South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Canterbury Bulldogs – Friday afternoon – ANZ Stadium

Here's something out of left field. Four teams played in golden point games in round one, and three of them lost the following round. One of them had to win, because two of those four teams played each other. It's also worth noting that the three teams that did lose were expected to win, and one of them (the Dragons) got absolutely blown off the park. With that in mind, the Rabbitohs, Tigers, Sharks and Panthers are backing up from golden point games this weekend, and I won't be tipping any of them. How the bunnies won last Sunday I will never know, but they need to play a lot better than that if they want to beat the Bulldogs. They can play a lot better than that, but the Dogs have a great record over the Bunnies in recent years, and Ben Barba is worth about 12 points per game in tries scored and tries saved. Woof! Woof!

Verdict – Bulldogs

Result - Rabbitohs 20 defeated Bulldogs 10

Wests Tigers vs Brisbane Broncos – Friday night – Allianz Stadium

The Bunnies barely turned up against the Tigers last Sunday, but when they did it took them just five minutes to win the game. The Broncos always turn up, and will be there from the opening whistle until the post-match interviews. Robbie Farah and Keith Galloway return for the Tigers which has to help but the loss of Gareth Ellis to injury will be telling. The Tigers defensive effort showed some improvement last round but the Broncos are a much more challenging side to shut down.

Verdict – Broncos

Result - Broncos 18 defeated Tigers 14

Gold Coast Titans vs Sydney Roosters – Saturday night – Skilled Park

If you're in a relationship with someone who doesn't love sport this can be a challenging weekend for them. One barely has time to scratch themselves before some other deliciously tempting sporting treat gets underway. You owe it to your loved one to schedule some non-screen time over the four-day weekend, and perhaps this is the game to miss. Rather astonishingly the Roosters are in the top eight, despite having a for and against that is more negative than an Andrew Bolt editorial. They seem to be defying gravity and to my eye they look like a team that will settle in about 12th or 13th place eventually. 12th or 13th is about where the Titans should be also. Their line-up for this game is pretty solid and I think they can pull off an upset this weekend. If they are ever going to give their rusted-on fans a win at home this looks like the game to do it.  

Verdict – Titans

Result - Roosters 18 defeated Titans 12

Cronulla Sharks vs St George Illawarra Dragons – Saturday night – Toyota Stadium

Now this is a game of football. Two teams in good form that have hated each other for decades go head-to-head in what I'm prepared to describe as the game of the round. For too long the Sharks were a side that would just fall short - I doubt there are many teams that have lost more games by narrow margins in recent seasons. This year they seem to be finding a way to win those games, and they will make the top eight this year. This will be a real test for them. The Dragons are backing up from a loss and the last time they did that they racked up 36 points against the Tigers. They won't score anything like that against the Sharks but their recent record against them is hard to ignore. Expecting a low-scoring game and I have visions of a Jamie Soward field goal getting the Red V over the line.

Verdict – Dragons

Result - Sharks 12 defeated Dragons 0

Canberra Raiders vs New Zealand Warriors – Sunday afternoon – Canberra Stadium

I can't recall the last time the Warriors won a game in Canberra but if they ever have it was before 2005. Every hoodoo gets broken eventually. Both sides are battling a crippling injury list at the moment but the Warriors appear to have more depth. Sam Rapira dons a jersey for the Warriors for the first time this season and he should give their pack a much-needed boost. The Raiders pack is missing Shillington, White and Fensom and they might find this footballing caper rather difficult over the next few weeks.

Verdict – Warriors

Result - Raiders 32 defeated Warriors 12

Newcastle Knights vs Parramatta Eels – Sunday afternoon – Hunter Stadium

The good news for Parramatta is that they have notched up their first win for the season. The bad news for Parramatta is that Newcastle will now be switched on for this match. The Eels won six games in 2011 and on each occasion they lost the following week. The 2011 Eels would beat the 2012 Eels in second gear. Tyrone Roberts replaces the injured Kurt Gidley in the halves for the Knights, and he gets a chance to warm into first grade against one of the least challenging opponents he will face all season. The Knights often produce their best in these Sunday afternoon fixtures at home, and anything near their best will be far too good on this occasion. 

Verdict – Knights

Result - Knights 14 defeated Eels 6

North Queensland Cowboys vs Melbourne Storm – Sunday night – Dairy Farmers Stadium

The last time these sides met was in the early rounds of 2011, and the Cowboys won in a canter as they put on one of their best displays in years. That performance may have been something of a one-off. The Storm beat the Cowboys in the eight encounters prior to that, and on seven of those occasions they won convincingly. Their form this season has been pretty convincing as well, and although they will probably lose some games this year, it would take a brave tipster to tell you when that might be happening. I don't think it will be happening this week. The Cowboys might get a home ground advantage but that didn't help them against the Titans or the Sharks.

Verdict – Storm

Result - Storm 42 defeated Cowboys 18

Manly Sea Eagles vs Penrith Panthers – Monday night – Brookvale Oval

The wheels appear to have fallen off the Manly juggernaut to some degree. Perhaps the residual Hasler effects from previous seasons are starting to wear off. In any case this is their first game of the year at their beloved Brookvale Oval, and they're the only team in the NRL that likes to play there. Penrith aren't completely out of this, and Monday night football has started it's usual trick of giving us upset results. The price on offer for the Panthers is tempting, but Manly fullback Brett Stewart usually racks up one or two tries when he returns to his spiritual home. That might be enough to get them over the line.

Verdict – Sea Eagles

Result - Sea Eagles 30 defeated Panthers 0

Wally Lewis - round six selections (in bold)

Note: tips from Wally will be published as soon as possible (usually on Thursday night or early Friday morning).

• Rabbitohs vs BULLDOGS
• Tigers vs BRONCOS
• Titans vs ROOSTERS
• SHARKS vs Dragons
• RAIDERS vs Warriors
• KNIGHTS vs Eels
• Cowboys vs STORM
• SEA EAGLES vs Panthers