Cronulla Sharks vs Parramatta Eels – Friday night – Suncorp Stadium

The easy read on this contest is via their recent matches with the Tigers. In round 7, the Eels beat the Tigers 38-22. In round 8, the Sharks lost to the Tigers 20-18. The Sharks also had to play a little bit of extra time on Sunday afternoon, while the Eels have had a bye week to freshen up for the first game of Magic Round. Not a lot of changes for either side - Iro replaces Hiroti in the centres for the Sharks, while Guymer replaces Tuilagi in the back row for the Eels. The Eels will take confidence out of their last start win, and I expect they'll have more support at the ground on Friday, but I doubt their forwards can match the Sharks, and that's where many games are run and won. If it's a wet night (and it could be) the kicking games of Moses and Hynes are extra important. Moses would typically have an edge here, but only if his forwards are in the contest. 

Verdict – Sharks by 7

Result – Sharks 28 defeated Eels 18

Sydney Roosters vs Redcliffe Dolphins – Friday night – Suncorp Stadium

A big win for the Roosters on ANZAC Day - I wonder if they will be as 'up' for this game as they were for the occasion last week. That said, they backed up from ANZAC Day games in 2024 and 2023 with wins in the following round. They haven't won two games in a row this season though...food for thought. No changes for the tricolours from last week. A game of two halves for the Dolphins last week, who were cruising along against the Raiders until it all fell apart. At times the Dolphins are playing some of the best football in the competition - more of that please. Some more than useful inclusions this week too, with Kaufusi, Marshall-King and Donoghue returning to the seventeen. The Dolphins haven't lost a Magic Round game in their brief history and you'd expect the majority of the support at the game will be behind them. The Chooks are a slight favourite, but: 

Verdict – Dolphins by 4

Result – Roosters 36 defeated Dolphins 26

South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Newcastle Knights – Saturday afternoon – Suncorp Stadium

Master coach Wayne Bennett is a magician but he doesn't have a lot of tricks up his sleeve as he heads home to Queensland this weekend. No Murray, no Walker, no Humphries and now no Mitchell on Saturday. Gray returns to the fullback role where he's been a shining light for much of the season. Jack Wighton moves to five-eighth, and I wish he played their more often. He won a Clive Churchill in a losing side wearing the 6 jersey...just get the ball in his hands and let the man play. The Bunnies have now lost three in a row, but their opponents in those games (Cowboys, Bulldogs, Storm) are better than most, and better than the Knights. Scoring points continues to be an issue for the Knights, and many of the tries they are scoring are late in games when they're already out of the contest. If there's one thing a Bennett-coached team knows what to do right it's the essential elements of the game, and their defence will be on song. 

Verdict – Rabbitohs by 8

Result – Knights 30 defeated Rabbitohs 4

New Zealand Warriors vs North Queensland Cowboys – Saturday afternoon – Suncorp Stadium

Some of you may recall my pre-season excitement about the halves combination of Metcalf and Harris-Tevita and what they might deliver in 2025. They took a little while to warm up, which is hardly a surprise, but they are starting to put it together and the results have followed. Only two teams have beaten the Warriors this year - those teams are currently in the top three and the Warriors were away from home for both. They're away from home on Saturday, but there will be shortage of ex-pats and Kiwi visitors at the ground. So too the Cowboys who are now in the top eight after a very slow start to the year. No changes for either side in what looks the best of the games on Saturday. I'm a little suprised that the Cowboys are favoured to win this. Warriors for me.

Verdict – Warriors by 4

​​​​​​​Result – Warriors 30 defeated Cowboys 26

Wests Tigers vs St George Illawarra Dragons – Saturday night – Suncorp Stadium

No changes for the Tigers who prevailed in a golden point classic last Sunday - there are few greater joys than a crowded Leichhardt Hill on a Sunday afternoon enjoying a win. They'll be optimistic about their chances here, against a team that were soundly beaten last week, and are yet to win a game during Magic Round thus far. The Dragons have swapped out Ilias for King-Togia in the halves - a big game for the youngster but he has no shortage of wraps on him. There were no signs of player unrest on the field from the Tigers last week and I think they can notch up another win here.

Verdict – Tigers by 4

​​​​​​​Result – Tigers 34 defeated Dragons 28

Gold Coast Titans vs Canterbury Bulldogs – Sunday afternoon – Suncorp Stadium

These sides met in round two, where the Bulldogs prevailed at Belmore by 40-24. That Bulldogs line-up included Burton, Curran and Tupouniua who won't be available on Sunday...significant omissions. They were poor in wet conditions at this ground last week and their could be some rain around during this game too. It's 1st vs 14th and the Bulldogs are the shortest priced favourite for the round. They probably should be, but I'm never shy about tipping an upset and I can see the Titans delivering us the surprise result for the weekend.

Verdict – Titans by 2

​​​​​​​Result – Bulldogs 38 defeated Titans 18

Penrith Panthers vs Brisbane Broncos – Sunday afternoon – Suncorp Stadium

The Panthers chances of winning five premierships in a row are in tatters. In fact, they're more likely to miss the top eight than not. They need to find form, keep crawling over a whole bunch of teams above them on the ladder, and they need to do all that through the Origin period of the season. Can't see it, but never rule out a champion. The Broncos dominated the Bulldogs last week and have an opportunity to make another statement here. I expect them to win and win comfortably. 

Verdict – Broncos by 14

​​​​​​​Result – Panthers 32 defeated Broncos 8

Melbourne Storm vs Canberra Raiders – Sunday night – Suncorp Stadium

The best game is the last game, and not many would have thought that when they put together the draw for Magic Round at the start of the year. The Storm have been below their best in recent weeks but that's still better than most, and they often save their best for this venue. Their forwards face a real test against this mighty Raiders pack, but I think they will be up for it (note that Kamikamica is back and there's some chance Asofa-Solomona could be a late inclusion). For those that take note of the milestones - both Papenhuyzen and Katoa will play their 100th NRL games on Sunday. 

Verdict – Storm by 4

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Result – Raiders 20 defeated Storm 18

Wally Lewis - round nine selections (in bold)

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

• SHARKS vs Eels
• Roosters vs DOLPHINS
• RABBITOHS vs Knights
• Warriors vs COWBOYS
• Tigers vs DRAGONS
• Titans vs BULLDOGS
• PANTHERS vs Broncos
• STORM vs Raiders