New Zealand Warriors vs Penrith Panthers @Mt Smart Stadium

Friday, 6:00pm

In their last game the New Zealander’s fought right down to the wire before going down to Manly, 26-22. For Penrith in their last game they were on the right side of a controversial game as they stopped Manly’s five game winning streak by a score line of 16-8. Both sides currently sit two wins outside of the Top Eight, whoever loses that could be their September dreams dashed.

For New Zealand into their starting thirteen comes Issac Luke and Solomone Kata. While their only two outs are Albert Vete and Nathaniel Roache. In for Penrith comes James Fisher-Harris. He is the only major in or out for them.

Matt Moylan

Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad is a name that is hard to pronounce but soon everybody will know it. Despite being named as a reserve for this game he has six tries this year from six appearances. If he plays New Zealand’s attack gets a whole lot better.

Why New Zealand Warriors will win: Their attacking power easily matches that of Penrith with the likes of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (11 combined tries and try assists this season) and Shaun Johnson (19 combined tries and try assists this season) in their squad. But it’s their defence that gets them over the line in this game with players like Simon Mannering (612 tackles this season) and Bodene Thompson (543 tackles this season) on a roll this season.

Our Tip: New Zealand by four.

Canberra Raiders vs St. George Illawarra Dragons @GIO Stadium

Friday, 7:50pm

Canberra were thoroughly outplayed in their last game against North Queensland as they went down 31-18. Meanwhile St. George in their game couldn’t muster up much of an attack as they went down 20-10 to the Gold Coast. Canberra have been in very poor form by their standards this season and as a result sit three wins of a finals berth, a loss here and it’s safe to say their season is pretty much over.

The only notable change to Canberra’s squad for this game is Josh Hodgson has returned to their starting line-up. For St. George Taane Milne has been named in the starting thirteen while Matthew Duffy has been named on the bench.

Josh Hodgson

The return of Josh Hodgson is indeed an influential one. He has six try assists this season along with two tries from only fifteen games. Along with his strong kicking game he could be the difference between a win or a loss for Canberra.

Why Canberra Raiders will win: Canberra are the type of squad that can put up points in a hurry. This comes as no surprise with the likes of Joseph Leilua (nine tries this season) and Jordan Rapana (14 tries this season) in their team. They are playing against a team that has only scored 10, 10 and two points in three of their last four games.

Our Tip: Canberra by six.

Newcastle Knights vs Brisbane Broncos @McDonald Jones Stadium

Saturday, 5:30pm

Newcastle led Canterbury 18-8 with five minutes left in the game. Come full-time they have lost 20-18. Brock Lamb had a shocking game and Newcastle imploded for all to see. As for Brisbane in a game that was supposed to showcase two top four teams only one of them showed up as 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. For Brisbane David Mead has been omitted from the squad due to injury.

Dane Gagai

Ben Hunt only a few weeks ago was in reserve grade. On Wednesday night he was part of a winning Origin team. He has had a whirl-wind season this year but will play against Newcastle with somewhat of an intent to justify his selection in the squad ahead of the likes 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 try and avoid the Wooden Spoon then theirs next to no chance that they’ll beat a start-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 in their last game against St. George as they won 20-10 in a win that helped them keep their season alive for another week. As for Cronulla in their last game they turned the motors on as they smashed Sydney 44-12. A win for Cronulla would be massive in their pursuit of first place. As for the Gold Coast while their season is technically still alive their more so playing for pride at this point of the season than anything else.

There are no changes to the Gold Coast’s line-up. For Cronulla Kurt Capewell has come onto the interchange bench. What he brings off the bench is under-appreciated as he has made 136 tackles this season and has two tries to his name.

Ricky Leutele

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 two teams are having quite different seasons. The Gold Coast are in fourteenth position and have won only two of their past six games. Meanwhile Cronulla are in second position and have won six of their past eight games. Despite the Gold Coast’s best efforts this probably won’t be close.

Our Tip: Cronulla by 14.

Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles vs Wests Tigers @Lottoland

Sunday, 2:00pm

Manly have every right to feel hard done by in their last round 16-8 loss to Penrith. They lost the penalty count 14-4 and a very controversial try was awarded to Dallin Watene Zelezniak. As for Wests they pretty much all but assured themselves of avoiding the Wooden Spoon this season as they beat the Newcastle Knights 33-12. A win for Manly helps them keep up their chase for top spot while a win for Wests would give them a positive note in what has otherwise been a sour season for them.

Manly have named Jake Trbojevic in their starting thirteen while for Wests they have named both James Tedesco and Chris Lawrence to start.

James Tedesco

Akuila Uate has been an absolute bargain-bin buy for Manly this year. He has 10 tries from 15 games and will no doubt be looking to add to that tally against a poor Wests defence that has conceded 102 points through its last four games.

Why Manly Sea Eagles will win: Wests have absolutely nothing to play for while Manly have everything to play for. If that’s not enough they’ll be determined to turn last weeks result around as well as having won five of their past seven clashes against the Orange & Black.

Our Tip: Manly by 18.

South Sydney Rabbitohs vs North Queensland Cowboys @Barlow Park

Sunday, 4:00pm

With a host of Origin players missing for Sydney they were supposed to be easy pickings for their long-time rivals, apparently no one told them though as South Sydney went down 14-12. For North Queensland despite playing in absolutely freezing conditions (the game started at one degree) they still put on a masterclass beating Canberra 31-18. Souths are currently four wins of a finals spot so it’s do or die for the team nicknamed the ‘Bunnies’.

Robert Jennings has been named to start for South Sydney. For North Queensland Johnathan Thurston is out through injury.

Michael Morgan

Cody Walker has 14 try assists this season, that’s good for equal third in the league. Against a stoic North Queensland team he’ll have to be at his creative best for them to be within a shot of a much needed victory.

Why South Sydney Rabbitohs will win: Johnathan Thurston is out and despite North Queensland having other attacking threats besides him he is without a doubt their best player and will be missed. This gives South Sydney a punchers chance.

Our Tip: South Sydney by one.