Brisbane Broncos vs Parramatta Eels – Friday night – Suncorp Stadium
Despite all the health warnings I did watch the Eels beat the Tigers last Friday night, and it ended up being a fairly entertaining game of football. It may have been entertaining, and the Eels may have won, but it doesn't change the fact that Parramatta are a pretty ordinary footy team. Jarryd Hayne in the halves improves them no end. It may not be his natural position but the more he gets his hands on the ball the better the Eels look. The Broncos are hanging on by their fingernails each and every week and they certainly have a sweet draw to finish off the season. The equation can't get any simpler for them - they just have to keep winning. I can't see them getting it wrong on Friday night.
Verdict – Broncos
Result - Broncos 22 defeated Eels 12
South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Manly Sea Eagles – Friday night – Bluetongue Stadium
Sam likes grabbing them and George likes taking photos of them. These Burgess brothers seem to have an unhealthy obsession and I wonder what's next for Luke and Thomas. Sam gets a two week holiday for an old-fashioned squirrel grip on Will Chambers - who clearly didn't enjoy it as much as Sam did. You could imagine the hoo-hah if a Storm player did that to Sam Burgess...but I digress. The Rabbitohs welcome back Greg Inglis and John Sutton and with those inclusions many will be tipping them to win this weekend. I'm holding off for another week, primarily because Inglis and Sutton are two players that can take a few games to hit their peak. The Sea Eagles just keep winning and the 'neutral' venue does them no harm either.
Verdict – Sea Eagles
Result - Rabbitohs 22 defeated Sea Eagles 10
Canberra Raiders vs Canterbury Bulldogs – Saturday afternoon – Canberra Stadium
The last time the Raiders played at home they disappointed their fans with the biggest away loss in the history of the competition. They'll be keen to make amends here. That injury list for the Bulldogs is starting to look a little ugly, with Sam Kasiano and Greg Eastwood joining Ben Barba on the sideline. You don't want to be facing that big Canberra pack with two of your most important forwards unavailable. Canberra have plenty of strikepower in that backline as well. Blake Ferguson is back, Anthony Milford is dangerous, Jack Wighton is fast, and Reece Robinson could be a late inclusion. Daytime games in Canberra usually mean plenty of points, and the Raiders look like they can score more than the visitors. Note the timeslot for this game - I believe we'll be having a 3pm Saturday game for the remainder of the regular season. The more daytime football the better I say.
Verdict – Raiders
Result - Bulldogs 28 defeated Raiders 16
North Queensland Cowboys vs Gold Coast Titans – Saturday night – 1300SMILES Stadium
I don't think there's much between these sides, and those looking for an upset could do a lot worse than tipping the Titans here. I'm sticking with the home side because the Titans are on a short turnaround from a Monday night fixture (in Sydney) to a Saturday night fixture (in Townsville). That's a big ask and I can see why the Titans weren't so happy with the competition schedule at the back end of this season. The Cowboys haven't lost since they dismissed their coach and I think they'll win again, but this is a contest.
Verdict - Cowboys
Result - Cowboys 22 defeated Titans 10
St George Illawarra Dragons vs Cronulla Sharks – Saturday night – WIN Stadium
The Dragons always fire up for the local derby with the Sharks but they are running out of troops to fire up with. They lost two Origin players last weekend for the season (Dugan and Merrin) and their line-up is looking more like a patchwork quilt each week. By comparison the Sharks have named the best seventeen they could possibly name - it's probably the best side the Sharks have named for ten years. That they lost last weekend can only switch them on as far as I'm concerned. Good things.
Verdict – Sharks
Result - Sharks 22 defeated Dragons 18
Newcastle Knights vs Melbourne Storm – Sunday afternoon – Hunter Stadium
One should never take the Knights lightly in these Sunday afternoon games in Newcastle - against anybody. I find it hard to tip against them in these games, but I have a suspicion their efforts over the last few rounds will take their toll this weekend. An extra-time draw against the Broncos followed by a tough physical win over a big Sharks outfit. They were up for it last weekend (it was the 250th game for Danny Buderus) and I fear they might be on their way back down to earth. I still expect this to be close - the Storm prevailed by just two points in Melbourne earlier this year and a similar result wouldn't surprise. If the Storm don't win by two they'll win by 30. The Knights are that kind of side.
Verdict – Storm
Result - Storm 23 defeated Knights 10
New Zealand Warriors vs Penrith Panthers – Sunday afternoon – Mt Smart Stadium
The last time these sides met the Panthers racked up a staggering 62 points in the second biggest win of the season. It looks like they peaked then and they've been working their way down a slippery slope to the bottom ever since. They've scored slightly more than half of 62 points in their last four weekends of football put together, and they've conceded 148 points while doing so. The Warriors haven't been in great form of late either, but they'll want to make amends for their last effort against the Panthers and I wouldn't be surprised if they racked up 62 points of their own this time around. A loss of that magnitude, or any loss for that matter, spells the end for the Panthers. Give me an 'e'. Give me an 'n'...
Verdict – Warriors
Result - Panthers 28 defeated Warriors 24
Wests Tigers vs Sydney Roosters – Monday night – Allianz Stadium
Last year the Roosters weren't so good and the Tigers weren't so bad. And last year these sides met twice and the Roosters scored more than 40 points on both occasions. I'm getting dizzy thinking about how many points a good Roosters side can score against a bad Tigers side. The result is inevitable but the margin is still open to speculation. I'll say Roosters 46 - Tigers 12.
Verdict – Roosters
Result - Roosters 56 defeated Tigers 14
Wally Lewis - round twenty-three selections (in bold)
Note: tips from Wally will be published on Thursday night or early Friday morning.
- BRONCOS vs Eels
- Rabbitohs vs SEA EAGLES
- Raiders vs BULLDOGS
- Cowboys vs TITANS
- Dragons vs SHARKS
- Knights vs STORM
- WARRIORS vs Panthers
- Tigers vs ROOSTERS
Comments
Submitted by mark ashford on
Mr Thinker, your logic is impeccable as always so I'm with you 100% this week. Last entry from me for a couple of weeks so good luck to everyone with their tipping comps. Last word GO THE BRONCOS!
Submitted by Jonh on
Good call MrT but I think there willb an upset somewhere. Maybe Knights they came close in melbourne?
Submitted by cycloneracing on
Hey Jonh I'm with you, Knights upset. The rest of the tips are good!
Submitted by Johnny Boney on
My tips
Broncos 1-4 Hodges not playing broncos have to get used to that because he's not going to be playing for 10-12 months, Eels to play tough but Broncos here.
Manly 1-6 really close one now that Inglis and Sutton are playing manly in brilliant form 225 points in 6 games who could stop them
Raiders 10+ too good at home here also the bulldogs are without Kasiano
Cowboys 13+ both teams in form cowboys in far more better form so cowboys for me
Sharks by 10 Dugan and Merrin out I have to go against my beloved Dragons in this match.
Storm by at least 20 surely more way to good at home knights in form but storm have smashed teams lately.
Warriors 29+ they are gonna do what the Panthers did to them plus there to good at home only losing 2 matches there this season.
Roosters by 100 tigers are having problems roosters way too good
Submitted by Johnny Boney on
JOKES
Roosters 30+
Did anyone believe me when I said 100 please comment if you did. Good luck to all
Submitted by Guru Craig on
Brisbane - The Guru saw Josh Hoffman busting some funky dance moves on instagram yesterday. If he can keep up the fancy footwork tomorrow the Bronco’s should hot step this one in easily. Even with Hodges out, Brisbane should be too strong for Ricky’s Ramblers. If Brisbane have any thoughts about making the eight, this game is where you show it. Make some repairs to the For and Against. Bris 13+
Manly - Sam “the squirrel” Burgess copped a suspension for fondling Prince Will’s royal jewels and The Guru reckons ‘Handy Sam’s’ absence will leave the Bunnies engine room down a few HP and more importantly, with less leadership and momentum. Manly are gearing up for a title shot and they will be playing hard. The Lyon and Toovey show has been traveling well but this is the test...beat an out of form disrupted Souths and a home semi awaits. Manly 1-12
Canberra - The Guru is expecting a tough game here, Ben Bronco, i mean Brisbane Barber, damnit...Ben Barber, is out along with the other nice Doggies the Boss mentioned above. Canterbury are sitting in 5th so they have a bit of room to pant, but the good old Viking Raiders are about 9th i think...there should be enough motivation from the home crowd with the need to forget about ‘That game’ driving Canberra to a nice win.
Cowboys - This could be a close game. The Titans are in the 8 and the other two QLD sides are trying to get there. The Cows believe there is a chance they will, small though as it is, that chance will be the reason NQ win...if they do, because The Guru learnt a lesson last week about the GCT, they can actually play a bit of footy on the odd occasion and i expect them to push NQ to the end.
Sharks - The Sharkies have named a pretty good team to take the field against the Dragons on Sunday, who are finally coming to terms with missing the cut and missing ‘The Pineapple’. The G train is minus a phone but he’s going better than the Dragons and his team is looking ok as well. Sharks lock of the round.
Storm - The Guru thinks Melbourne are too clinical and disciplined for a Knights team that even after showing good form, won’t have enough to beat the purple army. Wayne Bennett’s done well with this team, a huge improvement on the start of the year and if Tiny’s still on the punt, I’d be betting against yourself this week champ.
NZW - The sequel? surely not..unless the scoreline is reversed. The Guru can't see The Pennies doing well in this game. NZ are on a roll, a few bumps here and there but they look tough and are hard to beat at home.
Roosters - $1.05 to $11.00 You can’t say much about those odds can you? The chooks have their eyes pointed towards a premiership, and the Tigers appear to be a sinking ship. Benji is upsetting the establishment and its all Potters fault. The Tigers story over the last few seasons would make an interesting movie, sadly though no one would watch it. what odds the Stegglers can give Melbourne’s benchmark a nudge? Roosters 30+
Submitted by a on
Here are my tips
Eels No Hodges Eels to win 2 in a row here
Rabbitohs Ingles returns Rabbitohs to win
Bulldogs They will beat Cnberra
Cowboys Go Cowboys they should win
Sharks No Dugan No Merrin Dragons are crap
Storm Knights are no hope
Warriors Panthers are back to crap
Roosters Tigers are crap and will be sh*t Roosters by 70 becauseJooney Bonney might what it = to 100
Submitted by The Joker on
a: your tips are awful!.. what is your position in your comp??
Submitted by vlad sleagles on
No go there boney,think your full of baloney.
Submitted by a on
I only tipped Eels
Submitted by a on
I only tipped Eels their not crap
Submitted by a on
Why is wally late
Submitted by Guessmaster on
The tips are expected however can I put this point forward? With 4 rounds to go, can we have some roughies nominated for those tippers just outside the money positions as the front runners will no doubt be taking the favourites to hopefully maintain their lead however - fortune favours the brave!
Submitted by Jonh on
Always at least one upset its just getting lucky to pick it. I think souths, titans, knights games are best chance although its a lottery when ur playing catch up!!
Submitted by Oracle on
The Truth
Broncos... Eels will not win away from home.
Sea Eagles... Manly sneak home - just.
Raiders... Injuries hurting but home side wins.
Cowboys... Titans struggle with the turnaround.
Sharks... Dragons are done.
Warriors... Too strong at home.
Storm... Too sharp as finals approaching.
Roosters... Tigers will not win another game this season.
Submitted by Johnny Ray on
Than you Thinker ! My tips this week for this round are Manly Wehrmacht Sea Eagles, Brisbane Bronco's, Canterbury Bulldogs, Townsville Cowboys, Cronulla Sharks, NZ Warriors ( 12 And Under, it will be close you can count on it ... ), Newcastle Knights, Sydney Roosters ! Gone The Warriors ! ;-D
Submitted by Nik on
I think this will be a revenge round... thus, Broncos, Sea Eagles, Raiders, Cowboys, Sharks, Warriors, Knights, Roosters
Submitted by Guru Craig on
The Guru agrees Nik. Heres some last minute punting advice...
There's 2 maybe 3 games that look a bit tricky, STH v MAN, CAN v BUL and NQC v GCT
Souths are out of form slightly, Handy Sam is out but GI and Sutton are back. But they are due for a win.
Manly are in form, at full strength but there are a few small questions that need answers. Brookvale and The Eagles win by 10, its worth about 10pts. J Lyon makes the difference. Man 1-12 or Sths 1-12 pick your fav, Guru likes Manly but i've got a slight feeling here...bet carefully
Raiders must perform to stay alive...but can they? Canberra are not consistent though they play well at home. Doggies would like a win but they are not the team from 2012. Something isn't clicking with the dogs. will be a Close game though unless they do click....should know after 10mins in. could be a decent live betting opportunity. Home side -3.5 should be safe
Bronco's -7.5 looks ok or 13+. Brisbane will win this well. cash in.
NQ should win, they are the better side in this game...but, the extra lift from Henry's sacking is about worn off as too the passing of Murray. The Coast will try and win this one but they will struggle with confidence. Cows -3.5
Submitted by a on
I would love to see Tigers beat the Roosters here
Submitted by Lady Di on
The Joker - methinks "a" might have some'it! Tipped Rabbits and Dogs ... but also Eels and NZW ... 'tis a lottery init?!!
Submitted by Steel Panther on
Gone the Warriors.....gone for the season that is!! What happened Johnny Ray?
Submitted by a on
The Joker I am doing better than you
Submitted by Johnny Ray on
Ah man, what happen was Panthers won by four points, same four points that they got off from try that shouldn't be awarded ! I don't care what anybody says, that was a forward pass ! I don't want to go Geoff Toovey about this but yeah I blame refs for Warriors losing on Sunday because it's hard for your players to stand up for game when ref is sitting on all match ! That's why they played with no intensity because you've not going have any if you're not able to get into game ! Gone The Warriors :-(
Submitted by Steel Panther on
Yea totally agree about the missed forward pass and touchie was right in line too. Terrible. Overall a very poor weekend for the referees but don't think that one bad call cost the Warriors the game. Playing in front of your own fans, desperate to stay in touch with the top 8, revenge for a 60 point loss earlier in the season, 12 nil up early. What more motivation does a team need? It's been evident for a long time now that the worst decision the Warriors made was letting Ivan Cleary go. I hope the Warriors aren't gone in 2013 but they sure have made the road ahead tough with games in the next two weeks against fellow top 8 contenders the Titans and Raiders.
Submitted by THE JOKER on
A: im leading 3 comps sir i doubt that very much.
Submitted by cupcake on
.... Bunnies.... tisc tisc Mr Thinker.... "and the cupcakes lead increases this round"....whoot whoot! Breathing space... keep up the commentary!