Wests Tigers vs Canberra Raiders – Thursday night – Leichhardt Oval

It's not often that a Thursday night game is a sellout, but this could be an exception. The Tigers have won four of their last five outings at Leichhardt, but this is a venue and a team that will hold few fears for the Raiders. They've won ten of their last eleven games with the Tigers, and haven't lost at Leichhardt Oval for more than 15 years. Still, the suspension to Hudson Young (in career best-form) and the injury to Papalii has me thinking that this young impressive Tigers pack can gain an edge in the middle, particularly at home. The Luai/Doueihi halves combination was a bit rusty last week in their narrow loss to the Broncos, but should continue to get better with time. There's an arguable argument that the Tigers spine of Bula, Luai, Doueihi and Koroisau is one of the best in the NRL. Looks like the game of the round to my eyes.

Verdict - Tigers by 2

Result - Tigers 33 defeated Raiders 14

North Queensland Cowboys vs Cronulla Sharks – Friday night – Queensland Country Bank Stadium

Some important inclusions for the Cowboys - Taulagi and Mahoney are back and Nanai returns to the field for the first time this season. It helps. For the Sharks, McInnes returns earlier than expected from his ACL injury. He'll start off the bench and will likely need the run, but McInnes needing the run still means 35 tackles in 40 minutes I suspect. He's built different. The Sharks have had plenty of time to recover from their round 6 trip to Perth. An away game in Perth followed by an away game in Townsville isn't exactly ideal, but at least they had a bye in between. Their record in Townsville is also pretty good, and for reasons unknown the Cowboys have struggled against the Sharks for years now. Further to that, the Cowboys performance last week against the Sea Eagles was simply awful. A completion rate of 58% will see you beaten by all-comers, and beaten they were. I'm sure they'll improve, but they couldn't get any worse (I hope). I can't see them improving enough for the win.

Verdict - Sharks by 7

Result - Cowboys 46 defeated Sharks 34

Brisbane Broncos vs Canterbury Bulldogs – Friday night – Suncorp Stadium

There's a list doing the rounds of the unavailable Broncos, and it's an impressive starting thirteen. Last night, Deine Mariner gave the team another scare when he hobbled off at training, but he's fine. Corey Paix returns at dummy half on Friday night, so there's one casualty returning at least. The Broncos backline is still first class, but it's in the forwards where they will struggle. Their starting props this week are Talty and Gosiewski, with Jaiyden Hunt providing some relief off the bench. They'll give their all, but it's a big ask. For the Bulldogs, club captain Stephen Crichton returns in the centres, which will tighten up their defence on the edge. The Broncos were good enough to hold out the Tigers last week. They could win this too without surprising, but I'm tipping the Dogs.

Verdict - Bulldogs by 4

Result - Broncos 32 defeated Bulldogs 12

St George Illawarra Dragons vs Sydney Roosters – Saturday afternoon – Allianz Stadium

This is always a big game every year, but it's getting plenty of added attention with the dismissal of the Dragons coach on Monday morning. They cancelled a training run on the Tuesday, because they still hadn't finalised a replacement, so it's fair to say that not everyone at the Dragons agrees with the decision to hand Dean Young the clipboard. He gets a chance to the prove the doubters wrong, at least. Many of us will be ruminating on the unbeaten run of the Sea Eagles since they replaced their coach, and are wondering if the Dragons can do the same thing. I don't think they can, but I do think we will see a better showing. Note that the Roosters have been slow out of the gates in their last two games, so this could be one of those matches where the Dragons take a lead into the sheds at half-time, only to fall short at the end of 80 minutes. Kade Reed makes his debut in the halves for the Dragons, replacing the former coaches son who's been demoted to an extended bench. Make of that what you will Ryan Couchman and Suli also return for the Dragons, but they lose the suspended Su'A for a few weeks. No major changes for the Roosters who are on a bit of a roll after a wobbly start to the season. The traditional ANZAC game in the NRL is always worthy of your eyeballs, but I expect the Chooks will have to much class in the end.

Verdict - Roosters by 10

Result - Roosters 62 defeated Dragons 16

New Zealand Warriors vs Redcliffe Dolphins – Saturday night – Hnry Stadium, Wellington

A meteorological challenge for the Dolphins, who are backing up from an extra time one-point loss to the Panthers in a hot and humid Darwin with a trip across the ditch to a cold and windy Wellington. Based on that alone, I find it hard to tip the visitors. Notably, this game sold out more than a week ago, a fair indication of how much support the Warriors (and rugby league) currently has in New Zealand at the minute. Schneider replaces the suspended Nikorima in the halves for the visitors, while Tuaupiki returns at fullback for the injured Nikoll-Klokstad for the Warriors.

Verdict - Warriors by 8

Result - Warriors 20 defeated Dolphins 18

Melbourne Storm vs South Sydney Rabbitohs – Saturday night – AAMI Park

15th plays 4th, and for reasons that have me a little baffled the Storm are a warm favourite to win on Saturday night. No changes for the Storm, who have now lost five in a row. Three of those losses were competitive at least, but those were the sort of game we are used to seeing the Storm win. Having two of the best finishers in the game unavailable (Coates and Katoa) wouldn't help. No changes for the Rabbitohs either, who have scored 30 or more points in their last three games. The Storm have averaged around 16 points per game over their last five losses, so it looks like the Bunnies have the edge there. It should be noted though, that the Rabbitohs have never won a game in Melbourne....ever. The Storm have also won their last 9 ANZAC Day games, and Bellamy has an enviable overall record against Bennett. I might have found the reasons why the Storm are a warm favourite, but I'm taking them on regardless. Mitchell to slot a casual field goal late to seal the victory.

Verdict - Rabbitohs by 1

Result - Rabbitohs 48 defeated Storm 6

Newcastle Knights vs Penrith Panthers – Sunday afternoon – McDonald Jones Stadium

The Sunday afternoon timeslot at McDonald Jones Stadium was once a fortress for the Knights, but not so much in recent years. They've won just one of their last eight games at home, and they've won just one of their last nine games against the Panthers. A confronting combination of stats for the home side there. Schiller comes into the side to replace the injured Marzhew. A few changes for the Panthers, with Kenny in the casualty ward for an extended period with a leg fracture. Lussick replaces him in the dummy-half role, while McLean returns in the centres after serving his suspension. The Panthers do have to back up from the trip to Darwin, so they could be running on fumes in the final 20 minutes. With that in mind, I expect the Panthers will want to get out to a flying start and put this game to bed as soon as they can. 

Verdict - Panthers by 8

Result - Panthers 44 defeated Knights 12

Manly Sea Eagles vs Parramatta Eels – Sunday afternoon – 4 Pines Park

Here we go again, Manly and Parra. Parra’s well ahead but the gap starts to narrow. Manly’s coming back, it seems like they’re built out of steel. How do you feel? See the video for context. Manly at Brookvale on a Sunday afternoon. Always hard to tip against. Should be a cracking contest though.

Verdict - Sea Eagles by 4

Result - Sea Eagles 33 defeated Eels 18

Wally Lewis - round eight selections (in bold)

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

• TIGERS vs Raiders
• Cowboys vs SHARKS
• BRONCOS vs Bulldogs
• Dragons vs ROOSTERS
• WARRIORS vs Dolphins
• STORM vs Rabbitohs
• Knights vs PANTHERS
• SEA EAGLES vs Eels