The Sea Eagles have gone WLWL since NRL Round 7 and are coming off a big win against the embattled Broncos. Their middle looks improved with Lachlan Croker, Jazz Tevaga and Ben Trbojevic in their preferred positions while Lehi Hopoate continues to trigger discussion around Manly’s best-choice fullback.
Newcastle will miss Leo Thompson through the middle and I’m still not convinced on plugging Fletcher Sharpe into five-eighth. Manly have burned me a few times this year but this is theirs to lose.
I thought we’d found some great value in Wests to pour through North Queensland’s passive middle last week but two early sinbins ended up the difference. I’m going back to the well here with a Storm attack back to full strength and spearheaded by Harry Grant from behind the ruck.
The Cowboys new halves pairing looked good against the Tigers but how many free running looks will Melbourne offer them? Expect an aerial assault from the Storm when they work into good ball.
A Dolphins win likely depends on whether Jeremy Marshall-King and Max Plath take the field on Friday night. Redcliffe’s pack looks horribly skinny on paper without two of their most productive and important pieces on both sides of the ball.
While they managed some points against a decimated Bulldogs outfit before the bye, I’m not convinced by the little effort areas coming out of Redcliffe right now.
St George in comparison are working hard for their points and executing well enough through Clint Gutherson of late. Dargs in a grind.
The Wahs are specialists in the grind this year and carved out another brave win against South Sydney in NRL Round 13. Mitch Barnett is an enormous loss but few teams have the depth New Zealand boast in their wider squad this season. Their trajectory points to a Top Four finish if they can maintain the rage but I like the Sharks fresh off the bye in this one.
To some extent, these sides are polar opposites. New Zealand’s floor is higher than Cronulla’s right now but it’s the Sharks who can trouble this competition if their attack fires.
Two struggling clubs, two under pressure coaches and two very, very different rosters.
Brisbane are playing like a team of individuals right now and it makes them almost impossible to tip. That said, Madge has made some likable adjustments to his pack this week (Carrigan to lock, Piakura to the edge, Willison returns to prop rotation) while Reece Walsh is the key inclusion at fullback.
Des Hasler is fighting a few different demons on the Gold Coast. Injuries in the spine continue to derail whatever attacking systems the Titans try to implement while their defence struggles to absorb the pressure.
Broncs at home.
South Sydney let slip an early lead and the two points against New Zealand last week and I like them to kick on here.
Canberra are flying high and their chaotic, offload-happy attack profiles well against a Rabbitohs pack that often struggles to wrap up the ball. I think there’s a chance the Bunnies post an upset here though. They’ve been staying in games purely on effort while lacking the class in attack to execute on field position. Cody Walker can change that here.
Jarome Luai and Nathan Cleary go head to head for the first time in their first-grade careers and their battle alone is worth tuning in for.
Cleary didn’t post a try assist last week but his tireless, patient approach on the ball wore Parramatta down across the 80-minutes. His ability to finish Penrith’s sets in negative areas for Wests outside backs will be a deciding factor here, but I like the Tigers to put up a fight.
Lachlan Galvin lurks in the reserves and may be a late call up here. If that happens, the key storyline will be where he plays in this Bulldogs side. Toby Sexton’s form is also be a watch in this one.
Parramatta have played themselves into form despite their recent record. They’ve found some nice repeatable actions through Junior Paulo (hit-and-spin) through the middle while Jack Williams has quickly become a go-to player on the right edge.
Positive aside, the Galvin news distracts from what is a NRL-best Bulldogs defence while their attack continues to add layers from there.