Two great teams head up the F3 to showcase the 'greatest
game of all' for the Central Coast faithful as the Tigers and the Eagles kick
off your round 2 fixtures. Bluetongue stadium will come alive as arguably the
best five/eighths in the NRL go head to head in what will be the match of the
round. Kiwi comrades Kieran Foran and Benji Marshall bring contrasting styles
but both need the help of their big men to win.
And this will prove the difference for Manly. Wests front
rowers Woods and Groat may not have the gumption to get over the top of
grizzled old veterans Brent Kite and Eagles leader, Jason King. The mobility of
the Tigers pack will cause some problems for the defending premiers, but not
enough to get the two points. Manly in a tight one.
My tip: Manly 20-18
Brisbane Broncos v North Queensland Cowboys
An early challenge for Jonathan Thurston and company. A
challenge made more profound for the Cowboys because their post-match comments
last week were angry, to say the least. Words like 'disgraceful' don't usually
make an appearance in press conferences this early in the season, but after
losing 18-0 at home in round 1, it's a case of fear and self-loathing in North
Queensland.
No doubt they will respond against Queensland rivals, the
Broncos on Friday night and no doubt this response will be led by Matthew
Scott. Possibly the NRLs premier prop, Scott faces a Broncos pack built for the
kill and boasting the likes of Hannant, Thaiday and the great one himself,
Petero Civoniceva. Scott gets outnumbered and the Broncos make it two in a row
to start life after Lockyer.
My tip: Brisbane 14-12
Difficult to tell from the Titans win last week whether
they have improved out of sight, or if they benefited from the Cowboys starting
their 2012 tilt with a flurry of errors... One might lean towards the latter
and the bookies seem to agree. They've got the visiting Raiders as only slight
underdogs in your Saturday opener from Skilled Park.
Credit where it is due... the Titans were slick out of
dummy half last week, patient with the football and used their strengths to
advantage. They will do so again here as the big Raiders forwards melt in the
Queensland heat and simply can't keep up for the 80 minutes. The Titans finish
stronger with Nate Myles and Luke Douglas finding easy metres when it matters
most.
My tip: Gold Coast 22-16
Canterbury Bulldogs v St George Illawarra
Dragons
If we are judging performances from round 1 as an
indication for this week (you bet we are!), then the Bulldogs will benefit from
the maturity they displayed last Saturday. Canterbury played the last 20
minutes against the Panthers like a professional outfit and came away from the
foot of the mountains with two points. A difficult task.
The Dragons, meanwhile, have not moved away from their
winning formula of recent years. Discipline was the key to their win in
Newcastle and you can be sure this will not change. It all makes for a beauty
at ANZ stadium in Homebush on Saturday night. A beauty that, as always seems to
happen with these storied rivals, will be decided in the dying moments. Saints
get out to a lead and just hold on.
My tip: St George Illawarra 19-18
Last week, the Sharks should have left Leichardt Oval
with a win. Not many teams have even come close to doing this and the Cronulla
fans will hopefully see this potential and turn out in droves for the club's
home opener. Sunday afternoon at Toyota Stadium could be wet, could be windy
and could be wild. For Kade Snowden, it will be hostile.
The Knights front rower will play in front of a Cronulla
crowd out for revenge after he famously accepted an 11th hour offer from
Newcastle to leave the Shire. Whilst this adds some flavour to the footy, it
will be Todd Carney and a superior forward pack that gets the Sharks home. The
Newcastle attack looked stagnant last week and this won't turn around quick
enough for mine.
My tip: Cronulla 22-18
Sydney Roosters v Penrith Panthers
The Panthers played well enough to win last week but
desperately needed an injection of creativity when the result was up for grabs.
They still don't seem to be equipped to challenge the opposition defence for
prolonged periods and this has been a consistent criticism for some time.
Travis Burns and Luke Walsh will play with vigour, but not much else.
Now that the Panther bashing is over, Luke Lewis is still
wearing the Penrith colours and still has the 'c' next to his name. Which means
anything is possible for the visitors on Sunday afternoon at the SFS. Alas, one
man can't tackle everything and whilst Lewis will try, he and his team will
fall short against a talented spine and formidable bench. Roosters finish
stronger again.
My tip: Roosters 22-18
Melbourne Storm v South Sydney Rabbitohs
Sunday Night Football in Melbourne as the Storm host the
Bunnies in what will be a violent encounter between two angry football teams.
Melbourne are once again being accused of unsportsmanlike tactics in the ruck
and after watching them tie down the Raiders forwards in Canberra last week,
it's hard to argue against this; but they will no doubt try.
South Sydney would be seething for very different reasons.
They coughed up two premiership points last Monday night against the Roosters
and will be looking to make amends. They won't. Souths have never won in
Melbourne and even with their new coach being a former Storm assistant; they
will fall short on the field as Cooper Cronk leads the way and teaches his
opposing halves a rugby league lesson.
My tip: Melbourne 18-14
Another challenge for Chris Sandow and Ben Roberts to
play above themselves and lead an attack in dire need for speed. The Eels once
again have no plane, no train and no Hayne on Monday night as they host the
Warriors at Parra Stadium. If the visitors bounce back from their opening round
loss to Manly and play anywhere near their peak, they'll fly home with the two
points.
They do. The Eels will defend bravely and play with what
now looks like a customary Kearney discipline, but cohesion between half and
hooker is where things will fall apart for the home side. This match will stay
close for the majority but Shaun Johnson and Kevin Locke will takeover in the
final quarter. Feleti Mateo a standout against his old club.
My tip: New Zealand 20-16For live updates throughout the weekend, go to http://leagueunlimited.com/index.php
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