Parramatta Eels vs Wests Tigers – Friday night – Parramatta Stadium

Both sides are struggling to score points in recent outings, so expect a low-scoring contest in this one. Jarryd Hayne and Tim Mannah should line up for Parramatta following Origin duty, providing Hayne recovers from attacking the knees of Cameron Smith with his back. As for the Tigers Benji Marshall, Liam Fulton and Simon Dwyer remain sidelined with injury, but they do welcome back Chris Lawrence and Todd Payten. The Tigers may not be at full-strength but they've dealt with that all season and they find themselves a long way in front of the Eels on the competition ladder. I watched the Eels/Broncos game last week, and at full-time the Eels looked like a team who realised their season was over. This is a sport where attitude and application go a long way toward determining the winner, and the Tigers have more to play for.

Verdict – Tigers

Result - Eels 22 defeated Tigers 6

New Zealand Warriors vs Gold Coast Titans – Friday night – Mt Smart Stadium

A quick question for everyone without notice – which of these two teams has the better record over the last six weeks? Those of you that assumed it was the Warriors can join me at the back of the classroom. The Warriors haven’t won a game in that period – although they have had two byes. The Titans are only slightly better, having notched up a win over a seriously under-strength Dragons outfit. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the Warriors recent drop in form has coincided with the speculation surrounding the future of Coach Ivan Cleary. With his future settled (at Penrith) I expect the Warriors to regain some form on Friday night. If there is a team in the competition that can help any team bounce back it’s the Titans – whose fall from grace has been astonishing. The Gold Coast have a fantastic overall record against the Warriors, but their form this season (including a 20-point loss to the Warriors on the Gold Coast in round nine) makes the home side an automatic selection.

Verdict – Warriors

Result - Warriors 22 defeated Titans 6

Cronulla Sharks vs Canberra Raiders – Saturday night – Toyota Stadium

Thank goodness both these sides won last week, or The Thinker would have been celebrating the launch of the new website with a duck-egg round. Both sides have a bit of a roll on at the moment and are playing some very attractive football. The Raiders are missing two of their best forwards in David Shillington and Tom Learoyd-Lahrs, and I think their pack might struggle. The Sharks add Paul Gallen and Kade Snowden to a forward pack that was dominant last weekend. There are some whispers that Josh Dugan may get a late call-up for the Raiders, but I think the home side will win regardless.

Verdict – Sharks

Result - Sharks 26 defeated Raiders 12

Canterbury Bulldogs vs Melbourne Storm – Saturday night – Adelaide Oval

The good people of Adelaide get to see some rugby league, and Bulldogs Coach Kevin Moore may want to drop into a local church and request some divine intervention. A big loss here could spell the end of his coaching reign at the kennel. I don’t usually like talking up favourites as a good betting opportunity, but I think the $1.50 about Melbourne winning this game is fairly generous. No doubt the Melbourne brains trust noticed Ben Barba struggling under the high ball last week, and Cooper Cronk will be ready to test him out. Eight points is the most any team has scored against Melbourne in their last five games, and I’m not sure the Bulldogs can score any. If the Storm have one of those days where their attack clicks this could get ugly.

Verdict – Storm

Result - Storm 28 defeated Bulldogs 18

Sydney Roosters vs Penrith Panthers – Sunday afternoon – Sydney Football Stadium

Roosters fans that were brave enough to front up on Monday night booed their team off the field at full-time. It was an understandable response. Theoretically at least, the Roosters might respond to that and give their fans something to cheer about on Sunday. Theory schmeory. Until I see improvement I’ll be assuming more of the same from the chickens, and more of the same won’t beat Penrith at the moment. Interim Penrith Coach Steve Georgallis has sprung something of a surprise by resting his Origin stars in Civoniceva and Lewis. Perhaps he is rewarding the team that performed so well last week, and perhaps he is playing mind games with us all. Either way he’s never lost a game as a first-grade coach so I’ll assume he knows what he’s doing. The Panthers are $1.68 with the bookies and we might want to take some of that as well. Juicy.

Verdict – Panthers

Result - Roosters 34 defeated Panthers 26

Manly Sea Eagles vs South Sydney Rabbitohs – Sunday afternoon – Brookvale Oval

The Sea Eagles may have lost their last game to the Dragons, but their performance on the night was good enough to beat just about anyone else. The Rabbitohs may have lost their last game to the Sharks, but their performance on the day was poor enough to be beaten by just about anyone else. These sides met in round four and the Rabbits actually won, but that result won’t be replicated this weekend. I’m expecting a lot of points at Brookvale on Sunday. Sea Eagles by 20. 

Verdict – Sea Eagles

Result - Sea Eagles 36 defeated Rabbitohs 22

Newcastle Knights – North Queensland Cowboys – Monday night – Ausgrid Stadium

Some big names are back for this clash, with Jarrod Mullen returning for the Knights and Willie Tonga back for the Cowboys. This would have been an absolute blockbuster of a game, but it’s been overshadowed by the unfortunate injury to Jonathan Thurston. Only minutes before he was stretchered off I said to myself I was going to back the Cowboys to win the competition, providing Thurston and Scott get through this game unharmed. Ouch! I can’t help but feel partly responsible.

Verdict – Knights

Result - Cowboys 22 defeated Knights 12

Wally Lewis - round eighteen selections (in bold)

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

• Eels vs TIGERS
• WARRIORS vs Titans
• SHARKS vs Raiders
• Bulldogs vs STORM
• Roosters vs PANTHERS
• SEA EAGLES vs Rabbitohs
• KNIGHTS vs Cowboys