North Queensland Cowboys vs Sydney Roosters – Thursday night – Queensland Country Bank Stadium

It's looking more likely than not that the Cowboys will make the top eight this season. A win at home against the second-placed Roosters would gently turn the screws on the other teams in and around them on the ladder. They're an outsider on Thursday night, but that was also the case in Magic Round where they defeated the chooks 18-12. That Cowboys team didn't include Taumalolo and Nanai, and this time around the Chooks won't have Collins, Crichton or Tupou. The Roosters have strung together a bunch of wins at the right time of the year, but they haven't been dominating opponents. A one-point win over an injury-ravaged Knights and a low-scoring grind over an injury-ravaged Storm doesn't scream premiership threat. That said, they're winning, and it doesn't matter how you do it if you keep doing it. But a trip to Townsville on the back of a tough trip to Newcastle is a task, and the Cowboys last two victories at home (over the Panthers and a desperate Broncos) indicates to me that the home side has what it takes. An upset of sorts, but the locals will be happy.

Verdict - Cowboys by 2

Result - Roosters 82 defeated Cowboys 12 (yelp)

St George Illawarra Dragons vs Redcliffe Dolphins – Friday night – WIN Stadium

With six games to play, the Dragons probably need to win five of them to avoid the wooden spoon. Their next two games are against teams duelling for top four spots, so they might want to start making room in the cutlery draw. The Dolphins should be nice and refreshed after a week off and welcome Bostock back in the centres. Katoa, Averillo and Stone are listed on an extended bench and the coach may (and probably will) give them all another week to get ship-shape. The Dragons struggled to contain the Titans attack last week, so it's fair to assume they may struggle again this week. An opportunity for the home side to notch up two points and improve their points differential relative to the pack of teams chasing them on the ladder. I expect they'll take the opportunity, and if Isaako has a good day with the boot (and he usually does) this could get a bit ugly.

Verdict - Dolphins by 38

Result - Dolphins 28 defeated Dragons 22

Melbourne Storm vs Canterbury Bulldogs – Friday night – AAMI Park

Over the first two rounds of the season the Storm scored 98 points, but it's been a difficult and arduous campaign ever since. Taking a quick look at their line-up from the 2025 grand final, the following players won't be lining up on Friday - Papenhuyzen, Warbrick, Howarth, Coates, Munster, Grant, Katoa, Kamikamica. That's one hell of a list, and it's a credit to them that they've kept competing for a finals berth up to this point. By comparison, the Bulldogs are fielding a near full-strength squad and are some sort of chance of sneaking into the top eight. After an impressive win over a premiership heavyweight they'll be heading to Melbourne full of confidence and should get the job done.

Verdict - Bulldogs by 14

Result - Bulldogs 36 defeated Storm 22

Gold Coast Titans vs New Zealand Warriors – Saturday afternoon – CBus Super Stadium

Last week I mentioned that the Titans had an opportunity to leapfrog plenty of teams on the ladder, and that's exactly what they did. They're a team playing well, and with five of their last six matches at home they certainly won't be running last this season. In fact, there's every chance they'll finish this season in front of the two grand finalists from 2025. This is one of those home games, but it may not feel like it with plenty of Kiwis and ex-pat Kiwis living in and around the Gold Coast. The Warriors have been a little wobbly in recent weeks but a top two finish is vital to their finals prospects and I think they can get the job done. In any case, this should be an entertaining spectacle worthy of your eyeballs.

Verdict - Warriors by 4

Result - Warriors 42 defeated Titans 6

Penrith Panthers vs Canberra Raiders – Saturday night – Glen Willow Oval, Mudgee

It's taking all of my willpower to not tip the Raiders here. I do think an upset isn't out of the question, but taking on the Panthers is typically a risky strategy for a tipster. The Panthers have dropped Talagi for Cogger in the halves, perhaps to shore them up defensively. With Edwards and Kenny still unavailable, it's a very different spine for the home team. But they'll have Cleary, and he'll likely enjoy the additional responsibility. Owen Pattie is back for the Raiders, and the Raiders appear to be a better team when he's on the paddock. If they weren't down two very good back-rowers (Young, Martin) I probably would have been silly enough to tip the upset, but I won't.

Verdict - Panthers by 1

Result - Panthers 42 defeated Raiders 18

Brisbane Broncos vs Newcastle Knights – Saturday night – Suncorp Stadium

A couple of significant returns for the Knights, with Ponga and Gagai back on Saturday night. The season-ending injuries to Brown and Lucas have dealt a significant blow to the Knights' top eight prospects. It's not over though - they do have a fairly favourable run home and a guaranteed two points (Bye) in the last round of the season. Winning this would help, but I caught the Broncos training this week and they still seem engaged and committed. I expect they'll want to give their fans at home something to cheer about. And despite being 14th and with next to no prospects of a top eight finish, it wouldn't surprise me if 40,000 turn up at Suncorp anyway.

Verdict - Broncos by 2

Result - Knights 30 defeated Broncos 6

Cronulla Sharks vs South Sydney Rabbitohs – Sunday afternoon – Ocean Protect Stadium

The Sharks are on a genuine run of winning form, and with a favourable draw (I feel like I say that about the Sharks every year) they have every chance of ending the season in the top two. Home ground suits and the Bunnies don't appear to be the same team that beat the Sharks comfortably (36-12) in round 10. Note the Rabbitohs record at Cronulla is poor, and even if it's a close game Nicho Hynes will likely prove the difference with his goal-kicking. Looks a terrific game though, and it's a shame this isn't the Sunday afternoon fixture on free-to-air television.

Verdict - Sharks by 7

Result - Sharks 32 defeated Rabbitohs 16

Wests Tigers vs Parramatta Eels – Sunday afternoon – CommBank Stadium

16th plays 15th, and while I can understand why the Nine Network chose this game for Sunday afternoon a while back it looks a bit silly now. Regardless, the winner of this can probably dodge the dreaded spoon for the season, so something to play for here. The big line-up news is Adam Doueihi is back and playing in the halves where he clearly prefers to be. Tigers fans will be hoping he proves himself right with a big game. Something of a milestone game for Koroisau, lacing on the boots for the 250th time. Not bad for a little guy that does a ton or work with and without the ball. Paulo returns for the Eels to bolster their pack and while the Eels are a very warm favourite, the Tigers have a good record against the Eels and I'll tip them in an upset.

Verdict - Tigers by 2

Result - Eels 16 defeated Tigers 13

Wally Lewis - round twenty-two selections (in bold)

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

• Cowboys vs ROOSTERS
• Dragons vs DOLPHINS
• Storm vs BULLDOGS
• Titans vs WARRIORS
• PANTHERS vs Raiders
• Broncos vs KNIGHTS
• SHARKS vs Rabbitohs
• Tigers vs EELS