Rivalry Round. You little beauty. We kick off with a
Queensland derby as the Cowboys host the Broncos. Oh how the mighty have
fallen. These contests used to be about the Broncos picking on their little
brother – then moved into a phase where the Cowboys were all grown up and began
to dominate. Now, with this seasons form lines not looking good for either
club, we have 13 v 12 on the ladder and these brothers are looking like
mothers.
With origin representatives coming back from active duty,
a collection of superstars may help this match reach the heights that rivalry
round deserves, but more likely you’ll have determined defence against a fumbling
attack. The Broncos, specifically, have struggled for creativity so Peter
Wallace and Corey Norman have been sacrificed as a result. It won’t make a lick
of difference as the Cowboys get a Bowen/Thurston combination going just like
old times.
My tip: North Queensland 22-16
One of the great rivalries of the 80’s, 90’s and still
plenty of memories from the past decade. Two proud Sydney clubs who’ve given us
so many wonderful moments, so many violent altercations and the only time
Nathan Hindmarsh ever went ballistic on a footy field. This time round, the
Eels are miles away from any wonderful moments and are anchored to the wooden
spoon position. Defence is their biggest problem, amongst many.
Canterbury are $1.10 favourites here but with the Eels
occasionally showing a bit of movement in their rotting corpse, they’ll start
strong and challenge the ‘Dogs early. Eventually, the home side’s forward pack
will take over the contest with James Graham and a well-rested Frank Pritchard
leading the way. Throw in Tony Williams playing his 100th first
grade game and the Bulldogs win this one up the middle. Could get ugly.
My tip: Bulldogs 32-12
Canberra Raiders v St George Illawarra Dragons
Nice piece of scheduling from the NRL. This fixture now
falls into the ‘rivalry’ classification. For those of you who don't know about
the hoodoo… Actually, you wouldn't be reading this if you didn’t already know
that the Dragons have not beaten Canberra, anywhere, since 2007. So, this time
round the Raiders head to Wollongong as favourites and the Dragons have
struggled mightily with the ball in hand until the final moments of last week’s
comeback victory against Souths.
Canberra have not won an away game since round 8 this
year at Melbourne – but do have the advantage up front in this match. The Raiders’
forward pack will be tested here – partly because they are penalised heavily on
the road and partly because Saints always have a spring in their step in the
‘gong. Joel Thompson gets a sneak preview of his future teammates – which
reminds me how much I hate the mid-season signing rule.
My tip: Raiders 24-14
Gold Coast Titans v South Sydney Rabbitohs
The inevitable ugly duckling of rivalry round. Some
matches simply cannot fit into the sentiment of this weekend so we sacrifice
one or two for the greater good. Saturday night at Skilled Park has the table
topping Bunnies taking on the Titans. South Sydney had won 5 in a row before
losing last Monday night and if coach Michael Maguire’s reputation is anything
close to the real thing, he’ll be a little angry and a lot tougher on his
players this week.
The visitors attack might not be as exciting without Greg
Inglis but their defence will respond with brutality as Maguire gets them
rolling all over the befuddled Titans. Once again, the Titans outside backs
show they are not quite ready for 1st grade so keep an eye on Bryson
Goodwin and Dylan Walker to bust this one open when the forwards have finished
wrestling the crap out of each other. Issac Luke makes up for his struggles
last week.
My tip: Souths 22-10
New Zealand Warriors v Melbourne Storm
A tip of the hat to Matthew Elliott who has not only
proven many critics wrong but withstood the mounting pressure after his club
lost 8 of their first 10 matches to begin the season. They’ve since lost only
1. This week, they host the reigning premiers from Mt Smart Stadium to kick of
your Sunday triple header; A sign that we are now finished with the rep
schedule and back into the season proper
- this is usually also a sign that the Melbourne Storm are about to
shift gears.
It’s now survival of the fittest. So, with the Storm
superstars returning uninjured and hopefully, refreshed, we’ll start seeing the
best of Melbourne. This comes at a perfect time with the Warriors bound to
deliver. Your match of the round won’t disappoint as the home side kicks ahead
early with Melbourne making up some ground late. The battle between Shaun
Johnson and Cooper Cronk a highlight. One will dazzle you to death whilst the
other completely suffocates you.
My tip: Warriors 18-16For a couple of teams with real top 8 aspirations, they both copped a pounding last week. The undermanned Sharks blew into Allianz Stadium and were blown right back out by a dominant Roosters team, giving up 40. The Panthers fought hard for most of the match, in fact they had the better of the first 38 minutes, but still gave up 32 to the Knights. Flanno and Ivan Cleary would not be happy.
And neither will fans watching this match at Remondis
Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Both teams will focus on defence mid-week and the
results may put you to sleep. They’ll play the percentages and won’t take any
risks – unless Todd Carney has one of those games he is capable of having. Fingers
crossed. The Sharks desperately missed Luke Lewis last week and will again
here, but with Carney, they are still capable of more.
My tip: Cronulla 18-14
Sunday afternoon’s triple header finishes at Hunter
Stadium in Newcastle as the Knights host the Roosters. The home side is really starting
to look like a Wayne Bennett coached team. A good start to the season, followed
by a mid-year slump, and now – winners of their past 3. Bennett reputedly flogs
his players at training during the middle rounds and the Knights lost 4 in a
row over that span. They’re now primed for the business end.
Speaking of primed, the Roosters are clicking again and
have won their past 4. The chooks defence hasn’t allowed a point in their past
two matches; outstanding. Your match of the round will bring a patient approach
from the Knights as they hope to run away with this at the back end, but the
Roosters simply have too much firepower to be kept at bay for this long. If only
the rules allowed for Willie Mason and SBW to square off in the middle of the
park.
My tip: Roosters 18-8
Wests Tigers v Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
A beauty from the Wild West. The Eagles have hit their
stride with 3 straight wins but more impressively, have averaged 40 points per
game with the ball over that span. This could spell danger for the Tigers who’ve
had a horrible year all round. They’ve struggled with a horrific injury toll
and their famous free flowing attack has stalled on a number of occasions. Now,
with the news they’ll be without Benji Marshall next year, fans must be at
breaking point.
So, Monday night footy from Campbelltown should see them finally
crack, into a million pieces. The Tigers will start strong and get the Eagles
on the back foot but Manly’s attack is clicking into high gear with their spine
intact and their forwards healthy. A tip of the hat to Robbie Farah who plays
his 200th first grade game, all for the mighty black and white and golds,
but on Monday night he’ll again be playing a lone hand.
My tip: Manly 32-20
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