Melbourne Storm vs Brisbane Broncos – Friday night – AAMI Park

It has been quite a run for the Melbourne Storm. They haven’t lost a game since round ten, and during this run they are conceding, on average, less than seven points per game. That this run of success coincides with the State of Origin period of the season makes it all the more extraordinary. They haven’t played one of the big guns for a while though, and the Broncos are a big gun. Brisbane has only lost four games this season (one more than Melbourne) – three of those were on the trot during the Origin period plus they lost a water polo match to the Rabbitohs in that amazing game in Perth. One of those losses was to Melbourne in round nine, and I’ll be using that game as a guide. Scores were locked at 22-all with eight minutes to go in that game, before the Storm edged away with the points. What made the performance by the losing side so impressive was that they rested their Origin players and competed with a full-strength Storm outfit. The home side are pretty short favourites on Friday night and with good reason but I can sniff an upset in this one.

Verdict – Broncos

Result - Storm 26 defeated Broncos 6

Canterbury Bulldogs vs Parramatta Eels – Friday night – ANZ Stadium

If field position is worth anything (and it is) then the Eels are good things on Friday night. The Bulldogs concede more metres than any other side in the competition and the Eels front row of Moi Moi and Mannah Mannah make more metre metres than any other pair of props in the NRL. The Eels playmaking combination of Hayne, McGuire and Keating looks much more capable than the Dogs trio (Roberts, Hodkinson, and Romelo), particularly if those Eels forwards lay a platform. It’s hard to be confident about a side that has won just four games this year, and they broke my heart last weekend but;

Verdict – Eels Eels

Result - Bulldogs 8 defeated Eels 7

Gold Coast Titans vs North Queensland Cowboys – Saturday night – Skilled Park

Good grief! There’s money for the Titans to win this game. I have something of a soft spot for the Titans so I’m going to say this in the politest way I can – the Cowboys will never look like losing this one. The Titans just cannot find the tryline this year. In their last ten outings they have scored more than two tries in a game once. Of course the absence of Thurston makes a considerable difference to the Cowboys attacking prowess, but I still think they’ll rack up 30 points on Saturday night. If Matt Bowen wears his goal-kicking boots they could rack up 40.

Verdict – Cowboys

Result - Cowboys 28 defeated Titans 20

Wests Tigers vs Sydney Roosters – Saturday night – Leichhardt Oval

If the Tigers take a sneaky look at the NRL ladder they might notice an opportunity to put a bit of a gap on the teams battling it out for top eight positions. They currently sit in seventh position, but equal on points with the Panthers (8th) and the Knights (9th). Both those sides face tough opponents this weekend, so a win for the Tigers can give them a little bit of breathing space. This is a game they should be winning, but they have lost a lot of those games this season. They also don’t like playing the Roosters, who have won the last four clashes between these sides (including that rather entertaining elimination final in 2010). You never know what you are going to get with the Tigers but they are the safe selection here. The Roosters have played eight away games this year – and they haven’t won any of them.

Verdict – Tigers

Result - Tigers 19 defeated Roosters 12

Cronulla Sharks vs Newcastle Knights – Saturday night – Toyota Stadium

By virtue of their positions on the NRL ladder this game is vital to both sides. A loss for the Sharks and a top eight finish looks unlikely, while a win for the Knights would create some much-needed wiggle room between them and the teams on their tail. The Sharks were soundly beaten by the Dragons on Monday night but prior to that they had notched up four big wins in a row. They return to Toyota Stadium which is a difficult venue for visiting teams, and especially so on Saturday nights. Question marks remain over the fitness of Cronulla captain Paul Gallen – he’s been named to play but has to pass a fitness test before getting the go-ahead from coach Shane Flanagan. If Gallen is a late withdrawal the Knights are a big chance, but as things stand I’ll take the home side.

Verdict – Sharks

Result - Knights 18 defeated Sharks 0

South Sydney Rabbitohs vs New Zealand Warriors – Sunday afternoon – ANZ Stadium

The Bunnies are making a habit of winning two games in a row. Three times they’ve done it so far this season, and on each occasion they’ve been the underdog in that second game. They have another opportunity to do it all again on Sunday afternoon. Hopefully they have a spring in their step following their golden point win over the Chickens last weekend and can carry that enthusiasm into this round. If they lose their season is over. The Warriors have strung some wins together but their opponents (Titans and Bulldogs) didn’t offer much in opposition. It’s been nearly a month since the Warriors have had to travel to Australia and they lost their last two games away from home. The Warriors are expected to win but I think the Bunnies can keep their season alive for at least one more week.

Verdict – Rabbitohs

Result - Warriors 48 defeated Rabbitohs 16

Penrith Panthers vs Manly Sea Eagles – Sunday afternoon – Centrebet Stadium

It’s fair to say there was a touch of luck in the Panthers golden point victory over the Eels last weekend. Good on them though for hanging in there and finding a way to win – those two points could be the two points that get them into the top eight at the end of the season. Hanging in there and beating Manly might be a tougher proposition. The Sea Eagles had the Knights on the ropes from the opening whistle last weekend. Jason King and William Hopoate return for the Sea Eagles to make a strong team even stronger. Looks like a high-scoring game to my eye and the Sea Eagles will be too good.

Verdict – Sea Eagles

Result - Sea Eagles 12 defeated Panthers 8

Canberra Raiders vs St George Illawarra Dragons – Monday night – Canberra Stadium

The Dragons haven’t won a game in Canberra for eleven years. In the last twelve games between these sides the Dragons have won only once. It doesn’t seem to matter how good the Dragons look on paper or what form they bring to this clash – this is the team the Dragons can’t beat. Until Monday night.

Verdict – Dragons

Result - Raiders 24 defeated Dragons 19 (oh good grief!)

Wally Lewis - round twenty selections (in bold)

Note: tips from Wally will be published on Thursday night or early Friday morning.

• Storm vs BRONCOS
• Bulldogs vs EELS
• Titans vs COWBOYS
• TIGERS vs Roosters
• SHARKS vs Knights
• Rabbitohs vs WARRIORS
• Panthers vs SEA EAGLES
• Raiders vs DRAGONS