St George Illawarra Dragons vs Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles @WIN Stadium, Sunday, 2:00pm

Just like Blake Ferguson St George fullback Josh Dugan also had his name dragged through the mud throughout the week courtesy of his pre-Origin ‘drinking session’. Will he be in the right mindset to play an important game? St George are slowly slipping out of the Top Eight due to poor attacking options and injuries. He’ll have to right the ship but the major question is can he?

In their last game St George fought all the way to the end before eventually going down in Golden Point 18-14 to Canberra. As for Manly they came back from a 16-8 deficit to win strongly 28-16. That win pushed them into third place and provided Sydney lose their game and they win theirs, they’ll finish the round in second. A lot is on the line for the Northern Beaches outfit.

For St George Euan Aitken and Tyson Frizell come into the starting line-up while Blake Lawrie has been named on the bench. Out is Hame Sele. For Manly Brad Parker makes only his second appearance of the year as he starts as winger number one while Jackson Hastings has been named on the bench. Meanwhile Apisai Koroisau and Matthew Wright are out.

It was reported during the week that Manly prop Brenton Lawrence had signed a two year deal with the Gold Coast Titans starting next year. Lawrence is one of the hardest working players in the game and if there is any truth to those rumours he will be determined to show that he’s committed to Manly until their final game. Look for him to have a big performance.

Why Manly will win: With second place up for grabs and the likes of Dale Cherry-Evans and the Trbojevic brothers leading the charge they should be too much for St George.

Our Tip: Manly by 18.

Wests Tigers vs Parramatta Eels @ANZ Stadium, Sunday 4:00pm

In their last game Wests looked like they were going to score an un-likely win over Manly before they were eventually run down 28-16. As for Parramatta in their last clash they easily beat an Origin-ravaged Melbourne side 22-6 up in Melbourne. For Parramatta a win is crucial as they seek to stay ahead of the likes of St George, Penrith and Canberra in their quest for a finals berth. A win for Wests pretty much all but assures them of avoiding the Wooden Spoon. This game is crucial to both teams.

Manu Ma’u returns to Parramatta’s side while for Wests Michael Chee-Kam and Tim Grant have been named on their bench. While out for Wests are Jacob Liddle and Sauaso Sue.

The Parramatta backline has been ballistic this year scoring a combined 33 tries along with 21 try assists. If they stick to their current form for the year then there could be a smashing in store for Wests.

Why Parramatta will win: Not only are they trying to secure their first finals berth since the 2009 season but also Eels halfback Mitchell Moses will no doubt have a point or two to prove to his former team. Look for him to really show them what they’re missing in a big game from the number seven.

Our Tip: Parramatta by 20.