Cronulla Sharks vs Manly Sea Eagles – Friday night – Ocean Protect Stadium

Not many, if any, teams enjoy travelling to Cronulla, but Manly just might enjoy it the least. That it's been wet and cold in Sydney isn't going to help. The Sharks have won six of the last seven clashes with the Sea Eagles, so they'll like their chances here even though Manly are in the top four and the Sharks are outside the eight. Note that Nicho Hynes won't play, and Fonua-Blake, Brailey and Nikora have to bounce back after Wednesday night. For the Sea Eagles, it's fair to assume Koula won't back up, and there has to be doubts on Olakau'atu as well. Keep an eye out for late changes to the team lists. Given the venue and the timeslot (I've convinced myself that the Sharks play better at night and the Sea Eagles play better during the day), I'm with the home side. 

Verdict - Sharks by 4

Result - Sharks 28 defeated Sea Eagles 22

Newcastle Knights vs Parramatta Eels – Saturday afternoon – McDonald Jones Stadium

Ponga and Saifiti are set to back up for Newcastle, while the Eels had no players involved on Wednesday night. A couple of big outs for the Eels, with Moses and Paulo out with injuries. Iongi is a welcome return at fullback for the visitors. The Eels recent record against the Knights is very good indeed, but that might not mean a lot on Saturday. Dylan Brown plays his 150th here, and will be keen for a big one against his old club, and Ponga has a history of taking out his Origin frustrations on NRL opponents. A big game from both of them is likely. Should that happen, the Knights will win, and win comfortably.

Verdict - Knights by 10

Result - Knights 28 defeated Eels 22

Wests Tigers vs Canterbury Bulldogs – Saturday night – CommBank Stadium

An important game for both clubs, with the Tigers hoping to turnaround a run of very poor results and the Bulldogs hoping to gain some momentum after a rare win last week. A win is a win, but the Bulldogs had to work at it to get over a Storm side without their Origin players. Note the Storm are also running third last, so they aren't quite the scalp they once were. The Tigers have conceded 142 points in their last three games, which is about as bad as things can get. But, they've had a week off to freshen up, and the list of players returning will make a world of difference - Koroisau, Bula, Twal, Makasina. I'll tip them to bounce back in one of the tougher contests to split this weekend.

Verdict - Tigers by 4

Result - Tigers 22 defeated Bulldogs 16

Melbourne Storm vs Sydney Roosters – Saturday night – AAMI Park

Plenty of Origin impact here, with three players potentially backing up for Storm and six for the Chooks. All nine have been named in the starting sides, but keep an eye out for possible late changes. For the Roosters that didn't play Origin, they've had some extra time to freshen up after the loss to the Cowboys during Magic Round. The Storm suffered another loss last week, to a team that aren't performing anywhere like the Roosters. If history were your only guide, you'd be picking the home side based on the Roosters very poor record in Melbourne against the Storm. But I'm not sure how much history matters at the minute. Chooks look too good.

Verdict - Roosters by 8

​​​​​​​Result - Storm 18 defeated Roosters 4

Brisbane Broncos vs St George Illawarra Dragons – Sunday afternoon – Suncorp Stadium

The Broncos are hoping to arrest a run of losses, but it's nothing like the Dragons run of losses. They're yet to win this season and this doesn't look like the game where that changes. By Broncos standards, they aren't hit hard by Origin duty mid-week - Staggs, Carrigan, Mam and Shibasaki have been named, and two of those didn't play on Wednesday so no issue there. Shibasaki has other teams sniffing around after the Broncos couldn't find a lot of money to keep him at the club. No surprise if he has a big game. Haas and Piakura have been named to return from injury on Sunday, adding some punch and vigor to a pack that has definitely missed them. The Broncos don't get a lot of daytime scheduling throughout the season, and this is their last such game for the year. Expect a bumper crowd and plenty of families in what is likely to be a runaway home victory.

Verdict - Broncos by 26

​​​​​​​Result - Dragons 30 defeated Broncos 26

Canberra Raiders vs North Queensland Cowboys – Sunday afternoon – GIO Stadium

It might be time for me to stop believing in the Raiders - I expected them to bounce off their result last season and be even better this year, but it hasn't happened. And it's not because they don't have the cattle. Their two Origin reps were close to best on ground on Wednesday night. They're favourites on Sunday afternoon, possibly because they're playing at home, but their record at home this season hasn't been great, their record against the Cowboys is definitely not great, and the Cowboys record in Canberra is better than just about anyone. The daytime scheduling helps the visitors too because it will be warmer (read: slightly less awful). What I do know is that this game will be quick, with two of the fastest backlines in the NRL facing off. Visitors in an upset.

Verdict - Cowboys by 4

​​​​​​​Result - Raiders 26 defeated Cowboys 12

Penrith Panthers vs New Zealand Warriors – Sunday night – CommBank Stadium

Somehow the game between 1st and 2nd has been given the graveyard timeslot on Sunday night. As things stand, the Warriors Origin duo (Barnett and Capewell) will be rested, while the Panthers quarter of Cleary, Yeo, Too and Mclean have been named on an extended bench. As always, worth keeping an eye on things in case that changes. We've probably seen the last of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, a player better than just about everyone when at his best. Metcalf has been added to an extended bench but is not likely to play. For the Panthers, Martin makes a long-awaited return. The Warriors have been winning well in recent weeks against easier opponents, and I wonder if the step up in grade might catch them out a little. Particularly so away from home against a team they've never found easy to deal with. As for the Panthers, they keep on keeping on, and they're doing all this without a home ground. Bunch of freaks.

Verdict - Panthers by 8

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Result - Panthers 20 defeated Warriors 18

Wally Lewis - round thirteen selections (in bold)

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

• SHARKS vs Sea Eagles
• KNIGHTS vs Eels
• TIGERS vs Bulldogs
• Storm vs ROOSTERS
• BRONCOS vs Dragons
• Raiders vs COWBOYS
• PANTHERS vs Warriors