Redcliffe Dolphins vs South Sydney Rabbitohs – Thursday night – Suncorp Stadium

The Dolphins keep on keeping on, with a dominant display over the Cowboys in Townsville. That was without key forward and captain Jesse Bromwich who was a late withdrawal. He returns this week but Jarrod Wallace is unavailable post-concussion. Ray Stone gets a starting gig in the front row. For the Bunnies, the promising Tevita Tatola was luckless in his return, succumbing to another knee injury. Jai Arrow returns in his place - a handy replacement to be sure. The Dolphins defence has remained on song for most of the season, with the blowout loss to the Dragons the only anomaly. They'll be hard to crack again, particularly in front of what could be a sizeable crowd for a Thursday night, but I expect the Rabbitohs attack has enough of an arsenal to get the job done.

Verdict – Rabbitohs by 8

Result – Rabbitohs 36 defeated Dolphins 14

Cronulla Sharks vs Sydney Roosters – Friday night – PointsBet Stadium

The Sharks have lost two of their most important forwards in Rudolf and Finucane. They welcome back Graham and Kaufusi on the bench which will lessen the impact somewhat. They're coming off a bye and are playing at home, so you'd expect them to be fit and firing. The Roosters were a little disappointing against the Storm last week, but this looks an easier assignment. Most importantly, James Tedesco returns at fullback. The last time the Roosters ventured to Cronulla, Tedesco nearly beat the Sharks on his own. A repeat of that wouldn't surprise me in what looks like the game of the round.

Verdict – Roosters by 8

Result – Sharks 22 defeated Roosters 12

Manly Sea Eagles vs Melbourne Storm – Friday night – 4 Pines Park

Since the Manly coach had his little Nanna nap at an all night Maccas, the Sea Eagles have conceded 76 points in two weeks. It's probably unrelated, but it's a huge concern heading into a match against a team that knows how to find the tryline. The increasingly impressive Nick Meaney has been ruled out, with Munster slotting in at fullback and (I'm assuming) as goalkicker. He's a very good fulllback but not so good at the goalkicking. Notably Garrick is also out for the Sea Eagles, with Cherry-Evans the likely replacement for that role. If it's a close contest, goal-kicking may prove the difference. That said, I'm not expecting a close contest.

Verdict – Storm by 14

Result – Sea Eagles 18 defeated Storm 6

New Zealand Warriors vs North Queensland Cowboys – Saturday afternoon – Mt Smart Stadium

These sides met not so long ago in round 3 in Townsville, where the Warriors won convincingly (26-12). It doesn't feel like the Cowboys have improved much since then. They haven't won a game away from home this season, and this is about as away from home as Cowboys games can get. The Warriors have lost Wayde Egan and Te Maire Martin, significant omissions without doubt, but this New Zealand side feels a little different to Warriors sides of recent years. Watene-Zelezniak scored four tries in lower grade last week and is possibly the highest paid winger in the NRL, but he can't even break into the seventeen. 

Verdict – Warriors by 4

Result – Warriors 22 defeated Cowboys 14

Newcastle Knights vs Penrith Panthers – Saturday night – McDonald Jones Stadium

The Knights were starting to put it all together, but the season-ending injury to Jayden Brailey has the potential to derail their progress. Phoenix Crossland slots in at number 9, while Tyson Gamble returns in the halves. Notably Kalyn Ponga looks set to return sooner rather than later, but not this week. It's fair to assume a hefty crowd at Newcastle on Saturday night, but the Knights have an awful record against the Panthers in recent years. They've beaten them just once in 8 years, the Panthers have won their last five games in Newcastle, and in the last three games the margin was significant. The Panthers appear to be warming into their campaign after a slow(ish) start. Given the number of Panthers participating in the World Cup, plus a World Club Challenge in the pre-season, it's hardly a surprise. Statistically, their defence is as good this season as it was last season (possibly better), and that first half against Manly last week would suggest that their attack is starting to come together as well.

Verdict – Panthers by 19

Result – Panthers 16 defeated Knights 15

Gold Coast Titans vs Brisbane Broncos – Saturday night – CBus Super Stadium

Another Queensland Derby - it feels like we get one almost every week. The Titans got the job done in an entertaining but clunky win over the Dragons. Match-winner Toby Sexton broke his wrist in the process, and will be replaced by Kieran Foran on his return. Kruise Leeming impressed with his NRL debut and looks like another Englishman that will make the grade. The Broncos won almost every stat against the Raiders last week but lost the game. It might do them the world of good, keeping some of the youngsters grounded and focused. Flegler is out following the accidental concussion but Hetherington makes his much-awaited return from a biceps injury. This will be closer than most are assuming but I expect the Broncos to do enough to squeak over the line. One of those games that might surprise to the upside.

Verdict – Broncos by 1

Result – Broncos 43 defeated Titans 26

Canberra Raiders vs St George Illawarra Dragons – Sunday night – GIO Stadium

The Raiders impressed with effort last week and will return to Canberra feeling positive about their prospects from here on in. The return of both Wighton and Tapine makes them a much more formidable opponent. The Dragons recent record at Canberra is very poor and the drums are beating louder than ever for their coach. Hook can coach and he's a terrific person too. Tough gig this.

Verdict – Raiders by 8

Result – Raiders 20 defeated Dragons 14

Parramatta Eels vs Canterbury Bulldogs – Sunday afternoon – CommBank Stadium

If the Bulldogs didn't get steamrolled on Good Friday I'd be tempted to give them a chance in this. They've bolstered their forwards considerably with Kikau, Faitala-Mariner and Pangai Jnr in the starting thirteen. They're also adding Okunbor on the bench, who has been training in the back row this season. This Bulldogs forward pack can definitely match it (at least) with the Eels, and then it's up the Bulldogs backs to win the game. They probably can, but losing the fastest man on the planet and one of the best finishers in the game makes that harder. I'm with the Eels, but not confidently so.

Verdict – Eels by 2

Result – Eels 30 defeated Bulldogs 4

Wally Lewis - round seven selections (in bold)

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

• Dolphins vs RABBITOHS
• Sharks vs ROOSTERS
• Sea Eagles vs STORM
• WARRIORS vs Cowboys
• Knights vs PANTHERS
• Titans vs BRONCOS
• RAIDERS vs Dragons
• EELS vs Bulldogs