Melbourne Storm vs Brisbane Broncos – Friday night – AAMI Park

First plays second in what looks likely to be a dress rehearsal for the grand final this season. Broncos coach Anthony Griffin has stuck solid with his policy of resting Origin players, although Matt Gillett has been named to plug a gap in the centres. The Storm have a seven-man interchange as I write, but if history is a guide the big three of Smith, Slater and Cronk will back up from Wednesday night - at least they don't have to travel. The Broncos might be missing some big guns but they can still boast a very strong line-up and are at silly odds to cause an upset. I'm one prop forward away from tipping them in this, so I hope Ben Hannant isn't a surprise late inclusion. Unfortunately for the visitors the Storm lost their last game to the Sharks. They rarely lose two games in a row, and they never lose two games in a row when that second game is played at AAMI Park. Brisbane will have a reasonable amount of crowd support and they'll give this a shake but the Storm will do enough to get the points.   

Verdict – Storm

Result - Storm 34 defeated Broncos 10

South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Canberra Raiders – Friday night – ANZ Stadium

At their best the Raiders could make a game of this but much of the firepower in their backline (i.e. Dugan and Ferguson) has been stood down for drinking too many shandies. Coach David Furner could use a stiff drink by full-time because they face a Bunnies side in red-hot form. The Raiders have won just one game in recent weeks when they beat the Eels, but they conceded 34 points in doing so. These sides met late last year and the Rabbits racked up 47 points and they did that in Canberra. Not many teams score 47 points in the Friday night fixtures, but the Bunnies might get close.

Verdict – Rabbitohs

Result - Rabbitohs 36 defeated Raiders 18

Newcastle Knights vs Gold Coast Titans – Saturday night – Hunter Stadium

The Titans don't get to say this too often, but they are in better form than their opponents this weekend. In the last month they've notched up wins over the Bulldogs and the Sea Eagles and lost in extra time to the Tigers. The Knights have won just two of their last six outings, and those victories were over the Panthers and the Eels. That's not the sort of form that will carry you through September. The Titans are better than the Panthers and the Eels but they might find the going tough on Saturday night. Scott Prince is out with injury following a training mishap and three of their best forwards (Myles, Bird and Harrison) have to back up from Wednesday. Danny Buderus returns for the Knights and his steadying influence should get the home side over the line.

Verdict – Knights

Result - Titans 24 defeated Knights 14

St George Illawarra Dragons vs Parramatta Eels – Saturday night – WIN Jubilee Oval

I could almost get sucked in to tipping the Eels in this. Almost, but not quite. The Dragons are treading water at the moment but at least they're still in the pool. If that cobbled-together forward pack for the Red V can hold their own their backline can put the Eels to bed by half-time. Good night!

Verdict – Dragons

Result - Dragons 14 defeated Eels 12

Penrith Panthers vs Manly Sea Eagles – Sunday afternoon – Centrebet Stadium

These sides met in round six so we can use that result as a pretty good guide. Manly won that game 30-0, and since then the Sea Eagles have improved and the Panthers have done the opposite. Playing at Penrith helps their cause to some degree, but that scoreline from round six looks about right. I particularly like the look of that '0'.

Verdict – Sea Eagles

Result - Panthers 22 defeated Sea Eagles 4

Wests Tigers vs North Queensland Cowboys – Sunday afternoon – Campbelltown Sports Stadium

The Tigers have been less convincing than a Jennifer Lopez Film Festival, but they might look a little more convincing on Sunday afternoon. The Cowboys can't buy a win in Sydney, and I suspect their starting props (Scott and Tamou) might struggle with the Origin back-up. The unfortunate injury (is there such a thing as a fortunate injury?) to Tariq Sims is a massive blow. Expecting a high-scoring game, and any match involving Marshall, Thurston and Bowen is sure to be an entertaining affair.

Verdict – Tigers

Result - Tigers 26 defeated Cowboys 18

Sydney Roosters vs Canterbury Bulldogs – Monday night – Allianz Stadium

The last three outings between these sides have resulted in a total of 172 points scored. That's an awful lot of points, and what's even more astonishing is that the winning margin in each of those games was just four. The Roosters have been playing well without winning which worries me. Losing, much like winning, is habit-forming. I'm starting to doubt the Roosters ability to get the job done when the whips are cracking. The Bulldogs haven't put it all together either, but it's worth noting that Melbourne and Brisbane are the only sides that have conceded less points than the Doggies this season. Pencil this game into your schedule if you can. I have a gut feeling it might be a rip-snorter. Dogs...by four

Verdict – Bulldogs

Result - Bulldogs 30 defeated Roosters 12

Wally Lewis - round twelve selections (in bold)

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

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