Women in League round begins with a ripper on Friday
night at ANZ Stadium and what better way to welcome these two teams back to
form than to watch them knock the stuffing out of each other. Melbourne were
lucky to sneak past the Eagles last week, avoiding a 3 match losing streak
whilst the Bunnies flew up to Australia’s playground and threw the in-form Titans
into the proverbial sand pit. Souths have won 4 of their past 5.
The Bunnies certainly looked good last week, leading by
22 points after 20 minutes but this week, it will be a much harder slog.
Controlling possession will be the key because if you give either of these
halfbacks a sniff, they’ll have you pinned down for an eternity. Adam Reynolds
and Cooper Cronk deliver a possible Origin preview and show the rest of the
competition what it means to lead your team around the park. Souths by a nose.
My tip: South Sydney 20-14
Brisbane Broncos v Gold Coast Titans
A pity that this match between two South Queensland
rivals won’t be an asset to such a great weekend of footy. Surely, a tribute to
Women in League could do without a shock jock calling the game from Suncorp.
What an insult. But I’m fine with it, really. The Broncos host the Titans to
finish of your Friday double header and it’s the Titans who will need all the
luck here. They were flogged last week and fans quickly realised that this team
is still not one of the NRLs elite sides.
This week, without Greg Bird, they’ll be hard pressed to
prove that their victory over the Broncos 4 weeks ago was no fluke. Once the
home side get on top through the like of Alex Glenn and Corey Parker, their
halves may simply throw the ball to Justin Hodges and watch him terrorise
William Zillman on the edge. A mismatch. The Titans will keep this close but Brisbane
will be out to atone for a poor showing in Townsville last week.
My tip: Brisbane 24-20
Parramatta Eels v St George Illawarra Dragons
As a Woman in League, Mum used to love Saturday arvo
footy. Sunday’s were more about church but Saturday arvo, with everyone at the ground,
there’d finally be some peace and quiet so she could hear the dulcet tones of
Warren Boland and the great John Peard on ABC’s Television coverage. An
institution. Now, decades later, what better way to celebrate tradition than
two Sydney teams facing each other at 3pm.
The Dragons are hurting and no mid-season signing of a
rugby league legend is gonna change that. Their defence has allowed 72 points
over the past two matches and what’s worse, these matches revealed a softer
middle than was once feared. The Eels, by contrast, continue to move up in the
world and even though they are not quite premiership favourites, they are
downright invincible at Pirtek Stadium. That’ll do.
My tip: Parramatta 30-18
Cronulla Sutherland Sharks v Wests Tigers
Ask and thou shalt receive. Last week, this ‘column’
humbly requested that the black hole of time slots on the weekend footy
calendar be saved for Sharks matches only. The 4 (including Mum) of you that
read this weekly ‘preview’ would remember, I’m sure. Now, Women in League round
continues with the Tigers heading to the Shire for the 5.30pm abomination and
both clubs need a reprieve from injuries and are desperate for form.
The visitors have an edge here, with elder statesman
Robbie Farah and Braith Anasta returning to guide this team around the park.
Before they both disappeared, the Tigers were flying high but in the last two
matches they have scored only 12 points. Ugly. Speaking of ugly, Cronulla won’t
have the points in them to engage in a running game so will aim to go through
the middle. The result of this will be a violent contest with plenty of old
friends keen to beat the crap out of each other. Bless them all.
My tip: Wests 18-14
North Queensland Cowboys v Sydney Roosters
What does Daniel Mortimer have to do to get a start for
the Chooks? Your 2009 surprise packet and Grand Finalist, Daniel re-surfaced to
lead the Newtown Jets to a 2012 premiership and be a key interchange player for
last year’s Premiers. Now, he remains benched whilst a rugby union forward gets
the start at number 6. Why am I talking about this? Essentially, I’m trying to
distract myself from making Mitchell Pearce jokes.
The Cowboys bounced back in a special way last week. They
came out swinging against the Broncos and will need to do the same here to get
over the top of the champs. The Roosters will miss their halfback, but in
defence they will still be tough. North Queensland play their third straight
home game and this is making them downright giddy. Great matchups all over the
park with the front row contest a standout but keep your eye on Brent Tate and
Michael Jennings sizing each other up.
My tip: Cowboys 20-18
Canberra Raiders v Penrith Panthers
Ah, the mighty Green Machine. When these two clubs met in
round 5, it was the Panthers who got the biscuits at Sportingbet stadium in a
low scoring and very entertaining battle. Since then, the Raiders have lost 3
from 4 and are completely laying down in defence, allowing an average of 39
points over the past month including a loss at home to the struggling Knights.
Not great times in the nation’s capital and it could get worse.
Not only will crowds continue to diminish in Canberra,
basically because nobody in the ACT has a job anymore, but their mongrel has
completely disappeared and their confidence is shattered. The Panthers will aim
to take advantage of this in the early going and come out swinging but there’ll
be some fight left in the home side. Ricky Stuart has given up on the Jack
Wighton project and promoted Josh McCrone to his rightful place in the halves.
The Raiders fight back.
My tip: Canberra 24-18
Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs v New Zealand Warriors
The top of the table Bulldogs travel across the Tasman to
face the spritely Warriors at Waikato Stadium and this is your match of the
round. New Zealand are 2 and 2 since firing Matthew Elliott with one of these
losses coming against Canterbury a month ago. In that match, the Warriors
looked the better side but were subjected to some dubious refereeing in the
final moments, losing by a point. Now, they look more like the imposing footy
side we have grown to love.
Shaun Johnson will again be the focal point for the
Warriors but on Sunday afternoon, he’ll also be the target of a thousand pounds
of Canterbury forwards charging at him for 80 minutes. If the home side can
protect their halfback and their middle, they are a massive chance to cause the
upset here. But they won’t. The ‘Dogs conservative style will be a good foil
for NZ. Keep an eye on Josh Morris v Konrad Hurrell. Awesome.
My tip: Canterbury Bankstown 26-18
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles v Newcastle Knights
The hapless Knights head south for Monday night footy
from Brookvale Oval to close out Women in League round and what a way to finish
off. There’ll be plenty of white wine, cheese and low fat crackers, some organic
dip and surely some instagram ‘selfies’ to share the moment. Oh, and perhaps
the occasional outburst about the referees. Women in League has a different meaning
at Brookvale but we thank them all the same.
Moving on. The Eagles are huge favourites here and while
the visitors still have what it takes to cause an upset, they just haven’t shown
any consistent or interesting form this year. Since beating the Raiders in
Canberra a month ago, they’ve lost 3 straight and have looked completely lost
in attack, averaging 9 points with the ball over that span. Against Manly’s aggressive
defence and a Cherry-Evans led attack, Newcastle will face a big test here.
My tip: Manly 24-14
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