Newcastle Knights vs Brisbane Broncos

McDonald Jones Stadium, Saturday 5:30pm
Newcastle led Canterbury 18-8 with five minutes left in the game – but by full-time they had lost 20-18. Brock Lamb had a shocking game and Newcastle imploded. As for Brisbane, in a game supposedly showcasing two top four teams, only one of them showed up and they were absolutely hammered by Melbourne 42-12. Newcastle need a win against the Origin weary Brisbane side to be any hope of avoiding a third consecutive Wooden Spoon.

Dane Gagai has been named to play for Newcastle while David Mead has been omitted from Brisbane's squad through injury.

Only a few weeks ago, Ben Hunt was in reserve grade. On Wednesday night he was part of a winning Origin team. He has had a whirlwind season this year – and will be keen to show in this game why he was selected ahead of Dale Cherry-Evans and Corey Norman.

Why Brisbane Broncos will win: Newcastle’s last two games have both come against teams in the bottom four. If they couldn’t win those to avoid the Wooden Spoon, then there's next to no chance that they’ll beat a star-studded Brisbane side. Newcastle will be lucky to even get close to Brisbane.

Our Tip: Brisbane by 20.

 


Gold Coast Titans vs Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks

CBUS Super Stadium, Saturday 7:30pm
The Gold Coast came up with the goods  against St George with a 20-10 win in their last game to keep their season alive for another week, while Cronulla  turned the motors on to smash Sydney 44-12. A win for Cronulla would be massive in their pursuit of first place, but while Gold Coast's season is technically still alive, they are really just playing for pride now.

There are no changes to the Gold Coast’s line-up, while Kurt Capewell has come onto the the Sharks' interchange bench. His impact off the bench is under-appreciated with 136 tackles and two tries to his name this season.

Cronulla's go to man Ricky Leutele has six tries this season and bagged a double last weekend. In what should be a relatively high-scoring game, his try-scoring abilities will be crucial in getting Cronulla the two points.

Why Cronulla Sharks will win: These are two teams with very different seasons. Gold Coast are in 14th spot with only two wins from their past six games. Meanwhile Cronulla are second with six wins from eight. Despite the Gold Coast’s best efforts, this probably won’t be close.


Our Tip: Cronulla by 14.