Round 25 and this one is just the tonic needed to get
long suffering crowd numbers back to somewhere near respectable. The ‘Dogs
hosting the Bunnies at ANZ stadium and this should be a beauty. Canterbury
captain and loyal servant for 5 years, Michael Ennis, plays his final game in
front of the blue and white faithful and this should spur him on to be even
more annoying than usual. Issac Luke must really be looking forward to this.
Speaking of which, South Sydney fans should also be
looking forward to this one after they were shown up by the Cowboys last week.
The Rabbitohs come in as very heavy favourites and should be back to their best
here. Which means they will slow down the play the ball and try to outmuscle
the Bulldogs pack. This will be the highlight; two very big and very aggressive
sets of forwards having a good crack at each other but it’s the Burgess boys
and Greg Inglis standing tall.
My tip: South Sydney 18-8
Brisbane Broncos v St George Illawarra Dragons
Friday night footy comes to us from Suncorp Stadium, for
the last goddamn time – finally. Or, at least until next year when your
free-to-air broadcaster needs the ratings in Queensland and subjects us all to
this diabolical scheduling stupidity. Moving on – Saints need this one to stay
in the hunt, excuse the pun, and whilst they have a fantastic record up in Vegas,
they will find the going very tough here as the Broncos continue their march
towards a miracle spot in the 8.
I’ll spare you the ‘for and against’ jargon – but saints
gotta win by plenty to be confident next week. They won’t. Whilst Brisbane have
been inconsistent of late, they play a brand of footy that will keep the
visitors guessing. With the extra motivation of bidding adieu to a coach who
has effectively raised many of them from pups, the Broncos should be too good
here. Ben Hunt and the Brisbane back row lead from the front as Saints head
towards Mad Monday.
My tip: Brisbane 24-20
Newcastle Knights v Parramatta Eels
Saturday afternoon from Hunter Stadium and by rights, the
Eels should walk away with this one. With their season on the line and on the back
of the best 40 minutes they have played in 3 years, they should march up the
M1, throttle the home side and come home with 2 points and a place in the
semis. But dagnab it – something happens to the slippery Eels when they go on a
road trip and by the same token, something happens to the Knights when they
play at home.
The punters disagree, Parra are sitting pretty as
favourites as we head into Thursday and whilst I’m not one to argue with the
weight of the dollar, here I go. The Knights play their second last game of one
of the worst seasons in their proud history and at home over the past 3 games,
they are undefeated. The scary thing is over the last 6 games overall, they’ve
given up an average of just over 30 in defence. Good purchase, Brisbane.
My tip: Newcastle 28-24
Canberra Raiders v Wests Tigers
There isn’t a marketing team in the world that can help
this one but true rugby league fans (read – gamblers) will be glued to their
mobile devices to watch this one. Everyone watches footy via digital pass now don’t
they? Nobody wastes their money on our countries ONLY pay-tv provider anymore
do they? Of course not. So, your 5.30pm game comes from GIO Stadium in Canberra
as the Raiders host the Tigers and it might be a bit too cold for the visitors
but things will heat up, for a few reasons.
Jarrod Croker is in a furious battle to be the seasons leading
point scorer, bless him; Mitch Cornish finally gets the number 7 jersey and
this will absolutely delight Raiders fans who have been begging for his
promotion all season long. If these two fascinating reasons haven’t sparked
your interest to beyond supernova type proportions, then there’s nothing I can
do for you. Anthony Milford the standout again as the Tigers’ suffering
continues.
My tip: Canberra 20-12
Sydney Roosters v Melbourne Storm
Saturday night from a wet and wintry Allianz Stadium and
this is your match of the round. The reigning premiers host the Storm but it’s
a pity nobody will be there to see it. Melbourne are peaking at the right time
of year, again, and the Roosters look downright unstoppable. They are at full strength
and would be a terrifying sight for anyone right now except Storm coach Craig
Bellamy who’ll no doubt relish the challenge of facing the chooks so close to
the playoffs.
Bellamy and the Storm may not show all their tricks on Saturday
night but they’ll certainly be hoping to slow this one down to a screeching
halt. Cooper Cronk plays his 250th first grade match and as with his
previous 249, he’ll be quietly and subtly sledging his way through this as only
Cooper can. Keep an eye on two premiership favourites getting under each
other’s skin as they jostle for position before the real matches are played in
a fortnight.
My tip: Chooks 18-14
New Zealand Warriors v Gold Coast Titans
The Warriors were shell-shocked last week at home when
the Roosters taught them a footballing lesson. Now, with another chance to sneak
into the semi-finals, they’ll be battle hardened and won’t make the same
mistakes again on Sunday afternoon against the visiting Titans. They are $1.15
favourites and for those of you looking for desperate measures to win a tipping
comp, look elsewhere. The Titans can’t possibly mess things up here, can they?
Don’t answer that. Just tip the Warriors and be done with
your dreams of jagging an upset. Be done with your dreams of sneaking one back
on the blokes who’ve been leading the tipping comp all year and just cos you
think they’ll play it safe and tip the favourites, doesn’t mean that shit ain’t
working. I’ve really gotta stop talking to myself in these ‘previews’. The Warriors
play their last home game of a difficult season and say thanks to their fans
with a win.
My tip: New Zealand 28-18
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles v Penrith Panthers
Brookvale Oval on Sunday afternoon as the mighty Eagles
play their last home game of the season and bid farewell to one of their
favourite sons and much loved local junior, Jason King. A true warrior of the
game and proud co-captain of the club, King will enjoy an emotional farewell at
Brooky and his teammates will be just as passionate. Might be just the juice
Manly need to get out of their current funk. Although, they’ve only lost 2 from
their past 4 and are still sitting 1st.
So…… (take a deep breath) …….. with panic not setting in
anywhere except a few commentators and league writers who can’t find any good
stories cos no player or coach wants to talk to them cos they are douchebags…. the
Eagles continue another brilliant season and bounce back with a win here. Oh
yeah, they are playing against Penrith. Expect the Panthers to start this game
well and play good percentage footy but it won’t last against a rejuvenated
Manly squad.
My tip: Sea Eagles 24-14
What can we say about the Cowboys? Well, they have the
best halfback in the game but more than this, they have a halfback who is not a
protected species like some of his counterparts, does not hide in the defensive
line like some other halves, always plays injured, always behaves like a role
model for kids and has lead his team to 5 wins from their past 6 matches. That’s
right ladies and gentleman, I give you Robert Lui.
Jokes aside, Jonathan Thurston could be a future immortal
and as he primes himself for another shot at the title, this match on Monday night
from 1300Smiles Stadium should be nothing more than a practice run for him and
his crew of weapons. What can we say about the Sharks? Well, my mates recently
booked a weekend at a house on the beach at Bundeena for the upcoming summer and
I can’t wait. Cowboys by a bit.
My tip: North Queensland 40-0
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