
Metric
Dolphins
155.6#9 Δ -2.9
Squad PCS
#1 Δ +7.4194.1
35.7#13 Δ -0.7
Spine PCS
#7 Δ +2.046.6
49.3#1 Δ -0.6
Forwards PCS
#16 Δ +2.328.0
58.8#10 Δ -1.1
Backs PCS
#1 Δ +0.098.3

Sub shows current league rank. Δ = change vs last round (noisy week-to-week — treat the rank as the headline).

First Scoring Play

07Who Strikes First

Strictly the very first scoring play of each match — try, penalty goal, or (rarely) field goal. Teams that open the scoring tend to lead at half-time about 65% of the time and win about 60% — so the opening play matters. Penalty-goal openings are shown as raw counts because most games never open with a PG; the position-group breakdown only fires when the first play was a try.

Sea Eagles
Metric
Dolphins
14/20 (70%)
Scored first try — All games
5/20 (25%)
6/10 (60%)
Scored first try — Home / Away
3/9 (33%)
4/20 (20%)
Conceded first try — All games
13/20 (65%)
4/10 (40%)
Conceded first try — Home / Away
5/9 (56%)
1 (H:0 A:1)
Scored first via penalty goal
1 (H:0 A:1)
1 (H:0 A:1)
Conceded first via penalty goal
1 (H:1 A:0)
6 (H:3 A:3)
First try scored by Spine (All games)
2 (H:1 A:1)
2 (H:2 A:0)
First try scored by Forwards (All games)
0 (H:0 A:0)
6 (H:1 A:5)
First try scored by Backs (All games)
3 (H:1 A:2)
0 (H:0 A:0)
First try scored by Interchange (All games)
0 (H:0 A:0)
0 (H:0 A:0)
First try conceded to Spine (All games)
5 (H:5 A:0)
2 (H:2 A:0)
First try conceded to Forwards (All games)
4 (H:2 A:2)
2 (H:2 A:0)
First try conceded to Backs (All games)
4 (H:1 A:3)
0 (H:0 A:0)
First try conceded to Interchange (All games)
0 (H:0 A:0)

Position groups: Spine = FB/halves/hooker. Forwards = prop/lock/second row. Backs = centre/wing. Interchange = bench.

Current Streaks

08Active Streaks

Sea Eagles
Metric
Dolphins
L5
Win / Loss — 2026
W3
L4
ATS — 2026
L1
O2
Over / Under — 2026
U1
W2
1st Half — 2026
W6
L1
2nd Half — 2026
W7
L2
Win / Loss — Home / Away
W1
L2
ATS — Home / Away
L2
O1
Over / Under — Home / Away
U2

Includes previous season(s) where applicable. D = Draw, P = Push (ATS/O/U).

Consistency / Disruption

09Volatility & Squad Health

Consistency Index (CI) measures how predictable a team's results are. It's built from the standard deviation of their margin and their points-conceded across the season. Higher CI = tighter range of results, more dependable.

Disruption Score (DS) measures how far the named squad is from each team's best 17 — weighted by position importance (a halfback out hurts more than a bench prop) and by how fresh the absence is. Higher DS = more disrupted, less the side coaches game-plan around.

Sea Eagles
Metric
Dolphins
0.520
Overall CI
0.475
0.543
Defensive CI
0.503
19.7
Margin SD
23.9
6.7
Disruption
1.1
64%
Best-17 %
94%
2
New Outs This Round
1

CI (Consistency Index) measures result predictability from 0 to 1 — higher = more consistent. Defensive CI isolates defensive performance. Margin SD measures the spread of winning/losing margins — lower = more predictable outcomes. Teams with high CI and low Margin SD are the safest to tip; teams with low CI and high Margin SD are volatile and produce the most upsets.

Named Squads

10Sea Eagles — 64% Best 17 (DS 6.7) — Squad avg ±/G: +0.8

#PlayerPositionGP±/G
1Clayton FaulaloFullback10+13.9
2Jason SaabWing19+1.8
3Tolutau KoulaCentre17+4.8
4Reuben GarrickCentre19+2.8
5Lehi HopoateWing19+3.3
6Joey WalshFive-Eighth6-11.0
7Jamal FogartyHalfback18+2.7
8Simione LaiafiProp2-21.0
9Brandon WakehamHooker13+4.8
10Nathan BrownProp15-0.3
11Haumole Olakau'atuSecond Row17+5.9
12Corey WaddellSecond Row9+1.1
13Jake TrbojevicLock20+2.1
14Jake SimpkinInterchange20-0.3
15Nicholas LenazInterchange
16Fletcher BakerInterchange1-16.0
17Jackson SherebInterchange2-2.0

±/G (Plus/Minus per Game) measures each player's average impact on the scoreboard while on the field — the team's scoring margin during their minutes, divided by games played. Positive values indicate the team scores more than it concedes with that player on; negative values indicate the opposite. Best 17% reflects how many of the team's optimal starting lineup are named for this match. GP = games played in 2026. Out: Taniela Paseka (new this round), Tom Trbojevic (4wk absent), Ben Trbojevic (3wk absent), Ethan Bullemor (new this round), Kobe Hetherington (3wk absent). Long-term (3): Luke Brooks (7wk), Lachlan Croker (20wk), Siosiua Taukeiaho (14wk) — excluded from the Best 17% denominator, carried at reduced weight in DS. Players listed as out are ordered by Disruption Score (DS) — a measure of how difficult each absence is to replace based on positional importance and individual performance.

Named Squads

11Dolphins — 94% Best 17 (DS 1.1) — Squad avg ±/G: +4.3

#PlayerPositionGP±/G
1Hamiso Tabuai-FidowFullback15+7.4
2Jamayne IsaakoWing20+4.9
3Jack BostockCentre9+17.3
4Herbie FarnworthCentre19+4.7
5Selwyn CobboWing15+6.6
6Kodi NikorimaFive-Eighth16+3.2
7Isaiya KatoaHalfback15+7.7
8Thomas FleglerProp15-5.9
9Jeremy Marshall-KingHooker12+7.4
10Francis MoloProp16-6.2
11Connelly LemueluSecond Row20+4.6
12Kulikefu FinefeuiakiSecond Row19+3.4
13Morgan KnowlesLock19+1.0
14Max PlathInterchange15+10.3
15Ray StoneInterchange15+8.5
16Tom GilbertInterchange19+4.5
17Felise KaufusiInterchange17+2.4

±/G (Plus/Minus per Game) measures each player's average impact on the scoreboard while on the field — the team's scoring margin during their minutes, divided by games played. Positive values indicate the team scores more than it concedes with that player on; negative values indicate the opposite. Best 17% reflects how many of the team's optimal starting lineup are named for this match. GP = games played in 2026. Out: Kurt Donoghoe (new this round). Long-term (1): Daniel Saifiti (20wk) — excluded from the Best 17% denominator, carried at reduced weight in DS. Players listed as out are ordered by Disruption Score (DS) — a measure of how difficult each absence is to replace based on positional importance and individual performance.

Sea Eagles — Recent Form

12Sea Eagles — Last 5 Games

RoundOpponentH/AScoreResMarginLineATSTotalO/U
2026 R23StormA20-42L-22
2026 R21SharksH12-48L-36+3.5L46.5O
2026 R20TitansA32-38L-6-4.5L45.5O
2026 R19CowboysH18-19L-1-6.5L48.0U
2026 R18EelsA14-23L-9-10.5L49.5U

Dolphins — Recent Form

13Dolphins — Last 5 Games

RoundOpponentH/AScoreResMarginLineATSTotalO/U
2026 R23BroncosH40-32W+8
2026 R22DragonsA28-22W+6-15.5L50.5U
2026 R20CowboysH36-16W+20-3.5W50.0O
2026 R19SharksH0-66L-66-1.5L49.5O
2026 R18KnightsA12-13L-1-1.5L49.0U

Sea Eagles — Try Scoring

14Sea Eagles — Try Scorers (2026)

PlayerPosT1stLast1st 20m2nd 20m3rd 20m4th 20mH / A
L.HopoateFullback142264224 / 10
J.SaabWing12133246 / 6
T.KoulaCentre91114135 / 4
H.Olakau'atuSecond Row8131405 / 3
T.TrbojevicFullback7451014 / 3
R.GarrickCentre71131122 / 5
C.FaulaloCentre6112213 / 3
B.TrbojevicSecond Row5101222 / 3
J.FogartyHalfback4210213 / 1
J.WalshFive-Eighth31110112 / 1

Dolphins — Try Scoring

15Dolphins — Try Scorers (2026)

PlayerPosT1stLast1st 20m2nd 20m3rd 20m4th 20mH / A
J.IsaakoWing1821105210 / 8
S.CobboWing133333257 / 6
H.Tabuai-FidowFullback111212357 / 4
H.FarnworthCentre9133216 / 3
J.AverilloCentre6120133 / 3
C.LemueluSecond Row6202224 / 2
J.BostockCentre400133 / 1
K.NikorimaFive-Eighth300122 / 1
K.FinefeuiakiSecond Row3101113 / 0
T.NaufahuWing3110111 / 2

SavvyPlays Tips — Strong

16The Call

Dolphins by 10
Strong · PLAYING FOR PRIDE v TOP 4 BATTLE
Win
Sea Eagles +10.5
predicted Sea Eagles margin -10 vs line +10.5
ATS
Under 50.5
projected 43.3 · edge -7.2
Over / Under
Dolphins Backs
HIGH · 2.15/g
Anytime Edge
RankGroupScore /GOpp Concede /GCombined
Attacking Sea Eagles (vs Dolphins defence)
1Backs1.802.001.90 HIGH
2Spine1.600.951.27 MODERATE
3Forwards0.850.800.82 MODERATE
4Interchange0.150.300.22 LOW
Attacking Dolphins (vs Sea Eagles defence)
1Backs2.651.652.15 HIGH
2Spine1.000.950.97 MODERATE
3Forwards0.600.800.70 MODERATE
4Interchange0.500.350.42 LOW

Anytime Try Scoring — Matchup Likelihood: each side's position groups ranked by how often they score against how often this opponent concedes.

Dolphins Backs are the standout anytime bet — the top combined matchup score in this game at 2.15/game (Dolphins backs score 2.65/game; Sea Eagles concede to the backs at 1.65/game).

Dolphins chasing top-4 seeding against a skeleton Sea Eagles side. The quality gap is the clearest of any R24 match.

Before you bet

ATS tip is based on SavvyPlays' predicted margin compared against the line at the time of publication. Lines move — always verify the current spread with your bookmaker before placing.

Data & Methodology

Team records sourced from official NRL data. Play-by-play timeline data drives the halves analytics. PCS is a correlation-informed player rating aggregated to position groups (Spine, Forwards, Backs) over a 15-game rolling window. Best-17% reflects the proportion of each team's optimal lineup named for this round. CI/DS combines result-volatility and squad-disruption signals. Closing-line market data via The Odds API.

SavvyPlays — NRL Analytics & Tipping · © 2026