Brisbane Broncos vs Canterbury Bulldogs – Thursday night – Suncorp Stadium

From time to time one needs to put the form guide in the back pocket and just ask one simple question - who wants this more? Keep that question in mind, because it is a question worth asking for many of the games this weekend. The Bulldogs have a stranglehold on fifth spot - they certainly can't get any higher and only a massive loss (and a big win by the Sharks) would see them fall back to sixth. Obviously the Broncos can't do much to make this season a success but they can (theoretically) finish as high as 11th, which looks a little bit better than finishing 13th. I'm not sure if that is enough motivation, but what may motivate them is the desire to give their fans at home something to cheer about in what has been an awful year. And we have some milestone moments on Thursday night as well - David Stagg plays his 200th game, and Scott Prince plays his 300th (and final) game. A tremendous achievement for two of the nicest (and smartest) guys in football - both have battled serious injuries throughout their careers but have kept on keeping on. The Broncos are big outsiders, but we've seen plenty of outsiders winning in recent weeks. Note the Thursday night timeslot tipsters. Get your selections in early this week.

Verdict – Broncos

Result - Broncos 16 defeated Bulldogs 11

South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Sydney Roosters – Friday night – ANZ Stadium

It's the longest running rivalry in the rugby league world. They met in round one, and they meet in round 26, and this time the winner gets the minor premiership and an early psychological blow going into the finals series. I could talk about this game for hours, but I'll do my best to keep this brief and let the game do the talking on Friday night. I'm sure Inglis wants to play, but it may not be his choice to make. His inclusion would be a considerable risk so close to the finals, but you want your big-game players playing in the big games, and Inglis is every inch a big-game player. Across the park these sides are pretty evenly matched, but the Bunnies do have an edge on their bench. The Bunnies can pitch those two Burgess twins into the game at choice moments, and they'll be very difficult to stop. A try to George Burgess late in the second half may prove the difference at full-time. If the Bunnies do win they'll most likely be facing the Storm in the first week of the finals, and the Storm are the last team the Bunnies want to be playing in the finals. That said, I doubt they'll be thinking much beyond Friday night. Once or twice a season you get a game of football that is played at an entirely different level to all other games of football. This will be one of those games. 100% unmissable.

Verdict – Rabbitohs

Result - Roosters 24 defeated Rabbitohs 12

St George Illawarra Dragons vs New Zealand Warriors – Saturday afternoon – WIN Stadium

It's rather miraculous, but the schedule of the final round means that every team in contention for the final spots in the last eight will think they can still make the eight when they take to the field. As far as the Warriors know, the Titans, Cowboys and Kevin Rudd will be losing later that day, and if they do the Warriors are a happy happy team. They have a reason to win this game, and I can't find a reason why the Dragons want to win this game. They've avoided the wooden spoon, and I doubt the chance to leapfrog the Tigers in 14th spot is motivation enough. In any case, they were pretty woeful on Monday night against the worst team in the competition. Expect the Warriors to run away with this one in the second stanza.

Verdict – Warriors

Result - Dragons 19 defeated Warriors 10

Melbourne Storm vs Gold Coast Titans – Saturday night – AAMI Park

If the Titans make the top eight they are going to do it the hard way, backing up their away win over the Roosters with an away win over the Storm - and even then they need the Cowboys to fall over against the Tigers later that night in Townsville. It's all a bit too much isn't it? Isn't it? I realise Melbourne don't have a lot to play for here, but they can briefly get back into third place and hope the Sea Eagles find a way to lose to Penrith at Brookie on Sunday afternoon. Is that enough? Perhaps not, but I don't think the Storm are the sort of side that want to go into a finals series on the back of consecutive losses. Cameron Smith put a rocket up his troops after the loss to Manly last weekend. I expect his troops to remove the rockets and respond accordingly.

Verdict – Storm

Result - Storm 23 defeated Titans 22 (golden point)

North Queensland Cowboys vs Wests Tigers – Saturday night – 1300SMILES Stadium

Regardless of what happens during the remainder of season 2013, this is the last game for Matt Bowen at his home ground. When the Cowboys weren't very good (and that was often) he was one very good reason to watch the Cowboys. I can still remember some of the remarkable things he did on the park during his younger years..and he's still got it. He has contributed to the changing role of the fullback in the modern game as much as anybody. He has gone about his business season after season, and he's barely raised a whisper. I can't recall a single clash with a referee or a touch judge. No controversies. No fireworks. Just a lovely quiet guy with arguably the silkiest hands in the game. I'll miss him, and a treble for Bowen on Saturday night would be reason enough to watch what I imagine will be one-way traffic all night.

Verdict – Cowboys

Result - Cowboys 50 defeated Tigers 22

Manly Sea Eagles vs Penrith Panthers – Sunday afternoon – Brookvale Oval

There should be quite a bit of joyousness around Brookvale on Sunday afternoon. It's pretty likely we'll have a new Prime Minister by then, and with that comes a significant upgrade to the facilities for the local team of the new PM. So there's that, and an opportunity for Manly to cement third spot on the ladder with a win. Penrith are arguably the only team in Western Sydney that have performed above expectations this season, and I expect brighter days for them in the next few seasons. But a Sunday afternoon at Brookie is a tough way to end the season, and the Sea Eagles should win this one by a fair margin. An interesting point of interest for this game is the race for the individual honour of top try scorer this season. Penrith winger David Simmons will be hoping The Wolfman has a quiet game. He is one of three players (the other two are Sam Perrett and Michael Jennings) who needs a treble to take the honour away from Simmons and The Wolfman might be the man most likely.

Verdict – Sea Eagles

Result - Panthers 38 defeated Sea Eagles 26

Newcastle Knights vs Parramatta Eels – Sunday afternoon – Hunter Stadium

It is highly probable that the Knights will need to win this game to stay in the top eight, but even if they don't, this is their annual old boys game. Newcastle almost never lose the old boys game...against anybody. They certainly won't be losing to the a team running last who have absolutely nothing to play for. Knights by 44.

Verdict – Knights

Result - Knights 54 defeated Eels 6

Canberra Raiders vs Cronulla Sharks – Sunday night – Canberra Stadium

The Raiders have lost five games in a row, and have conceded an extraordinary 210 points in the process. On that form only a complete knucklehead of the lowest order would be tipping them on Sunday night. Well call me captain knucklehead. Remember that question I asked earlier about who wants to win most. Well the Sharks don't really have a lot to play for here. No matter the result they'll be finishing in 6th place this season. Do they give this their all? Do they risk injuries and suspensions in a game of no consequence? I can't see them doing what the Fremantle Dockers did in the AFL but I just wonder if they'll be 100% switched on. It's been a pretty dire season for the Raiders on and off the park but, like the Broncos, they get an opportunity to finish the season with a win at home.

Verdict – Raiders

Result - Sharks 38 defeated Raiders 18

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

Note: tips from Wally will be published on Thursday night or early Friday morning.

• Broncos vs BULLDOGS
• RABBITOHS vs Roosters
• Dragons vs WARRIORS
• STORM vs Titans
• COWBOYS vs Tigers
• SEA EAGLES vs Panthers
• KNIGHTS vs Eels
• Raiders vs SHARKS