Newcastle Knights vs Redcliffe Dolphins – Thursday night – McDonald Jones Stadium

A disrupted start to the season for the Dolphins - a home game relocated at late notice, a number of players suddenly unavailable, and enough ongoing bad weather to have the team travel to Newcastle early just so they can get through some training sessions. It's far from ideal, and the injuries to Lemuelu (eye socket) and Finefeuiaki (concussion) won't help either. Mark Nicholls returns on the bench to bolster the forward stocks. The other important return is Kodi Nokorima in the halves, who will likely offer a little more creativity and chaos as the big boppers legs get heavy. A narrow loss to the Rabbitohs last week...so they're not far away. The Knights worked their way to a narrow win over the Tigers in round one, with enough magic fairy dust sprinkled by Kalyn Ponga to get them the points. It wasn't pretty, but rugby league isn't always pretty. Importantly, it's their first game at home for the season and they'll pack the joint despite the Thursday night timeslot. A handy advantage and, given the ongoing weather issues the Dolphins have been contending with, I'm tipping the Knights in a close contest.

Verdict – Knights by 4

Result – Knights 26 defeated Dolphins 12

New Zealand Warriors vs Manly Sea Eagles – Friday night – Go Media Stadium

One should never make assumptions based on a performance in one game, but it's hard not to be disappointed by the Warriors in round one. Their opponent in that game has no doubt been under-rated by most, so keep that in mind. The Warriors should also lift for their first home game of the season, and they've had a lot more time to prepare for Friday night. The coach has stuck with the same seventeen, so he may have seen something I couldn't see, or he's loyal to a fault. We might know more soon. As for the Sea Eagles, I doubt they could have been more impressive in round one, in what was possibly the best showing by any team thus far. Aloiai replaces Taukeiaho up front but otherwise it's the same lineup that looked like they could score 70 against the Cowboys a week ago. Travelling to New Zealand might lower their sails a little, but it's hard to tip against them.

Verdict – Sea Eagles by 13

Result – Warriors 36 defeated Sea Eagles 16

Penrith Panthers vs Sydney Roosters – Friday night – CommBank Stadium

Not only are the Roosters the biggest outsider in round two, they are the biggest outsider by a very hefty margin. I doubt the Roosters have been this much of an outsider this century. It's probably an over-reaction, but they can't win this unless the Panthers accidentally turn up to Penrith Stadium by mistake (note that CommBank is their home ground for the entire season). Radley gets a week off after bumping into one of his own last week, while the Panthers welcome back Brian To'o who will quickly get back to quietly and politely being the best winger in the NRL. The Panthers have also had extra time to prepare, and Nathan Cleary demonstrated he's lost none of the skills and brinkmanship on display prior to his most recent injury. If Dylan Brown is worth $13 million, one wonders how much Cleary is really worth. Expect an improved showing from the Chooks, particularly in the first 20 minutes, but then:

Verdict – Panthers by 22

​​​​​​​Result – Roosters 38 defeated Panthers 32

St George Illawarra Dragons vs South Sydney Rabbitohs – Saturday afternoon – WIN Stadium, Wollongong

I got both these teams wrong last week, but it won't stop me from tipping the Dragons (and against the Bunnies) in round two. There were patches of quality from the Dragons and they more than held their own against a team many expect to be playing finals this season. The Bunnies did enough to get the points last week, but all three of their tries were scored down their left edge. That's been the case for the Bunnies for years, and also a tried and tested formula for coach Wayne Bennett, but with Wighton and Munro unavailable this week, and Johnston still a few weeks away, that left edge looks a lot less potent. Given that, I'm with the Dragons to outpoint their opponents at home. Expect a big game from Damian Cook against his old club.

Verdict – Dragons by 4

​​​​​​​Result – Rabbitohs 25 defeated Dragons 24

North Queensland Cowboys vs Cronulla Sharks – Saturday afternoon – Queensland Country Bank Stadium

No changes for the Sharks, while the Cowboys have brought in O'Donnell to replace Nanai in the back row. Taumalolo and Clifford have been named as reserves but aren't likely to make the seventeen. The biggest challenge for the Sharks isn't their opponents but the weather - a 4.30pm start will have them feeling the heat and humidity. I still think they can win, and their recent record against the Cowboys is very strong...but a contest nonetheless.

Verdict – Sharks by 2

​​​​​​​Result – Sharks 36 defeated Cowboys 12

Canberra Raiders vs Brisbane Broncos – Saturday night – GIO Stadium

Two teams that impressed in round one, and it will be interesting to see how these teams fare against a stronger opponent. No changes for the Broncos seventeen, but some key outs for the Raiders with Tapine and Savage suspended. Tapine will be missed, given their opponent here fronts up with the best front row pairing in the NRL. There's speed everywhere in both backlines but if the Broncos forwards can gain an advantage, Adam Reynolds has the tactics and nouse to get the job done. Looks like the game of the round.

Verdict – Broncos by 4

​​​​​​​Result – Raiders 32 defeated Broncos 22

Parramatta Eels vs Wests Tigers – Sunday afternoon – CommBank Stadium

It's hard not to talk about the new contract for Dylan Brown - the biggest contract in NRL history. Everyone else is talking about it, so I'll keep it to a minimum and limit my commentary to this - no one can blame the bloke for taking up that contract. While both teams lost it's hard to ignore the magnitude of that Eels loss. Granted they were up against a difficult opponent, but Crikey McCrikeface they weren't good. Meanwhile the Tigers did everything but win last week against the Knights, and it feels like this will be easier than that. Lachlan Galvin has a change to show everyone he might be worth $13 million too, if he doesn't get ahead of himself.

Verdict – Tigers by 4

​​​​​​​Result – Tigers 32 defeated Eels 6

Canterbury Bulldogs vs Gold Coast Titans – Sunday afternoon – Belmore Sports Ground

I get sucked into the Titans every single year, but I'm not going to fall for them this time. Their forward pack looks almost unstoppable, and their trial form has been solid, but they've also been breathing through snorkels for nearly a week, and have had to dog paddle to Sydney earlier than they hoped so could get some training in above water. I expect they'll still give a good account of themselves, and I'm convinced they're a better team during the day, but the Bulldogs were solid against a competitive Dragons outfit last week. Josh Curran returns on the bench to bolster the Bulldogs forwards, which can only help. A better game than many might expect.

Verdict – Bulldogs by 4

​​​​​​​Result – Bulldogs 40 defeated Titans 24

Wally Lewis - round two selections (in bold)

Note: tips from Wally will be published on Wednesday night or Thursday morning

• KNIGHTS vs Dolphins
• Warriors vs SEA EAGLES
• PANTHERS vs Roosters 
• DRAGONS vs Rabbitohs
• Cowboys vs SHARKS
• Raiders vs BRONCOS
• Eels vs TIGERS
• BULLDOGS vs Titans