Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs vs Parramatta Eels @ANZ Stadium, Thursday 7:50pm

Stat Fact: Will Hopoate has scored zero tries this season while Chase Stanley has only one.

Big Talking Point: Heading into this encounter there has been much speculation that both Kieran Foran and Aaron Woods may not be in Belmore in 2018 due to Canterbury’s supposed salary cap situation. Foran is supposed to have been replacing the departing Josh Reynolds in the halves while Aaron Woods if he does come would add some size and talent to Canterbury’s front-row. Canterbury haven’t dealt very well with this type of news so far this season and this may very well be the straw that sends them over the edge.

What Will Happen: Last week many questioned Parramatta’s ability to be able to play good football without their star Clinton Gutherson. Their 28-14 win over Brisbane quickly shut those same people up. They’ll continue to prove to people that they’re still a quality team without Gutherson and they’ll make this game their sixth win in a row.

What Won’t Happen: They somehow outscore Parramatta. While many have been impressed with Canterbury’s defensive resilience this year their attacking has come under a lot of scrutiny as they have one of the worst in the competition.

Our Tip: Parramatta by 18.

 

St George Illawarra Dragons vs South Sydney Rabbitohs @Sydney Cricket Ground, Friday 6:00pm

Stat Fact: This season Gareth Widdop and Josh Mcrone have combined for an impressive 36 combined tries and try assists.

Big Talking Point: Paul McGregor’s post-match blow up against the referees has been talked about a lot coming into this game. It came after his side lost 21-14 to Newcastle in a match that was littered with some very controversial decisions that went against his side. As a result of McGregor voicing his views he now faces a $10,000 fine from the NRL. This again bought up the question of, should the referees have to front the media post-match as well?

What Will Happen: Another headache the Red V have had to deal with during the week is that they are one of two teams currently inside the Top Eight who will probably make way to a resurgent Penrith side for a spot in the finals. With their season quite literally on the line, they’ll put aside these two major distractions to get the victory.

What Won’t Happen: Any sort of consistency from Michael Maguire’s side. It is well known that the lack of consistency shown by South Sydney this season is one of the major reasons as to why they are so far down the ladder at the moment. This poor trend should continue into Friday evenings game.

Our Tip: St George by 12.