New Zealand Warriors v Canterbury Bulldogs, 6pm Friday, Mt Smart Stadium
The Warriors have hit their lowest point since Stacey Jones took over as coach and he has turned to a fresh halves pairing in a bid to turn things around against a resurgent Canterbury outfit. daejarn asi shifts back into the halves with wayde egan moving to hooker to face a Bulldogs pack missing Tevita Pangai jnr, who has stayed in Australia for family reasons. In Raymond Faitala-Mariner they have a capable replacement. The Warriors are back home in Auckland but they’ll struggle to rein in a reinvigorated Bulldogs attack. Bulldogs by 10.
Caden Helmers
Penrith Panthers v Melbourne Storm, 7.50pm Thursday, BlueBet Stadium
The contest between these two never disappoints. The Panthers showed no signs of slowing down against Canberra, and were defensively excellent once again. And with no Jahrome Hughes for the Storm, their attack could start a little clunky. Viliame Kikau would be a big inclusion for the premieres, but you cannot underestimate the loss of James Fisher-Harris and his work rate. A big win can basically seal the minor premiership with three rounds remaining. Panthers by 6.
Christian Nicolussi
Parramatta Eels v South Sydney Rabbitohs, 7.55pm Friday, CommBank Stadium
Souths are humming and have a good record against the blue-and-golds. The Eels Won Without Mitchell Moses last Friday, but Manly could not have played any worse than the final 20 minutes of that game. Latrell Mitchell is a good enough reason to back the Bunnies. Mitchell, Cody Walker, Lachlan Ilias and Damian Cook have now played nearly half-a-dozen games together as a spine. Clint Gutherson and Dylan Brown need five-star performances again, while Shaun Lane has been solid on the left edge. Souths by 4.
Christian Nicolussi
Corey Horsburgh, Dale Finucane, David Klemmer, and Latrell Mitchell.Credit:Getty
Sydney Roosters v North Queensland Cowboys, 3pm Saturday, Sydney Cricket Ground
The Cowboys boast the competition’s second-best away record, enough to suggest they won’t be haunted by any ghosts of seasons past when they arrive at the hallowed turf of the SCG this weekend. One thing they will need to account for is James Tedesco, the Roosters fullback who is doing absolutely everything in his power to will his side towards a finals appearance. He is breaking tackles at will and setting up tries and line-breaks like they’re going out of fashion. Jordan McLean is back for North Queensland after overcoming the hamstring injury which ruled him out of the Origin decider, but the Roosters have everything to play for in one of the games of the round. Roosters by 6.
Caden Helmers
Wests Tigers v Cronulla Sharks, 5.30pm Saturday, Scully Park (Tamworth)
Captain Dale Finucane returns for a Cronulla side that did enough to get past the Dragons last week, but not too much more. Based on the Tigers’ drop-off on Sunday, a similar effort will get a similar result for the Sharks but Craig Fitzgibbon will be praised to accept it. Kade Dykes looked great on debut at fullback and gets another crack in Tamworth. The Tigers had been so good until they found themselves in reverse against Newcastle, with coach Brett Kimmorley suddenly short on outside backs now David Nofoaluma is in Melbourne instead of on the wing for the injured Ken Maumalo. Sharks by 18.
dan walsh
Brisbane Broncos v Newcastle Knights, 7.35pm Saturday, Suncorp Stadium
Te Maire Martin has been bussed in at fullback for the Broncos in place of Tesi Niu in a bid to halt a worrying two-game slump. Only catastrophe will cost Brisbane a well-deserved finals spot but they’ll be week-one cannon fodder if they can’t pull up their socks, particularly in the opening 20 minutes. Newcastle welcome back David Clemmer after last week’s HR nightmare, though their backs-to-the-wall win over the Tigers came at a cost: half Jake Clifford (broken arm) and Mitch Barnett (thumb) are both out. Tipping Brisbane to shake themselves out of a late-season funk at home. Broncos by 14.
dan walsh
Canberra Raiders v St George Illawarra Dragons, 2pm Sunday, GIO Stadium
Perhaps the last Ricky Stuart press conference really worth watching before the “weak gutted dog” attack was the match between these two teams, when the Raiders lost a cliffhanger in cyclonic conditions in Wollongong. The NRL later said Ben Hunt should have been penalized three times in the final 10 seconds – and yet the Raiders never got a whistle to send the game into golden point. This time, both teams are playing for their seasons and the Raiders will be without their coach after his one-week ban. They will also miss Joseph Tapine (ribs) and Nick Cotric (suspension), but Xavier Savage is back with Corey Horsburgh. Cody Ramsey is a chance of returning for the Dragons after being named in the extended squad, but there’s no Francis Molonorth Tarik Simswho has played his last game for the Dragons. Raiders by 12.
adam pengilly
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