Newcastle Knights vs Sydney Roosters – Friday night – Hunter Stadium

As I watched Alex McKinnon wipe away tears last Sunday I thought "there's the high water mark for the #RiseForAlex round right there - Alex can wipe away tears". It wasn't that long ago he had no movement at all below his shoulders. Amid all that emotion and high water coach Wayne Bennett already knew he was leaving the club next season, after (apparently) calling Lachlan Murdoch that morning to convince him he should come back to Brisbane. I honestly don't know what to make of that. Business is business I suppose, and Bennett has every right to try and find a job where his family lives. Given what has happened to McKinnon this year, I am sure Bennett has had some moments of reflection and wondered if he should be spending more time at home helping his own family. I wonder if it partly explains the loss to the Titans. It's all speculation I suppose, but what's a tipping site without speculation? If the Knights didn't know Bennett was leaving last weekend they certainly know now. How do they respond after such a big week? If they drop their eggs they lose by thirty, and even if they lift and play out of their skins the Roosters might still be too good anyway. The safe play is the Chooks, and we'll know after 10 minutes if we have a game of football on our hands.

ps. I hope Darius Boyd is okay.

Verdict – Roosters by 4

Result - Knights 16 defeated Roosters 12

Brisbane Broncos vs Melbourne Storm – Friday night – Suncorp Stadium

I'm lucky enough to live within spitting distance of Broncos headquarters, so I get to see a fair share of the playing roster and the coaching staff when the cameras aren't in their faces. This team like their coach. He knows the game and he's clearly a decent bloke. I also have no doubt the Broncos have performed better than most expected this season, and their win over the Warriors was, I think, their best all year. Three times this season they've led commandingly only to be run down in the dying minutes - and all those games were at Suncorp. I know if you add enough 'what ifs' you can do anything, but if they hold those leads they're on top of the ladder. They are very close to being a very good football side - and Wayne Bennett knows it. They'll need to be very good to hold their place on the ladder over the next few weeks - they face three top four sides in a row after this game, and their opponent here is virtually a top four side. I say they lift on Friday night, because their coach deserves a win, but the Storm are a team that won't give away two points without a fight. The game of the round.

Verdict – Broncos by 2

Result - Storm 30 defeated Broncos 8

Penrith Panthers vs Cronulla Sharks – Saturday afternoon – Carrington Park

Peter Wallace is back. Paul Gallen is not back. I still don't know where Carrington Park is but as long as the Panthers can find it they'll be winning this.

Verdict – Panthers by 22

Result - Sharks 18 defeated Panthers 16

Gold Coast Titans vs Parramatta Eels – Saturday night - Cbus Super Stadium

Are the Eels on the slide? They've lost four in a row, and conceded 142 points in the process. They say defence is the first thing to fall down once the attitude isn't right. And if there's one place you don't want to be feeling unprofessional it's on a road trip with the lads to the Gold Coast for a Saturday night. The Titans have patched together a backline for this game, but I think their forwards can lay a platform and get them over the line.

Verdict – Titans by 4

Result - Eels 24 defeated Titans 18

Canterbury Bulldogs vs North Queensland Cowboys – Saturday night – ANZ Stadium

The Bulldogs gave us a baffling display last week that few would have seen coming. I'm leaping to the conclusion that Des Hasler has found the 'on' switch during the week and we'll see the real Bulldogs again. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the Cowboys form, but winning in Sydney has never been easy. Seeing them do it once was pleasing - seeing them do it twice in two weeks would be miraculous. Bulldogs by 1-12 looks to be a sound betting proposition.

Verdict – Bulldogs by 1

Result - Cowboys 20 defeated Bulldogs 12

New Zealand Warriors vs Manly Sea Eagles – Sunday afternoon – Mt Smart Stadium

The Sea Eagles are on top of the ladder and deserve to be there, but one thing jumped out at me when I looked at the Sea Eagles record this season. The only teams they've beaten away from home are the Sharks and the Dragons. When they've played the better teams on their turf (Roosters, Tigers, Broncos, Storm, Bulldogs) they've been beaten. If I was putting the Warriors in a group I'd put them in with that second group rather than with the Sharks and the Dragons - especially when the Warriors are at home. And when I look at that Warriors interchange (Mateo, Matulino, Rapira, Bukuya) I'm bordering on half-confident. If the Broncos/Storm game doesn't deliver this game probably will.

Verdict – Warriors by 2

Result - Sea Eagles 22 defeated Warriors 12

Wests Tigers vs St George Illawarra Dragons – Sunday afternoon – ANZ Stadium

I can only take the Tigers victory last weekend on face value, and on face value they were freaking fantastic. A repeat of anything like that wins again. Benji plays his old club, and he'd like to beat them. Mind you, his old club are playing Benji, and they'd like to beat him too. Here's hoping the weather is kind because we should have a pretty good crowd at Homebush if conditions play nice. One of those games that just might sneak up on us and deliver one of the best contests all year. Worth watching. Definitely worth watching.

Verdict – Tigers by 4

Result - Dragons 28 defeated Tigers 12

Canberra Raiders vs South Sydney Rabbitohs – Monday night – GIO Stadium

I imagine the bookies will let you have a pretty decent price ($3.40 actually) about the Raiders on Monday night, and there are sillier things you could throw your money at. Those Burgess brothers will be wishing they were back in the north of England where it's nice and warm compared to a night in Canberra. The minimum in Sydney on Monday night is set to about 9 degrees. The minimum in Canberra is likely to be zero. Nine degrees doesn't seem like that much, but it's enough for me to tip this as my upset of the round. Here's hoping.

Verdict – Raiders by 2

Result - Rabbitohs 34 defeated Raiders 18

Wally Lewis - round twenty selections (in bold)

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

• Knights vs ROOSTERS
• BRONCOS vs Storm
• PANTHERS vs Sharks
• TITANS vs Eels
• BULLDOGS vs Cowboys
• Warriors vs SEA EAGLES
• TIGERS vs Dragons
• Raiders vs RABBITOHS