Gold Coast Titans vs North Queensland Cowboys – Friday night – Skilled Park

All hail Sezer! I'm not sure where they found him but the Titans have unearthed a playmaker. And it's a good thing too, given the Titans have a habit of spending whatever money they have left on outside backs. I don't know how good he is and I don't know if he knows how good he is, but he clearly has potential and a composed mind. I look forward to watching his progress. The Cowboys lost 18-0 to the Titans in round one in what was, statistically, the worst on-field performance in NRL history. Ouch! We won't see a repeat of a performance like that anytime soon, but I'm a little concerned that the Cowboys workload in recent weeks might hurt them on Friday night. Their four Origin representatives will be playing their third game (away from home) in ten days. They are also one of the few teams that hasn't had a week off with a bye. James Tamou and Matt Scott might be reaching for the oxygen mask in the final twenty minutes of this clash. The Titans are yet to win a game at home this season but I'm tipping an upset. Almost, but not quite, the game of the round.  

Verdict – Titans

Result - Titans 28 defeated Cowboys 12

Manly Sea Eagles vs St George Illawarra Dragons – Friday night – Brookvale Oval

I don't doubt that the effort is still there with the Dragons, and I say that because their defensive structure continues to perform against most opponents. What has gone missing is their attack. During the last seven rounds they are averaging less than 13 points per game, and last weekend they managed just 14 points against the Eels. Given that the Eels were conceding more than 35 points per game in the month prior to the Dragons game, one has to assume the Dragons haven't found the go button on their attack just yet. Thirteen points against the Sea Eagles will keep you in the hunt, but it won't be enough to win.

Verdict – Sea Eagles

Result - Sea Eagles 20 defeated Dragons 8

Canberra Raiders vs Wests Tigers – Saturday night – Canberra Stadium

There is a golden rule in footy tipping - once winter sets in you always tip the Raiders in a night game at home. I hereby breaketh the golden rule. The Tigers season looked over before it started but they have found their mojo and haven't lost since round six. A full-strength Raiders outfit would win on Saturday night but they've had to name an alcohol-free Josh Dugan in the halves to plug some gaps in their backline. It's worth a try but I'll be surprised if that experiment pays off. And I can't let this opportunity pass without sending my condolences to Jack Wighton - the promising young winger from Canberra who suffered a season-ending injury when he fell off a trampoline during the week. I'm sure he'll (wait for it) bounce back next year. Ah Thinker! One of your best. Tigers to shiver their way to victory. Brrrr!!!  

Verdict – Tigers

Result - Tigers 40 defeated Raiders 0

Canterbury Bulldogs vs South Sydney Rabbitohs – Saturday night – ANZ Stadium

Now this is a game of football. Talk of a 40,000+ crowd might be premature for a night game but let's hope I'm pleasantly surprised. The Bulldogs are playing well and their record over the Bunnies is difficult to ignore. I'm not ignoring it, but I can't ignore the form of the Rabbits. They are the form team of the competition. They always had it in them, but they've finally found some consistency and have been playing like premiership contenders for weeks on end. Greg Inglis has taken his game to astonishing heights and can test opposition defences in (at least) three ways - as a playmaker drifting across field and linking with those big boppers (Taylor and Burgess), as a support player chiming in through the middle of the ruck like Billy Slater, and plucking bombs out of the air like a man possessed. He's too good. He's simply too good. I'm on the bunny bandwagon and I'm not getting off. Definitely, but only just, the game of the round.

Verdict – Rabbitohs

Result - Bulldogs 23 defeated Rabbitohs 18

Brisbane Broncos vs Newcastle Knights – Sunday afternoon – Suncorp Stadium

The Broncos were disappointing against the Storm last weekend and somebody has to pay. Newcastle has to pay. This will be third game on the trot for the Knights against a Queensland-based team. They weren't in the contest against the Cowboys and never looked likely against the Titans. This could get very ugly for the visitors - dropped pie ugly. Broncos by 40.

Verdict – Broncos

Result - Broncos 50 defeated Knights 24

New Zealand Warriors vs Melbourne Storm – Sunday afternoon – Mt Smart Stadium

I'm willing to use the last time these sides met as a handy guide for Sunday. That was the ANZAC Day clash only five weeks ago, and although the Warriors were competitive the Storm did run away with proceedings to notch up a convincing victory in the end. The return bout is on New Zealand soil which balances the ledger to some degree, but the Storm have lost just one away game this season. For the Warriors to win they need to shore up their defence - in their last seven games they are conceding (on average) 26 points per game. That might be okay if you can score more than 26 points per game, but no-one scores 26 points against the Storm. After eleven games this season Melbourne have kept their opponent to ten points or less on seven occasions. The Sharks are the only team to beat them and they did so by out-defending them. That isn't the Warriors style, and although I expect this to be close the visitors should come away with the points. 

Verdict – Storm

Result - Storm 22 defeated Warriors 12

Parramatta Eels vs Cronulla Sharks – Monday night – Parramatta Stadium

I'm willing to say this about Parramatta - they have shown signs of improvement in recent weeks. Long-suffering Eels fans can take some comfort from that, but what must pain them is that they continue to lose. The Eels need to find something extra if they want to start winning, and I don't think they have much more improvement in them. For now they are still motivated by the desire to avoid the wooden spoon. Unfortunately for them the two sides above them have the bye this round, so a loss here could be the beginning of the end. 

Verdict – Sharks

Result - Eels 29 defeated Sharks 20

Wally Lewis - round thirteen selections (in bold)

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

• Titans vs COWBOYS
• SEA EAGLES vs Dragons
• Raiders vs TIGERS
• Bulldogs vs RABBITOHS
• BRONCOS vs Knights
• Warriors vs STORM
• Eeks vs SHARKS