Redcliffe Dolphins vs Penrith Panthers – Thursday night – Suncorp Stadium
The Dolphins had their first win of the year with a comprehensive win over the Titans, a team who had been in fair form up until that point. Their captain (Gilbert) returns from suspension on Thursday night, with the versatile Plath moving to lock forward, Kaufusi to prop and Nicholls to the bench. The Panthers are still without a win in Australia and the trek north to Brisbane doesn't make things any easier. That said, there recent record at Suncorp is all but perfect. Dylan Edwards returns at fullback which can only help, Notably, they've lost Kenny and Cole this week, so a whole bunch of changes to the Panthers spine. Talagi starts at five-eighth this week, while Sommerton takes on the dummy half duties. The Panthers have to start winning at some point and it could be this week, but they were poor last week, and if they can't beat the Cowboys in Sydney they will struggle here too. They're a warm favourite regardless, and probably should be, but I'm with the Dolphins in an upset.
Verdict – Dolphins by 4
Result – Dolphins 30 defeated Panthers 12
St George Illawarra Dragons vs Gold Coast Titans – Friday night – WIN Stadium
The Dragons, while not winning a lot, have been competitive every week, and narrow losses to the Bulldogs and Rabbitohs followed by a tough win over the Storm, is genuine (if not winning) form. That all fell over a little last week with a golden point loss to the Eels. They did appear to be leading comfortably, and perhaps took winning for granted. That's one thing you can't do in the NRL, against anybody. I assume Flanagan was cranky, and didn't try and hide it. The Titans had also been pretty good until last week. A road trip to Wollongong and the absence of Fa'asuamaleaui has me leaning to the Dragons, but anything and everything is possible in this.
Verdict – Dragons by 4
Result – Dragons 38 defeated Titans 16
Brisbane Broncos vs Sydney Roosters – Friday night – Suncorp Stadium
We have a handy form reference for this contest, as the Broncos as Roosters met in round one already this season. That game was in Sydney in wet conditions, and the Broncos won 50-14. There's no reason to believe this result will be much different, particularly up in Brisbane in front of what is likely to be a decent crowd. The Chooks have tweaked the dials a little hoping to find a winning combination, with Savala coming into the halves at the expense of Townsend. The injury to Collins won't help their cause either.
Verdict – Broncos by 22
Result – Roosters 26 defeated Broncos 16
Cronulla Sharks vs Manly Sea Eagles – Saturday afternoon – Optus Stadium, Perth
The first of a double-header in Perth, and I imagine the NRL were hoping to make a big announcement anytime soon, but news of an expansion club in Perth might be a while away yet. I still think it's a case of when rather than if. Cronulla have already been to the other side of the planet this season, so plenty of frequent flyer miles for the lads from the Shire. Wilton and Talakai return to bolster the forwards following back to back losses. This is just the second time Manly have had to leave Brookvale Oval this season, and the only other time the Warriors towelled them up in Auckland 36-16. Aloiai is a key inclusion to bolster their pack, but that Warriors loss is still fresh in my mind.
Verdict – Sharks by 4
Result – Sharks 24 defeated Sea Eagles 18
South Sydney Rabbitohs vs North Queensland Cowboys – Saturday afternoon – Optus Stadium, Perth
The Cowboys are at the midpoint of their circumnavigation of the country, following their win over the Panthers in Sydney last week. It does feel like they are starting to find their feet, and the return of Cotter this week (after a late withdrawal last week) can only help. The Rabbitohs continue to outperform but that's just the magic and mystery of their coach I assume. He just knows how to get teams winning. This is a task though - they would have been up and about for the Roosters game and now they have to travel and find a way without a bunch of key players. Mitchell comes into the halves while Johnston and Aitken are the additions to the backline. The more Mitchell is involved the more dangerous he can be, but I'm with the Cowboys to make it three in a row.
Verdict – Cowboys by 4
Result – Cowboys 24 defeated Rabbitohs 16
Parramatta Eels vs Canberra Raiders – Saturday night – TIO Stadium, Darwin
Darwin hasn't been a happy hunting ground for the Eels for a while now, but their recent games in the top end have been against QLD teams which doesn't seem very clever. Taking on the Raiders in the tropical north makes a lot more sense. The Eels finally notched up a win last week but it took golden point to get there. They won't have Lomax to help them this time, whose extra time heriocs last week are even more impressive now that we know he did with a broken foot. No changes for the Raiders who found a way to win last week when there were any number of reasons why they shouldn't. Providing the Raiders don't melt I'm fairly confident they can win again.
Verdict – Raiders by 7
Result – Raiders 50 defeated Eels 12
Melbourne Storm vs New Zealand Warriors – Sunday afternoon – AAMI Park
The Storm have a near perfect record against the Warriors going back quite a way. They're even better at home, and there should be a fair crowd on hand given all the AFL games this weekend are interstate at their Magic Gathering Round. Jahrome Hughes returns early from a broken hand to join a team that racked up 48 points at Brookvale last week. Hard to tip against them.
Verdict – Storm by 14
Result – Storm 42 defeated Warriors 14
Newcastle Knights vs Wests Tigers – Sunday night – McDonald Jones Stadium
My somewhat outlandish tip for the Knights over the Bulldogs didn't go to plan, but there was nothing wrong with their effort in a game where many things went against them. There's a very long list of casualties as a result, with Cogger, Elliott, Hetherington, Saifiti and Schiller all unavailable on Sunday. For the Tigers, Luai is the significant return but they also welcome back Skelton and Samuela Fainu. The Knights have a very good record over the Tigers in recent seasons, and particularly so at home. But with all those injuries to the Knights this is another one of those games that reeks of an upset.
Verdict – Tigers by 4
Result – Tigers 20 defeated Knights 4
Wally Lewis - round six selections (in bold)
Note: tips from Wally will be published on Wednesday night or Thursday morning
- Dolphins vs PANTHERS
- Dragons vs TITANS
- BRONCOS vs Roosters
- SHARKS vs Sea Eagles
- Rabbitohs vs COWBOYS
- Eels vs RAIDERS
- STORM vs Warriors
- KNIGHTS vs Tigers
Guest tips for this round
See these tips on one page
Comments
Submitted by The Thinker on
Greetings football fans
I have updated the NRL ladder and the tipping comp after round five. Another difficult round, with our best result six from eight which more than a handful of you managed. Well done crew.
As always, if you notice any issues with the scoring just let me know.
I should have my previews and selections published on Wednesday. Note that I'm tipping from the beach this week, and I had a few internet issues over the weekend. Fingers crossed for the next few days.
All the best
The Thinker
Submitted by Mary S on
Hi Thinker
Rickstar4life put R5 tips into the comments last week -
"Submitted by rickstar4life on Fri 4/4/25 - 7:05pm AEST
Can I still put my tips in for the remainder of the round?
Rabbitohs
Dragons
Titans
Broncos
Storm
Bulldogs
For what its worth i would have tipped Sharks & Panthers, who have both lost so far already."
Cheers,
Mary
Submitted by The Thinker on
You are a champ, Mary S.
I've updated that now.
Thanks so much
The Thinker
Submitted by a on
Hey thinker you’ve actually put all the people who are in 4 points in my 3 strike come in 4 points and 3 points 1 strike and are missing all the people on 3 points 1 strike
Submitted by a on
BTW I hope you still have the teams the 3 points and 1 strike people have or else my comp is ruined
Submitted by tigerholic on
Hi Thinker and Tipsters
I am off to Europe tomorrow night for about 8 weeks. I have someone arranged to submit my tips and I am hoping they are in on time.
If you can remember back in 2019, I headed to Europe to walk the Camino Santiago which is a 790km walk from France across the top of Spain. I did this with my missus then and this time I'm going with my older sister.
The walk takes about 33-35 days. Not as prepared as I was in 2029 but I'll just have to get my match fitness by turning up each day.
I'll try and keep in touch, stay safe everyone and enjoy your footy.
Go the Tigers!!!
Tiger
Submitted by tigerholic on
That was supposed to be 2019 obviously, fat fingers aren't conducive to fast typing.
Tigere
Submitted by Rocket Ryan on
Have you been drinking again.
Submitted by Mary S on
@ "a"
Following is a list of the 3 points 1 strike tipsters, as I'm a record keeper of things that interest me,
Bradapple (Sharks, Broncos, Sea Eagles), Taka (Knights, Broncos, Sea Eagles), Mary S (Tigers, Bulldogs, Cowboys), Hardyards (Tigers, Bulldogs, Sea Eagles), Rocket Ryan (Tigers, Bulldogs, Sea Eagles), Gummy Sharks (Tigers, Broncos, Dolphins), a (Sharks, Sea Eagles, Broncos),
Tipsters can check here (or you can copy & paste into the comp comments), while The Thinker is enjoying some fishing/beach time, until he has a chance to rectify the error on your 3 strike comp page.
Cheers,
Mary
Submitted by Mary S on
@ Tiger
Nothing wrong with your fingers Tiger as you had 2019, just your eyes getting tired.
Hope you have a great trip with your sister . HM pairs of shoes will you wreck this time I wonder?
Is your designated tipster also doing your tips for 'a' 3 strike comp for you, or would you like me to??????!!!!!😂
Cheers,
Mary
Submitted by a on
Thanks Mary S
Submitted by The Thinker on
@Tigerholic
Enjoy the holiday - sounds terrific
@a
Comp results have been updated now
@Mary S
Thanks as always
All the best
The Thinker
Submitted by tigerholic on
Thank you Mary
My designated tipster will also do my 3 strike tips as well.
Hoping my feet don'y hurt as much this time.
Tiger
Submitted by Dragons-fanboy on
Enjoy your trip tigerholic! Best of luck with the incredibly long walk you’re a champ!
Cheers!!!!
Submitted by Dragons-fanboy on
Hello everyone, my tips for this week are:
Panthers by 4
Dragons by 8
Broncos by 22
Sharks by 2
Cowboys by 7
Raiders by 10
Storm by 14
Tigers by 6
Best of luck with your tips for this week everyone! Cheers and up the Dragons! Let’s rip in this week!
Submitted by Grandpop on
My Round 6 tips are:
Dolphins
Dragons
Broncos
Sharks
Cowboys
Raiders
Storm
Knights
Submitted by MGM on
I'm So sick of the gushing praise and celebrations after a try has been scored off the back of a Forward Pass!
Commentators calling them "a Brilliant" pass even after looking at replays that clearly show it's forward.
The worst (but NOT the ONLY) example last weekend was the Isaiah Tass "try" that had every idiot in the media singing L. Mitchell's praises, calling him a "Genius",and "Only Latrell could have thrown that pass!", "there's only a couple of players in the world that would even try this" and "Great players pull off Great plays that save the match for their team!" and "Latrell's Back!".
The pass went 5 F#n metres forward ... see for yourself -
https://www.nrl.com/news/2025/04/05/every-angle-of-that-assist/
This is a great link because you can pause it when Mitchell puts his foot on the 10mtr line as he releases the ball and then move it frame by frame as it floats over Dominic Young @6mtrs out from the try line and is caught by Tass exActly 5 metres out from the try line.
And for all the Wankers that are saying it was just forward momentum,.... Mitchell wasn't sprinting like Hussain Bolt , but rather he did a little stationary jump up as he caught the ball, took ONE step forward, then a little skip with his feet almost beside each other and then One more step as he passes it. this DOES NOT create 5 F#n metres of forward momentum!!!!
Matt Noyen is the linesman that was DIRECTLY in line with that pass and by not raising his flag he vindicated EVERY comment I made here last Saturday night calling for accountability for poor performances from match officials. Matt Noyen surely understands what causes forward momentum and what DOESN'T. He, surely, has seen enough footy to get to this level of officiating to know when to RAISE his F#n FLAG !
Submitted by Esra Star on
Mate,,i am in full agreement with all you have posted. Also,i am a Bronco's fan but that try to Billy Walters was even worse than Tass's.
Submitted by MGM on
@Esra Star
So happy that Someone at least is listening and prepared to Comment.
I had hoped to provoke a few more of you guys to offer an opinion.
I don't believe that the other 74 of you don't have anything to say.
I'm more than happy to be disagreed with.... This IS a Forum, not just a tipping comp.
Please don't be so boring you guys.
Submitted by frank CLANCY on
rd6 tips
panthers
titans
dragons
sharks
rabbs
raiders
storm
knights
Submitted by MGM on
Tonight's top pick :
Ref Grant Atkins and Adam Gee both demonstrate in the 61st minute that they Don't Know the Rules as they disallow a legitimate try scored by the Dolphins.
Ch9 commentators saying what a dangerous precedent their "interpretation" of the rules has now set but then "of course they won't be consistent with it".
On replays the Foxtel commentators watching eagerly saying ,"now does Katoa make any move here that interferes?"
Of course he doesn't move a muscle because Katoa KNOWS THE RULES!
The commentators on both channels KNOW THE RULES!
Everyone in the Protected Species Category of the NRL except Atkins and Gee KNOW that a player caught up in the ruck must not move whilst the ball is being played and we see examples of this many times in EVERY SINGLE MATCH and That's why we no longer see any dummy half deliberately throwing the ball into a defender in order to milk a penalty and if you do it accidentally , as I'm sure Brad Schneider did , then THAT'S ON YOU !! ..... We see dummy halves in EVERY match carefully stepping over a fallen defender (and it's often quite awkward for them) to pass to the first receiver and the ref Doesn't give six again or a penalty because EveryOne involved KNOWS THE RULE !!!!
So in a perfect world we would now see sports headlines the likes of this :-
"A. Gee and G. Atkins will be stood down from officiating any Rugby League match for one week to give them time to study the NRL Rulebook ahead of sitting an exam that will hopefully see them able to return to officiating 1st grade matches."
.........Dream on , MGM !
Submitted by Steel Panther on
How you going tonight MGM with all the forward passes in the St G v Titans game?
Submitted by MGM on
They're just everywhere Steely !
I saw them mate but believe it or not I AM trying to restrain myself! (haha)
And in the next match the bunker over-ruled the ref who had said out loud "knock-back , play on" (he was right there!)when P. Haas jumped up for it. .... on replay even my eagle(and supercritical) eye said border-line,...go with the ref,... but A.Klein in the bunker who CAN"T rule on forward passes, and SHOULDN'T be interfering without an invitation here (no cpt's call, no high contact, nothing reckless or dangerous) sticks his big nose(ego) in and gives a handover to the roosters who score on that set.
Your turn for a week of study and exams Ashliegh !
Submitted by Esra Star on
Mate,,this is not a cry for attention,but i am seriously considering pulling the pin on the tipping.The refs and the rules(f,ing 6 again) and the high shot rubbish is making it not much fun watching a game i have loved all my life.
Submitted by Bronco Legend on
Hi Thinker,
Should have followed your tips this week, not too many would have picked the Dolphins against Panthers and Boys against Rabbits, im over all the upsets happening every week.
Submitted by MGM on
@Esra Star
Hang in there buddy ..... I know exactly where you're coming from and that's why you see me venting here in the comments.
I like to think I'm making them pay some kind of a price by naming and shaming them. ... The main group of them are each being paid $300,000+ per year , so please join me in "getting up 'em"!
For me, I find a well worded 'Rip" therapeutic when the howlers get too loud for me.
But don't give up on the game itself or supporting all the brave, talented players and coaches that persevere each weekend in spite of the "Protected Species" that so often makes their job more difficult.
This is a great tipping comp. , . I'm in one other with friends and family, , there's no banter or comments section in that one ... but we make up for that with an end of season BBQ where prizes are handed out and drinks are drunk and jokes are told.
..... What I'm trying to say Esra , is that we mustn't let some poor management of our game rob us of the overall enjoyment we get from watching games , supporting a club or even just certain players, being in tipping comps or having a flutter on the odd multi (there's nothing like having some "skin in the game"). . . Just being in a tipping comp is having skin in the game and it gives me a greater interest and involvement than I ever had "pre-tipping".
The only time I feel like giving up on "it" is when I get no response here on this forum. . . ... There are 76 tipsters in this comp and The Thinker pretty much gives us free reign to say whatever's on our mind, , and when there Are comments everyone is respectful and civil with each other (accept maybe Rocket and Tiger :-) )......so ...... I am always grateful when you , Esra, and Steely and Mary or Thinker actually give me Some Kind of a response .
I can understand The Thinker leaving us "to it" and remaining somewhat aloof , but I'm SO disappointed when 71 people have Nothing to say when you and I are tearing our hair out!
...... So PLease hang in there Esra Star , I need you :-).
Submitted by Esra Star on
Thanks,mate.
Submitted by Esra Star on
Souths Cowboys,,,once again a great game ruined by poor refereeing and the bunkers need for recognition.
Submitted by Mary S on
@ MGM and Esra Star,
I enjoy reading your rants, appreciate the passion for the game that you obviously feel, and sometimes have a smile or laugh at the way it is expressed.
My knowledge on the rules of the game is minimal, so I don't comment on them, but find it of interest when others do, so keep it up.
I got sucked into tipping at my place of work about 13 years ago when I didn't have a clue what NRL was!!!!
I then found Wally Lewis tips and finally, The Thinkers website and the rest is history.
As I'm retired, I have plenty time to indulge my interests, even if I don't study the rules;
Cheers to all,
Mary
Submitted by The Thinker on
@Esra and MGM
I hope you both stick with it. I enjoy your comments and passion.
I try to stay a little bit neutral on most things - technically I'm a publisher and can't afford to get sued :-)
In other news....how good are my tips going this week? About flaming time.
All the best
The Thinker
Submitted by Mary S on
@ MGM,
Some time ago there were a lot of comments regularly, but the then The Thinkers site became inundated with adds which would pop up in the middle of a comment and made reading a nightmare.
You will notice The Thinker made comment recently, that he was trying to get rid of more adds.
If you want more of an idea, turn off your defence system, the open The Thinkers, or another website to see how bad it can be.
For tipsters that do not have a defence system on their computer to block adds, I'm sure they put in their tips and that's it, as the going for further involvement can be frustrating.
The Thinkers website -It's a great site for the previews, the comments, the friendly taunts (Rocket and Tiger in particular) and general opportunity for involvement.
Cheers,
Mary
Submitted by Steel Panther on
Sadly, there was a time not too long ago where the site wasn't full of friendly banter. Those of us who have been around long enough will remember well. I'm pretty sure the Thinker had to shut off the comments section on more than one occasion. It was a shame indeed that this occurred. Now, there is some real decent folk on here who all contribute in their own positive way.
Talking of good folk, where are you Big Pete? You're very quite these days. What a great game last night, Sydney FC v Auckland FC. You'd struggle to see two better goals than the two scored by Sydney and I think the draw was probably a fair result at the end of the day!!
Submitted by Gummy Sharks on
Gunna be a bit controversial here. Have read and heard enough of the JT vs Spencer Leniu broohaha and can't come to any other decision other than Spencer is well within his rights to tell JT where to go and what to do when he gets there. Apparently he was approached several times for an interview by JT and declined them all. How many times do you have to be told no? What would make you think you can go on TV and social media and call for a stronger penalty on a player and then think there would be no hard feelings? Not defending in any way Leniu's original behaviour. Am defending how he feels when he gets 8 weeks suspension for wrong comments and Esra Mamm gets 9 weeks suspension for unlicensed driving, driving whilst drugged to the eyeballs and crashing into a car, hospitalising a child. Not a word from JT about Esra Mamm on that one. If there was I didn't hear it. I think the no comment on that very poor penalty was what got up Spencer's nose. Know he got fined by the Broncs as well but with the money he's on...........................
Submitted by Esra Star on
I agree,Gummy. Especially the Mamm slap with a lettuce leaf(and i am a Bronco's fan). He was extremely lucky he didn't get jail time,i thought.
Submitted by Steel Panther on
Great post Gummy. Couldn't agree more!!
Submitted by Steel Panther on
How bad are Newcastle this afternoon? But not as bad as the sinbinning. Absolutely pathetic. Two guys grabbing each others jumpers. Since when has that ever been a sin bin offence? Dreadful officiating...
Submitted by MGM on
Yep , spot on Gummy. ... I'm a fan of JT but he needs to get some perspective and realize he needed to be even More vocal over the Mam behaviour than he was over Spencer , not Less to Nothing.
Submitted by MGM on
I tried to post a comment earlier today but pressed send and it just disappeared... Same with the one above , so I logged out and back in and all's good now.
It's not current now but if I may go back a bit -
I wanted to thank Mary , Thinker and Steely for their feedback.
...To Mary
I'm happy to take your word for it regarding the ads on here. ... I've disabled my ad blocker before (to watch catch-up TV ch10) and it had disastrous consequences that my GenZ children had to fix for me . And they are less and less happy to keep dealing with my I.T. illiteracy (haha)
... Thinker , I get it.
...To Steely
I'm shocked to hear that it was once so unfriendly on here.
This is my 8th year (I had to look it up) and only once have I seen someone be troublesome. ... Thankfully we don't have any bad behaviour these days and I'm pretty sure we have the Thinker and his wonderful team of Helpers to thank for that.
Submitted by Mary S on
Gummy, Esra, Steely and MGM,
I am also a fan of JT and know him to be a very genuine person, with a passion for his family, his indigenous culture/heritage and footy,
Considerations on
1. JT vs Spencer Leniu
Initially JT was emotionally distressed at a slur (major one) used against an indigenous person, and when interviewed indicated that 8 weeks was not sufficient for anyone making racial insults in sport, as did Adam Goodes for AFL.
As JT works for Channel 9, his opinion is considered and published.
I would imagine that Channel 9 (as an employer) have expected JT to interview Spencer or any other player at the end of their match over all the matches since that incident.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-13/johnathan-thurston-releases-state...
2. Esra Mamm
"Gets 9 weeks suspension for unlicensed driving, driving whilst drugged to the eyeballs and crashing into a car, hospitalising a child." (Quote by Gummy) I was disgusted at how lightly he got off for this offense.
As police investigation and other legalities would have been involved, JT (at Channel 9 and legal insistence/restrictions), may not be able to comment on this matter.
Just my way of looking at all sides I guess.
Cheers,
Mary
Submitted by MGM on
@Steel Panther
Newcastle let Everyone down this arvo including themselves. I thought they'd lift for their fans at home but I still took the Tigers @ 1-12 in a couple of multis that would have paid except for that leg, so, yeah!
And the "jersey jabbing" was only average in intensity. They seem to get away with jabbing each other on the chin so long as there's a bit of collar material between fist and chin, but it's splitting hairs really isn't it.
We need to keep an eye on Gerard Sutton now to see if he's consistent with that level of control over his matches . .... There's a difference from one ref to another on what they'll tolerate (I think some are just more scared than others of losing control of a match).
There was the usual amount of forward passes let go or not even seen, as well as dropped balls called forward that actually went back
Submitted by MGM on
@Mary
Sorry to be disagreeing with you on this one Mary , but once the NRL has adjudicated and Mam has been given 9 weeks suspension then the commentators are free to and actually have an obligation to comment on it , ESPECIALLY those commentators that are otherwise very outspoken when it suits them. They can't "cherry-pick", they must be impartial.
And whether Mam or JT like it or not , Mam and Leniu and their behavior vs penalty/punishment will be linked for some time to come.