After a three-game slump to open their 2026 account, the Sea Eagles have come out firing and won three on the trot since Kieran Foran's appointment as interim coach.
His biggest task so far in his coaching career came in facing a red-hot Cowboys outfit, who were bristling with confidence after coming into this clash on a four-game winning streak.
The Sea Eagles brought them back down to earth, beating them in a 38-6 thrashing on a humid Thursday night in Townsville.
Despite the positive result, all eyes are set on the scan results following Tom Trbojevic's hamstring injury, where he left the field in the 12th minute.
In years gone by, Manly have struggled to replicate Trbojevic's magic when he is absent from the field because of injury.
Although it seems Foran has found a capable replacement in the form of Tolutau Koula, who has been making his mark on the left edge as one of the most destructive attacking players in the NRL.
Koula has played fullback in limited opportunities under former coach Seibold, with Lehi Hopoate being favoured as the replacement for when Trbojevic is unavailable.
It looks like under Foran, he will get the nod while Trbojevic recovers on the sidelines, with Koula's scintillating attacking and defensive plays when switching mid-game to the fullback role put the Cowboys to the sword.
"He's done quite a few reps there throughout the preseason (the fullback role), just when we've needed to give Tommy a rest, he's probably the one player that is most familiar with it," Foran said in his post-match press conference.
"We've got a couple of options there. Lehi has done a job for us before; he's a great fullback as well.
"The way in which Tolu performed tonight in that position gives us great confidence that he can fill that void for us for the next few weeks."
Widely regarded as one of the best fullbacks, who doesn't even play fullback, Koula will get his chance in the coming weeks to flex his muscle and showcase a State of Origin audition tape for NSW Blues coach Laurie Daley.
With Koula agreeing to a five-year extension in the offseason, the club sees him as a marquee attacking weapon moving into the future despite clubs circling.
Since Foran's reign, the side has tightened down on how many points they have conceded, and was applauded by Phil Gould on Nine's commentary on the way they have been going about business.
"It was a professional performance 22-6 in the first half and 16-0 in the second," Phil Gould said on Nine's coverage.
"Defensively, when you can hold the Cowboys to six points up there, you've done a great night's work. Considering you lost Tom Trbojevic early, they never missed a beat. Everyone contributed. Manly is on a roll."
Koula controlled the game exceptionally on both sides of the ball, coming up with 240 run metres while individually stopping two tries to Thomas Mikaele and Braidon Burns.
"He's a freak," Sea Eagles teammate Reuben Garrick told Nine post-match.
"He's a pure athlete. He's gotten better and better every year he's played NRL. That try-saver he pulled off, that's a massive moment in the game there.
"We went down and scored another try after that. He's going great guns."
The Sea Eagles will return to Brookvale next round for the first time since Kieran Foran's appointment as head coach.
It will no doubt be a full-house when they host the Parramatta Eels on Sunday week, with the blue and gold looking to shake off their poor recent results despite a horrific injury toll.
