Manly Sea Eagles vs South Sydney Rabbitohs – Thursday night – 4 Pines Park

Just one win separates 3rd and 10th on the ladder at the moment, including our Thursday night opponents where a win or a loss can see you rise or fall a long way...or at least appear to. Some key returns for both sides, with Manly naming their Origin players (Olakau'atu and Koula) to return, while the Bunnies welcome back Murray, Graham, Fifita and Smith. The Manly coach has shown enough to convince the club to sign him to a three-year deal - not a bad effort for a bloke who was playing Test football late last year. I don't know what Fozball is, and it doesn't sound like Foran does either, but clearly he has his team playing better than his predecessor. The Bunnies have had an extra week to prepare for Thursday night, and their recent record against Manly and at Brookvale is compelling. I think their forward pack has an edge and that might prove the difference...it often does.

Verdict - Rabbitohs by 2

Result - Sea Eagles 28 defeated Rabbitohs 14

Melbourne Storm vs Newcastle Knights – Friday night – AAMI Park

It won't be easy for the Storm to make the top eight this year, but it's not impossible. What will help them is that they are just one of two clubs that haven't had a bye yet, so they have some free points coming their way in the weeks ahead. Still hard though. They probably need to win this to be honest, and I'm not convinced they will. They're favourites here, and probably should be - after all, the Knights haven't won a game at AAMI Park for more than a decade. But this Knights team is a little bit different, and this Storm team aren't the winning machine they once were. The Storm are without their first choice goal kicker (Meaney) on Friday night, and in a tight contest goal-kicking can often prove the difference. Two great spines on show here, but that battle in the middle is always important. The Knights pack can hold their own here, and they get plenty of help from some big units in their backline. I'll pick the Knights in an upset.

Verdict - Knights by 4

Result - Storm 32 defeated Knights 30

Canberra Raiders vs Sydney Roosters – Friday night – GIO Stadium

A few stumbles for the Chooks in recent weeks. Of greatest concern is the lack of points - just the three tries in their last two games, and they'll need to do better than that against a Raiders line-up who racked up six against the Cowboys the week prior. If not for some wayward goalkicking they could have piled on 40 points. Another away trip for the Chooks, and no-one loves a trip to Canberra in winter for a night game, particularly with an 8pm kickoff. This away trip follows on from away games in Gosford, Brisbane and Melbourne, and after this trip to Canberra they are back up to Brisbane next round. Add all that travel to the disruption Origin brings, and there's a lot of moving parts for the chickens to manage. I'm not sure how many outsiders I'm allowed to tip in a round, but I haven't picked a favourite yet.

Verdict - Raiders by 4

Result - Roosters 26 defeated Raiders 0

North Queensland Cowboys vs Redcliffe Dolphins – Saturday afternoon – Queensland Country Bank Stadium

The Dolphins pulled off a remarkable statistical feat last season - scoring more points than any other team, and missing the top eight. That tells you they had issues with their defence, but recent weeks would indicate they've gone a long way toward solving that problem. In their last four games they have conceded just 54 points. They've also scored 134 across those games, which tells you they're playing well with and without the football. This will be another solid test of how far they've come - a warm sunny afternoon in Townsville against a side that aren't shy in attack. The Dolphins have their Origin quartet back on deck, but also welcome back Farnworth and Nikorima. This is close to the best seventeen they can name. Averillo is their only injury right now, but his replacement (Bostock) is going well enough to be in discussions for a NSW origin berth. The Cowboys are the other team that haven't had a bye this season and they look well placed for a top eight finish. But, they're about to face a run of difficult opponents, and I think they'll fall short here. It's a contest though, and I think it's the game of the round.

Verdict - Dolphins by 4

Result - Dolphins 40 defeated Cowboys 14

Brisbane Broncos vs Gold Coast Titans – Saturday night – Suncorp Stadium

All Qld teams on Saturday this round - in recent years the Broncos all but pick themselves, but on recent performances, not so much. Rumour has it that the Broncos asked the coach to pull back on the training last week. Madge complied, and they went out and fudged it against the Dragons at home. They've won just two of seven games at home this season, and it's difficult to fathom that this is the same team that went on such a glorious run to the premiership late last year. These sides met earlier in the season on the Gold Coast, where the Broncos prevailed by 26-12. Given that result, and assuming Madge will be putting a rocket up his roster all week, I'm reluctantly (and nervously) tipping the Broncos to get the points here. That said, the injury list is still an issue - hardly helped with two Origin players (Carrigan, Shibesaki) joining the casualties last week. Note that Mam has been benched, replaced by the promising Duffy in the halves. An interesting contest. Broncos...just

Verdict - Broncos by 1

Result - Titans 28 defeated Broncos 23

Wests Tigers vs Penrith Panthers – Sunday afternoon – CommBank Stadium

Last week the Panthers held out the Warriors while they rested Cleary, Yeo and To'o. They're back on Sunday, and while this is a Tigers home game this is a neutral venue in reality. They'll pack the join though, particularly if the weather is nice, and I'm crossing everything and hoping this is a contest. But, I can only tip one team.

Verdict - Panthers by 10

Result - Panthers 68 defeated Tigers 0

Cronulla Sharks vs St George Illawarra Dragons – Sunday afternoon – Ocean Protect Stadium

A shout out to the Dragons fans after their big win over the Broncos last weekend - it's been a long drought, and it was great to see how much joy the team felt singing the team song. They'd love to back that up with a win over their local rival, and I can't rule that out completely. The issue now, is that the Sharks won't take this contest likely, and are always hard to beat at home. The absence of Hynes and Brailey doesn't help their cause, Niwhai Puru more than handled himself last week in the halves. A spirited contest nonetheless - it usually is between these two.

Verdict - Sharks by 8

Result - Sharks 34 defeated Dragons 12

Canterbury Bulldogs vs Parramatta Eels – Monday afternoon – Accor Stadium

These sides met in round 7 where the Eels were comfortable 38-20 winners. The Bulldogs get home ground advantage this time around, but there will be no shortage of Eels fan on hand. A few things have changed since round 7 - the Eels are without Moses and Paulo and those are significant outs. That said, the Bulldogs had Preston, Kikau and Tracey playing in round 7 and they won't have any of them on Monday. They do have Crichton this time but his form is below best and is probably trying to carry an injury. What has changed is that Burton and Xerri have become much more dangerous in attack, and if they can continue recent form they'll trouble the Eels backline. I'm with the Bulldogs but this was a real coin toss pick for me, and I don't want to talk anyone out of picking the Eels if they're keen. In a round of tough contests, this might be the toughest of the lot.

Verdict - Bulldogs by 2

Bulldogs 14 defeated Eels 12

Wally Lewis - round fourteen selections (in bold)

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

• SEA EAGLES vs Rabbitohs
• STORM vs Knights
• Raiders vs ROOSTERS
• Cowboys vs DOLPHINS
• BRONCOS vs Titans
• Tigers vs PANTHERS
• SHARKS vs Dragons
• BULLDOGS vs Eels