Eastern Suburbs v South Sydney
There is more history in this rivalry than any other in the NRL. The Rabbits and the Roosters meet for the 201st time on Friday night and anyone with a sense of rugby league history will appreciate this but anyone in a tipping comp will not. The Roosters finally play a home game after 3 away games in Melbourne, Christchurch and Canberra respectively. Impressive that this young team was able to win 2 of the three and very unlucky not to have made it 3.
Will they be fatigued? Perhaps but the real question in this match will be answered by Beau Falloon who replaces the injured South's superstar Isaac Luke. Luke has been a major contributor this year and possibly the reason South Sydney currently sit 5th on the ladder. If Falloon can make the transition seamlessly and the Rabbitohs play close to their potential, they win. We think they enjoy the two weeks rest and dominate through the forwards.
Man of the Match Prediction: Sam Burgess
Tip: South Sydney 24-20
Result: Roosters 18-14
Man of the Match: Todd Carney
Snap Review:
Cracking game of footy and Souths were very unlucky after working hard for 80 minutes through their monster forward pack. But the Roosters improved as the game went on and this is usually a sign of experience. The Roosters are a young team and if they are showing sings of wisdom now, they could do anything.
Wests Tigers v Gold Coast
This match promises so much but will only deliver if both halfbacks actually do start. I implore Tim Sheens and John Cartwright to give the lovely people of Campbelltown the football exhibition they deserve and make Robert Lui and Scott Prince needle up as much as needed to take the field for their respective clubs. The Tigers played remarkably well to win without Lui last week and the Titans have not looked very good since Prince left the field against Canterbury 3 weeks ago.
So... they both play and it will be on. Match of the round for mine so tune in to watch the suddenly defensive minded Tigers host the disciplined Titans in a screamer. Benji Marshall and co will look to take advantage of the inexperienced right side defensive combination of Bodene Thompson and Will Zillman. This is where the home side will do the most damage and Chris Lawrence could combine with Lote Tuqiri to have a field day. A great matchup of hookers here in a must-watch game of pure football.
Man of the Match Prediction: Chris Lawrence
Tip: Tigers 26-18
Result: Tigers 15-14
Man of the Match: Robbie Farah
Snap Review:
That fight in the 58th minute was an absolute pleasure to watch. Two tough hookers going at it and its always good to see who takes the next hit up after eruptions of this sort. Credit to the Tigers pack for muscling up in this one.
Manly v Canberra
Honestly, if Manly lose this match they cannot possible be fairdinkum. The Eagles need this win for so many reasons but most importantly for the confidence of their young halves. Whilst steering the team to a good record and impressive 6th on the ladder, Trent Hodkinson and Kieran Foran have played with wisdom beyond their years but are looking tired lately. The NRL’s week to week grind does that to young footballers and Des Hasler would have expected it.
Manly can also expect to meet a committed Raiders squad at Brookvale on Saturday afternoon but should have too much class for them in the end. Hodkinson and Foran have not played in 15 days and will enjoy this rest to deliver a standout performance against a struggling Canberra team. The Raiders have a decent away record this year but their 2010 record of scoring points in the second half of games is almost indecent. Manly too good.
Man of the Match Prediction: Jamie Lyon
Tip: Manly 30-12
Result: Canberra 24-22
Man of the Match: Terry Campese
Snap Review:
Problems up in the insular peninsula. Full kudos to the boys from our nations capital but Manly have now put themselves under pressure. David Shillington is on his way to winning prop of the year awards and this is one of the reasons the Raiders keep winning away games. They just need a consistent halfback.
Canterbury v Melbourne
These days in the NRL the difference between winning and losing can be tiny. So small in fact that 1 defensive error can cost you a season and one positional change can alter the outcome of big games. On this occasion, a positional change could be the biggest difference. Greg Inglis will look up and rather than seeing Jamal Idris, he will see Shane Neumann and Tim Winitana.
If Inglis is recovered from Origin celebrations and Brett Finch gives him early ball, it could be a massacre but the dogs have started well two weeks in a row now and could put enough pressure on the Storm to snatch victory. For some reason they are $1.85 favourites but with the Melbourne defence still operating at a high level, the Bulldogs have it all to do. We predict they do very little and Melbourne's defence frustrates Barba and Kimmorley into error whilst Mick Ennis continues a week long sledging battle with Cameron Smith.
Man of the Match Prediction: Greg Inglis
Tip: Melbourne 24-12
Result: Canterbury 20-18
Man of the Match: Ben Hannant
Snap Review:
Dogs of War?... more like Dogs of Bore. They are grinding their way through the competition and have now won 3 in a row with this new attitude in defence. It's working but it looks horrible. Having said that some of their on-line defence against the storm was amazing. I take back everything I just said. The dogs look great.
Newcastle v Cronulla
We are at a stage in the season where some matches might not have much meaning as teams come to realise they are either a 'mathematical equation' to make the semi finals or no chance at all. I'm not sure in which category these two teams belong but I'm leaning towards the latter. It's been another difficult year for Ricky Stuart and I can only guess so because he always looks angry. The Knights have also had their troubles but both clubs seems to be improving lately.
More importantly, I can't believe Blake Ferguson has not signed for next year. He would be a great pickup for any club and his matchup against Akuila Uate in this match will be a definite highlight. Isaac De Gois faces his former teammates in another example of how I am reaching for reasons to make this game interesting. The Knights too good at home as Jarrod Mullen and Kurt Gidley prove that the cream most certainly rises to the top.
Man of the Match Prediction: Kurt Gidley
Tip: Newcastle 26-14
Result: Newcastle 21-10
Man of the Match: Kurt Gidley
Snap Review:
Kurt Gidley deserves so much more than being stripped of the NSW captaincy and having to put up with losing origin games. He also deserves an apology from all the 'experts' who said he should not even be in the origin team. Kurt backed up a standout performance in origin 3 with a masterful game here to lead his team to victory.
Penrith v NZ Warriors
Assuming that the Panthers have all of their origin players healthy, how can you tip against them at CUA stadium on a Sunday afternoon against the Warriors? $1.30 says you can't and as any readers will know by now, I rarely win an argument over the bookies. In fact I rarely win anything over the bookies and refuse to include the Warriors +9.5 in my multi this week. Downright refuse... I couldn’t possibly... you never know ... just maybe.... ok I’ll do it.
A lot to like about the Warriors form since they copped a thrashing at Campbelltown over a month ago and the Panthers have a few players backing up. Not to mention the lot of them backing up from a huge win over the Dragons on Monday night. However, this is not enough to call an upset of the week and I dont have the barrels for it anyway. Luke Walsh back from a week off leads the way and the Panthers win their 5th in a row.
Man of the Match Prediction: Lachlan Coote
Tip: Penrith 32-18
Result: NZ Warriors 12-6
Man of the Match: Jeroma Ropati
Snap Review:
If I was a Warriors fan, this would be one of those games you talk about to other Warriors fans in 5 or 10 years time, reminiscing about that day at Penrith when "we held em out for the whole second half". I hope NZ fans are celebrating this match as one of the greatest wins in their clubs history. Amazing.
Parramatta v North Queensland
Is it really an upset if the Cowboys get away with this one? Probably. The Cowboys seem to have severe internal strife tearing their season to shreds and winning this match would definitely surprise most punters based on that rumour. The Eels, meanwhile, have been defending gallantly in recent weeks (not including that horror 10 minutes v the Warriors) and will do so again here.
The question remains whether Daniel Mortimer and Jeff Robson can create more than 1 try between them. We say no but the Eels forward pack lifts for this one and it's enough to carry them home. Parramatta bounces back from a miserable 3 week stretch to claw home and salvage their season. Their pack and interchange bench is the difference in the end but if given enough space, Willie Tonga could do some damage and Thurston and Bowen are still capable of something.... but not on Monday night.
Man of the Match Prediction: Tim Mannah
Tip: Parramatta 18-12
Result: Parramatta 36-24
Man of the Match: Jarryd Hayne
Snap Review:
Tough to credit the Eels with saving their season entirely here. League fans will need more proof than simply beating a Cowboys team on the verge of collapsing into a disorganised heap. Must mention the play of Willie Mason though - outstanding.
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