Canberra Raiders vs Melbourne Storm @GIO Stadium, Saturday 5:30pm

Elliot Whitehead was the star for Canberra as he scored in extra-time to give them an 18-14 win over St George that kept their finals hopes alive for another week. As for Melbourne they couldn’t do much damage with most of their squad missing due to Origin as they lost 22-6 to Parramatta. A win for Melbourne helps them extend their lead at the top of the table while a win for Canberra (and a St George loss) leaves them only a win outside of the Top Eight.

In a blow to Canberra Josh Papalli is out of this encounter. As for Melbourne Billy Slater, Cameron Smith, Cameron Munster, Cooper Cronk, Tim Glasby and Will Chambers all return from a victorious Queensland side raring to play club footy again. As a result of the mass changes Brodie Croft is one of the unfortunate players to get the cut.

In this important game for Canberra it will be up to Jack Wighton to control the game from the back. He has performed very well for Canberra this year with a combined ten tries/try assists along with an average of 161m per game. He’ll no doubt be up to the task.

Why Melbourne will win: Melbourne’s recent history against Canberra is quite dominating having won four of their past six clashes against them including eliminating them from last year's finals series. Melbourne this year have also shown that they don’t give a chance to those below them with a 28-6 W vs Penrith, 34-22 W vs St George, 40-12 W vs Newcastle and a 42-12 W vs Brisbane.

Our Tip: Melbourne by 16.

North Queensland Cowboys vs New Zealand Warriors @1300SMILES Stadium, Saturday 7:30pm

Heading into this game the big news is that New Zealand superstar Shaun Johnson will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. With New Zealand’s finals hopes already teetering on the edge that pretty much spells the end of yet another disappointing season for them. How his replacement Mason Lino performs could go a long way to deciding as to whether or not New Zealand get the win.

Last round North Queensland had a relatively easy time against South Sydney winning 23-10 up in Cairns. As for New Zealand they conceded sixteen straight points to lose to Penrith, 34-22. A win for North Queensland here could potentially move them into the Top Four.

Both sides have their star halves out in Johnathan Thurston for North Queensland and Shaun Johnson for New Zealand. This should impact greatly on both teams style of play.

Why New Zealand will win: For the past few seasons New Zealand have been one of the most frustrating teams to watch. Diamonds one day and rocks the next. Faced with yet another season without finals football New Zealand knows that it’s all on the line here. Pure desperation gets them the win in a tight affair.

Our Tip: New Zealand by two.