Canberra Raiders (1st) vs Cronulla Sharks (5th) – Saturday night – GIO Stadium

No changes for either side - the Sharks sticking with the same seventeen that toughed it out against the Chooks, and Sticky sticking with the same seventeen that went down to the Broncos in one of the best sporting contests (of any sport) you are ever likely to see. A game for the ages. There's been much talk of how difficult it will be for the Raiders to pull themselves together, and get up for this game just six days later. I'm not so sure about that. If there is any coach that can get a team up for a game for a backs against the wall performance it's Ricky Stuart. Granted there are some concerns about their edge defence, where the Raiders conceded points in a hurry to let the Broncos back into the match. But, Reece Walsh caught fire that afternoon. He would have been a threat against any defence, and the last time I checked Will Kennedy isn't Reece Walsh (no offence, Will, I'm honestly a fan). The Sharks will head into this game with some confidence after winning last week, but it was a rare win for the Sharks in a finals series...in recent times at least. That was their 8th win from 10 games this season at home, and their record as the away team is much less impressive. Five wins from 12 games as the away side, and many of those wins were against teams outside the top eight. This will be harder, and if the Raiders fans can find their voice it will be much harder.

Verdict - Raiders by 4

Result - Sharks 32 defeated Raiders 12

Canterbury Bulldogs (3rd) vs Penrith Panthers (7th) – Sunday afternoon – Accor Stadium

Sometimes you stumble across the truth by accident. In the case of the Bulldogs, coach Ciraldo has had his hand forced by the injury to Crichton. With his leader and captain unavailable, Burton will be moved from the halves to the centres, and the unwanted, unloved runt of the Bulldogs litter (Sexton) gets recalled as halfback. With Sexton at halfback, Galvin moves to five-eighth. While every Bulldogs fan wishes Crichton were available, the forced line-up changes just might provide some answers for the Bulldogs beyond this season. Clearly Galvin wants to be a halfback and sees himself as a halfback, but his best position may well be at five-eighth. Clearly Burton wants to be a playmaker, but his best position may well be at centre. In their competitive and brave loss to the Storm last week, the Bulldogs improved when Sexton came on and Burton moved to the edge. Sexton scored with his first touch, and Burton scored in the 57th minute to put the Bulldogs in front. They almost pulled off the most unlikely of victories under the circumstances. Are they a better team if Crichton was playing on Sunday afternoon? The answer of course, is yes, but this team aren't out of this, and a majority of the home crowd support in a big stadium will help a lot. The Panthers overcame hurdle number one with their away victory over the Warriors. It will come as no surprise that Cleary was the difference between winning and losing. Let's not underestimate the challenge the Panthers have to overcome. Taking into account they rested most of their side in round 26 (against the Bulldogs no less), the Panthers have travelled to Mudgee, Wollongong and Auckland for successive games. Should they win this as the away team in front of a big crowd, they'll be travelling again to Brisbane as the away team in front of a big crowd. Winning four premierships in a row is a monumental achievement. Winning the fifth might be harder than winning the previous four. I'm not hear to tell you they can't do it, but I'll tell you I don't think they will do it. So much so, I think they'll lose on Sunday. I'm a lone wolf with this tip, but:

Verdict - Bulldogs by 2

Result - Panthers 46 defeated Bulldogs 26

Wally Lewis - finals week two selections (in bold)

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

• Raiders (1st) vs SHARKS (5th)
• Bulldogs (3rd) vs PANTHERS (7th)