Manly Sea Eagles vs Parramatta Eels – Thursday night – 4 Pines Park

First plays last to open proceedings for round three, and few would have had Manly undefeated and the Eels without a win after two rounds. Manly impressed in the trials and took that form into round one with a thorough dismantling of the Bulldogs. You could doubt that form, but the Dogs then dismantled the Storm in Melbourne. Perhaps the Sea Eagles are pretty good, and perhaps Siebold is a pretty good coach. Two narrow losses for the Eels but losses are losses, and it's unusual for a team that have a history of starting the year well. 0 from 3 will have the Parramatta faithful restless. It's been a bleak start, but J'maine Hopgood is a shining light - he couldn't get a run with Penrith last year and I'll be putting him in a QLD origin jersey at this rate. Manly should be fresh and fit after the bye and they'll have a big crowd at Brookvale to push them on.

Verdict – Sea Eagles by 7

Result – Sea Eagles 34 defeated Eels 30

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

The Knights get a pass mark for hanging tough and holding out the Tigers when they had more than enough reasons to throw in the towel. Gallant they were, but the opposition was, as the French would say, not terrific. Meanwhile, the Dolphins head off on their first ever road trip and they'll be feeling confident but not cocky. The depth of their roster will be tested at some point this season, and the first test comes here, with Marshall-King unavailable. I honestly don't know who the Dolphins will pick at number 9 (perhaps Nikorima), so we can wait for the team lists for that one. As for the Knights, their roster is getting tested already. We may have seen the last of the Ponga in the halves experiment. Brailey, Frizzell and Jacob Saifiti are also unlikely to be available. The risk for the Dolphins is that they are already thinking about the round 4 blockbuster against the Broncos, but their coach is a pretty sensible bloke and I think he'll have his team focused on this week. Another win for a team that have never lost an NRL game...ever

Verdict – Dolphins by 4

Result – Dolphins 36 defeated Knights 20

Sydney Roosters vs South Sydney Rabbitohs – Friday night – Allianz Stadium

I've been waiting for the team lists to drop for this game, with some key inclusions for both sides confirmed. The Chooks welcome back Waerea-Hargreaves and Radley, while Brandon Smith has also been cleared to play. Handy inclusions as all three are certifiably mad, and the last time these sides met madness was a prerequisite for participation. Tatola and Sele return for the Bunnies, ensuring both forward packs have no excuse. When they last met seven players were sin-binned and three players failed HIA assessments and couldn't return. After 80 minutes of chaos, the Rabbitohs got to sing the team song. That's been the case more often than not in recent clashes between the heritage clubs.

Verdict – Rabbitohs by 1

​​​​​​​Result – Roosters 20 defeated Rabbitohs 18

Gold Coast Titans vs Melbourne Storm – Saturday afternoon – CBus Super Stadium

Everything has it's limits. On the weekend I found out how many bowls of ice cream I can eat in a single setting (four), and we all found the limits of the Melbourne Storm roster. For years this team has found blokes and drifters to plug gaps where needed, and the purple machine soldiered on. Not last Saturday night though, when the Melbourne Storm played their first game at home and were shredded by a team that have shredded so few in recent years. Craig Bellamy went through his unique five stages of grief on the night - denial, anger, more anger, chair kicking and acceptance. In the end I expect he knew what he needed to do - bring the old band back to save the day. Olam is back earlier than anticipated, as are Coates, Kamikamica and Sims. They have lost Big Nelson for 6-8 weeks, and he's hard to replace unless you tape two men together. The inclusions, and a week of discipline from the coach, may very well be enough. The Titans appeared to be travelling well against the Dragons. Then the Dragons stepped up or the Titans switched off, or perhaps both. It was a performance that reminded me of the 2022 Titans, and not in a good way. The injury to Verrills doesn't help either.

Verdict – Storm by 4

​​​​​​​Result – Titans 38 defeated Storm 34

North Queensland Cowboys vs New Zealand Warriors – Saturday afternoon – Queensland Country Bank Stadium

The Cowboys have named Tom Chester at fullback. I'd be putting Valentine Holmes back there but I'm not a coach and never will be. The Warriors have similar issues with the fullback role, and have named debutant Tuaupiki to replace Nicoll-Klokstad at the back. Tohu Harris plays his 200th NRL game this weekend. He deserves a result to fit the occasion, but the Cowboys will be tough to beat at home.

Verdict – Cowboys by 8

​​​​​​​Result – Warriors 26 defeated Cowboys 12

Brisbane Broncos vs St George Illawarra Dragons – Saturday night – Suncorp Stadium

There have been a few false dawns for the Broncos in recent years. It does feel like the Broncos have found some playmakers that can propel the club back to where they probably should be. Ezra Mam and Reece Walsh look like superstars to me, and they're both just 20 years of age. A former Bronco in Ben Hunt has continued on with the good form he showed us last season. The Dragons are sure to make this a contest but this Broncos squad could be on the verge of something special.

Verdict – Broncos by 8

​​​​​​​Result – Broncos 40 defeated Dragons 18

Canterbury Bulldogs vs Wests Tigers – Sunday afternoon – Belmore Sports Ground

In the Tigers last pre-season game they scored 7 tries in about 45 minutes against the Raiders. Last weekend against a depleted Knights outfit it would have taken them 45 hours to score 7 tries. The Bulldogs proved they can score points last week and I expect more of the same here.

Verdict – Bulldogs by 14

​​​​​​​Result – Bulldogs 26 defeated Tigers 22

Canberra Raiders vs Cronulla Sharks – Sunday afternoon – GIO Stadium

The Raiders are 0 from 2 but will appreciate getting home to Canberra after a fortnight in the tropics. Mind you, the weather forecast is predicting a 35 degree day on Sunday in Canberra - Raiders fans can keep the scarves and beanies at home for a change. They stick with the same starting thirteen that couldn't quite knock off the Dolphins. No changes to the starting thirteen for the Sharks either, with Nicho Hynes yet to return. The Sharks impressed in attack last week and I'll back them to outpoint the Raiders.

Verdict – Sharks by 4

​​​​​​​Result – Raiders 24 defeated Sharks 20

Wally Lewis - round three selections (in bold)

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

• SEA EAGLES vs Eels
• Knights vs DOLPHINS
• ROOSTERS vs Rabbitohs
• Titans vs STORM
• COWBOYS vs Warriors
• BRONCOS vs Dragons
• BULLDOGS vs Tigers
• Raiders vs SHARKS