Canterbury Bulldogs vs Sydney Roosters - Friday night – ANZ Stadium

I haven't a clue who wins this fixture, but here's one prediction I will get right - Laurie Daley will be watching. The Roosters and Bulldogs playmakers get yet another opportunity to step up and demonstrate they deserve a Blues jersey this year. As a young gadabout The Thinker was rather keen on a young lady in first year psychology but it went nowhere. If only I had as many chances as this lot are getting to impress - perhaps I should have studied in New South Wales. Some big returns for the Dogs - James Graham is back to yell and headbutt and bite his way to victory; Reynolds is back to trip his way to victory; Eastwood is back to dance his way to victory - I do like a big man who can shimmy and shake just before the point of impact. Clearly those inclusions level the contest, but the Roosters are a vastly more dynamic team in attack. The tricolours are in a rather baffling situation at the moment - they've lost more games than they've won, but they have the best points differential in the competition. That tells you that when they lose they don't lose by much and when they win they fire. With that in mind, I'm considering a few margin bets - Bulldogs by 1-6 points and Roosters by 13+. Note that in round eight the Tigers beat the Bulldogs by 24 points and in round nine the Roosters beat the Tigers by 32 points. It's never that cut and dried but it's the chickens for mine.

Verdict – Roosters by 13

Result - Roosters 24 defeated Bulldogs 10

North Queensland Cowboys vs Brisbane Broncos – Friday night – 1300SMILES Stadium

Neither side looked like a top four team after round one but a lot has changed. In fact, the two teams that walloped these sides in round one (Roosters and Rabbitohs) now sit below them on the ladder. I remember a time when people in North Queensland would cheer for the Broncos in these fixtures - essentially the locals wanted a Queensland side competing in the finals and they didn't want the Cowboys taking two points away from a team that would be there. So much has changed. Right now, the Cowboys are the favourites to win the premiership while the Broncos are favourites to win the minor premiership. Could we have our first all-Queensland grand final? Anyhoo...let's worry about this game for now. The Cowboys bench looks a little light but the Broncos are without McGuire and Ofahengaue so that evens out a little. No doubt Ben Hannant and Jake Granville will lift against their former club. I'm expecting a close game and with that in mind I'll stick with the home team - they're likely to win the penalty count at home and the right boot of Jonathan Thurston is a little more reliable than the right boots of Parker and Hunt. Thurston with the field goal....and he's got it!

Verdict – Cowboys by 1

Result - Cowboys 31 defeated Broncos 20

Parramatta Eels vs New Zealand Warriors – Saturday afternoon – Pirtek Stadium

Chris Sandow may or may not have crashed a car last weekend, but it's nothing like the car wreck that is the Parramatta Board. Sandow has been punted to NSW Cup to work on his game - hopefully someone can give him a lift. I believe there's a board meeting at the Eels this week. They call the cops when the Eels have a board meeting...I'm not kidding. There'll be plenty of threats of arrest and talk about how the club is heading in the right direction on and off the paddock. I'm not sure how much attention the players will pay to such discussions, but for some crazy crazy reason I've convinced myself the Eels can win this game. Both sides should be suited by daytime conditions so prepare your eyes for a visual feast. The Warriors barely got home last weekend against the Sharks and they don't win back-to-back games in Sydney very often. The home side by just enough...and I genuinely wish Chris Sandow well - when he's in good spirits and playing well he is a joy to watch.

Verdict – Eels by 2

Result - Warriors 17 defeated Eels 13

Gold Coast Titans vs Cronulla Sharks – Saturday night – CBUS Super Stadium

Last weekend I mentioned two of my golden rules. I ignored both of them and got both games wrong...that'll teach me (I hope). The Titans return home which they'll appreciate after a weekend in Canberra they'd rather forget. Note the talk that the Titans may be relocating some of their home games to Central Queensland - with a local zillionaire keen to throw some much-needed schamoolah at the franchise. This effectively makes them FIFO workers - like 80% of the Queensland workforce...it can't hurt their fan base.

Verdict – Titans by 2

Result - Sharks 23 defeated Titans 22

Melbourne Storm vs South Sydney Rabbitohs – Saturday night – AAMI Park

Josh Reynolds returns for the Dogs...Adam Reynolds returns to the casualty ward for the Rabbitohs. Ouch! The Bunnies got a much-needed win on Monday night but the injury to Reynolds means it's one step forward and one step backward for the defending premiers. The Storm have dragged themselves up to second on the ladder and they'd love to rack up a few more victories before the Origin period of the season kicks in. In a round where there are no easy winners (good luck getting a perfect round this weekend tipsters) the Storm look like the only obvious choice in round ten. Even then, I'm hardly confident. Both coaches graduated from the Craig Bellamy school of coaching, so they know each others game plans pretty well. That could turn this game into a dire battle of tactics. If it is dire, the Storm will grind out a victory. If it isn't, the Storm will absolutely thrash it in.

Verdict – Storm by 7

Result - Storm 16 defeated Rabbitohs 12

St George Illawarra Dragons vs Canberra Raiders – Sunday afternoon – WIN Stadium

No-one, and I mean no-one, has been the target of more of my barbed comments than Ricky Stuart. I just love having a go at the bloke, and after all these years he hasn't keyed my car or threatened to throw lawyers at me or anything. So for that I will give the little buggar the credit he deserves. I also have to applaud what he has done with his roster. On paper they don't look like much of a football team, but by-jingo by-crikey he's moulded them into a football team. They are punching above their weight but (there's always a but) this weekend they face the other side that is punching above their weight. Come to think of it, Dragons coach Paul MacGregor does look quite a bit like Ricky Stuart...especially if I got Ricky to stand on a milk crate. Raiders playmaker Blake Austin has gone from 'who the bl00dy hell is Blake Austin' to 'likely utility for the New South Wales Blues. No-one, and I mean no-one, saw that coming. In the last three rounds the Raiders have scored 116 points - while the Dragons have conceded less than that all season. A performing attack takes on a performing defence. Traditionally defence wins games of football and I am a traditionalist at heart. Call me old-fashioned if you must, but I've enjoyed watching the Dragons suck the life out of opposition attacking raids this season. I also don't believe people should have the right to marry their kitchen appliances. Traditional football. Traditional values...and yay for Sunday afternoons at the footer. Yay!

Verdict – Dragons by 4

Result - Dragons 32 defeated Raiders 18

Newcastle Knights vs Wests Tigers – Sunday afternoon – Hunter Stadium

No changes to either side this weekend. Mind you, there could be dozens of changes between now and Sunday, as the naming of team line-ups has become an exercise in creative book-keeping in recent times. Both teams were soundly beaten last weekend but I thought the Knights were better than the final result implies. Twice they crossed the stripe early, only to have the on-field decisions over-turned by the video referee. The Knights were undefeated after four rounds this season and they haven't won since. One can hardly tip a side with that sort of negative momentum confidently, but the Knights at home on a Sunday afternoon has been one of my golden rules. Breaking my golden rules last weekend did me no favours whatsoever.

Verdict – Knights by 8

Result - Knights 22 defeated Tigers 12

Manly Sea Eagles vs Penrith Panthers – Monday night – Brookvale Oval

Ever so slowly the pivotal pieces in the Panthers puzzle are returning to the fray, and as each piece returns the Panthers near closer and closer to the side we know they can be. They went desperately close to beating the in-form Broncos last weekend, and I'm gonna throw some cash at them to upset their favoured rivals at their god-awful home paddock. Segeyaro is back, and he gives them zip and momentum in the middle. The Manly forwards will be back-peddling, and the Panthers forwards will just keep on coming all night. That's the plan. That's Cleary's plan. I plan to back the outsiders and I might even back them to win by 13+. Don't forget to gamble responsibly, and don't forget that I'm tipping at less than 50%.

Verdict – Panthers by 2

Result - Panthers 11 defeated Sea Eagles 10

Wally Lewis - round ten selections (in bold)

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

• Bulldogs vs ROOSTERS
• COWBOYS vs Broncos
• Eels vs WARRIORS
• TITANS vs Sharks
• STORM vs Rabbitohs
• DRAGONS vs Raiders
• KNIGHTS vs Tigers
• SEA EAGLES vs Panthers