Wests Tigers vs Canberra Raiders – Friday night – Campbelltown Sports Stadium

The rugby league world has woken up and realised that the Raiders are a proper football team, and their run home leaves them with every possible chance of claiming the minor premiership. They've just had their first bye, with two more to come. In the weeks ahead the Raiders will be playing the Tigers twice, the Knights twice and the Dragons twice. On form, that's six more wins, but no team should take any other team for granted this season. The Raiders have earned the easier run through, playing every round until mid-June and having to travel to Vegas, Townsville, Darwin, Gold Coast and Brisbane in the process. I think they're the team to beat. Hudson Young is likely to back up after his 46 minutes of Origin on Wednesday - note that he made more tackle breaks than any other Blues player on Wednesday night. He's top notch. Luai is likely to escape a suspension for whatever he did to Rueben Cotter's face and should back up for the Tigers. The Tigers are going okay this year, but most of their wins this season have been against teams at the disappointing end of the NRL ladder. Granted they beat the Dolphins early in the year, but the Dolphins were running last at the time. I expect they'll give a fair account of themselves, but the Raiders class should see them through. A notable debut for the Raiders this week, with the son of the coach starting on the wing. That's now three players in the NRL playing in teams coached by their father...feels like some sort of record. Best of luck Jed.

Verdict - Raiders by 8

Resul - Raiders 16 defeated Tigers 12

New Zealand Warriors vs Penrith Panthers – Saturday afternoon – Go Media Stadium

The Panthers have already advised that their Origin players won't be travelling to Auckland for this game. Unless they've convinced Gina Rinehart to lend them a charter plane, that's unlikely to change. I assume Kurt Capewell can't get back in time for the Warriors either. Something for the schedulers at the NRL to keep in mind when the Perth Bears join the competition. Notably, the Panthers haven't played in Auckland since 2019, so it will be a new experience for most of them. Both teams are backing up from a bye and the Warriors will be pleased to have Wayde Egan back in the dummy half role for this game. I'm assuming this is yet another sold out game for the Warriors at home, and I don't expect them to disappoint. For the punters, just keep backing Luke Metcalf to score a try every time he laces on the boots. It happens more often than not.

Verdict - Warriors by 10

Result - Panthers 28 defeated Warriors 10

Redcliffe Dolphins vs Newcastle Knights – Saturday afternoon – HBF Park, Perth

No trouble travelling for the Origin players in this contest, who get to stay in Perth until their team-mates arrive. The weather in Perth looks pretty ordinary , but this game isn't played at the same venue as Wednesday night - hopefully it's not too chopped up. The Dolphins have scored more points than any other team in the NRL, while the Knights have scored the least. That's an onimous stat for Knights fans. You'd think the wet weather might dampen the Dolphins attack, but a few weeks ago they racked up 44 points against the table-topping Bulldogs in Sydney and played much of that game in the rain. The Knights do have a fair list of inclusions for this game - Best, Frizell, Sharpe and Young returns after his ill-fated stint with the Chooks. They'll be better, and they did beat the Dolphins back in round two. That said, the Dolphins have come a long way since then. With so many forwards missing for the Dolphins this will be a challenging contest in the wet, but they're playing beautiful football at the minute and they should find a way.

Verdict - Dolphins by 4

Result - Knights 26 defeated Dolphins 20

South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Melbourne Storm – Saturday night – Accor Stadium

These sides met in round 8 and it was a fair contest, but the Storm prevailed in the end (24-16). Notably, that game was in Melbourne, and the Storm have been disappointing on the road this season (2 wins and 4 losses). Mitchell has been named for the Bunnies and the Storm have named their five Origin reps in their starting thirteen. The extra travel from Perth and the Origin back-up will test the Storm, but they've had plenty of experience managing this period of the season. The Bunnies have named a bunch of stars on their extended bench but they aren't likely to play. They've tried hard all year and I expect more of the same, but I also expect the quality of the Storm squad to get the job done. Closer than most might think.

Verdict - Storm by 4

Result - Storm 25 defeated Rabbitohs 24

Brisbane Broncos vs Cronulla Sharks – Sunday afternoon – Suncorp Stadium

A rare afternoon fixture for the Broncos, and with good weather expected there should be a fair crowd at this one. It's hard to get a read on the Sharks this season. Their last win was solid enough but that was against a team travelling poorly (Dragons). Prior to that they conceded 40+ points in successive weeks against better opponents (Roosters, Warriors). Getting a read on the Broncos is even harder. Some truly woeful performances at times, but every now and then they turn up and show everyone what they can do. The outcome here depends entirely on what version of the Broncos and Sharks turn up on Sunday, and for that we're simply guessing. The Broncos were much-improved against the Titans last start - hopefully the return of Reece Walsh has energised the squad. At this point, Haas and Carrigan have been named to play. I don't think they could win this game without them.

Verdict - Broncos by 4

Result - Broncos 34 defeated Sharks 28

Sydney Roosters vs North Queensland Cowboys – Sunday afternoon – Allianz Stadium

It's 10th vs 8th but this game has more Origin stars involved than any other game this round - the five Roosters and four Cowboys have all been named to back up from Wednesday night, but it's worth keeping an eye out for late team changes. The Chooks have lost a few Poms with Radley (concussion) and Young (Knights) out of the side, while the Cowboys welcome back their own Englishman in Bateman. Taumalolo remains unavailable after injuring himself in the warm-up last week. The Cowboys will be keen to make amends after getting taught a footballing lesson by the Dolphins last week. This is the Cowboys third trip to Sydney for the season and historically it's a venue they struggle at, especially so in the mid-winter. Of more concern is their defensives woes, and the Chooks are a side that can score points when they're in the right frame of mind.

Verdict - Roosters by 10

Result - Roosters 42 defeated Cowboys 8

Parramatta Eels vs Gold Coast Titans – Sunday night – CommBank Stadium

This is just the second time the Titans have been the favourite to win a game this season. The first time it happened they got flogged, so that worries me a little, but they deserve to be favourites in this. Their Origin props have been named to back up but they beat the Sea Eagles comfortably last week without them. They've never had trouble scoring points, but the best thing about that win was their defence. A repeat of that effort and they win this. The Eels bring a very inexperienced spine to this contest. There's no shortage of talent there, but the wise old heads steering the Titans round know what they're doing. There's plenty of rugby league left in this season, but the two points on offer here could be the points that allow the winning side to dodge the dreaded wooden spoon. 

Verdict - Titans by 7

Result - Eels 36 defeated Titans 20

Wally Lewis - round sixteen selections (in bold)

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

• Tigers vs RAIDERS
• Warriors vs PANTHERS
• DOLPHINS vs Knights
• Rabbitohs vs STORM
• BRONCOS vs Sharks
• ROOSTERS vs Cowboys
• Eels vs TITANS