Penrith Panthers vs South Sydney Rabbitohs – Friday night – Pepper Stadium
Are the Panthers back? Perhaps. A big win over the Tigers gives hope but I am the young boy from Oliver (Please sir...I want some more). Sixteen rounds have been and gone and the Panthers have notched up just one win against a side in the top eight. That win was against the Bulldogs way back in round one...and they're currently 8th. They played the Bulldogs again in round 15...and lost. That probably gives you an idea of their level, which is a shame because the Panthers are better than that...or they should be. No Greg Inglis for the Bunnies but outside of that they are virtually unchanged from last week. Clearly the Bunnies without Inglis are beatable, and a Panthers win wouldn't surprise me, but I shan't be tipping them. No I shan't.
Verdict – Rabbitohs by 2
Result - Panthers 20 defeated Rabbitohs 6
St George Illawarra Dragons vs North Queensland Cowboys – Saturday night – WIN Stadium
A Saturday night in July on the coast at Wollongong. I'm getting shivers just thinking about it. If the weather doesn't beat the Cowboys the Origin-forced omissions certainly will - Scott, Tamou, Thurston and Morgan. No Dugan for the Dragons - he'll be sitting back downing a few Bacardi Breezers with Michael Jennings in another NSW coastal town. He's a big out for the Red V, but it's nothing compared to their opponents.
Verdict – Dragons by 8
Result - Cowboys 18 defeated Dragons 12
Manly Sea Eagles vs Cronulla Sharks – Sunday afternoon – Brookvale Oval
Those in the Shire are starting to get itchy - their team is winning again. Some of them are getting a little ahead of themselves, talking up the Sharks prospects as a top four side and a genuine contender. Clearly their form has improved, but it's worth reminding them that this is Origin season. Origin season is like the rear view mirror on your car - objects may appear closer than they really are. The Warriors often start winning at this time of year (and they are). Heck, even the Panthers and Eels had wins last weekend. With Cherry-Evans released from Origin duty the Sea Eagles are naming a pretty strong side, and now they just need their forwards to stand up at Brookvale. With Gallen and (probably) Ennis unavailable, I think they can.
Verdict – Sea Eagles by 2
Result - Sea Eagles 28 defeated Sharks 16
Wests Tigers vs Parramatta Eels – Monday night – ANZ Stadium
I'm finding it hard to get a read on the Tigers. Just a few weeks ago they absolutely towelled up the defending premiers 34-6. It shows you what they can do, but that's been their only win since round eight. The Eels by contrast, are on something of a run. In their last two games they've beaten the teams running 4th and 6th. Prior to that, an incredible comeback was all that stopped them from claiming the scalp of the team running 2nd. That's good enough form for this I say. Watch this one. If this isn't the best game of the round it should be the most entertaining.
Verdict – Eels by 7
Result - Eels 28 defeated Tigers 16
Wally Lewis - round seventeen selections (in bold)
Note: tips from Wally will be published on Thursday night or early Friday morning.
- Panthers vs RABBITOHS
- DRAGONS vs Cowboys
- SEA EAGLES vs Sharks
- Tigers vs EELS
Comments
Submitted by The Thinker on
Evening folks,
You'll notice my tips are in nice and early for this round. I'm sneaking away with the family for a short break so I'll be away from Thinker Central.
No doubt I'll drop in from time to time, but if you haven't heard from me for a while don't worry - I'm probably just trapped under a giant beach umbrella on an island in the Whitsundays.
And if that tropical low turns into a cyclone (in July) I will be pretty darn annoyed.
I'll be back home in time for an Origin preview.
All the best
Submitted by Coach Potato on
Oh no. Not Cowboys $3 plus. Anything but Cowboys $3 plus. Second guessing game this I just know it.
Submitted by Baggy_Gee on
Yay I'm beating the Thinker, At least alphabetically. Well my tipping from last weekend is going to happen and I'll follow the formula as laid out then. For those of you who missed it, its easy, Winners get through, two winners, home team. Losers only get tipped if there are two playing and then the home team gets the nod. Also shall post my 4 yr olds tips. Lets see who's better.
Panthers - Both won, so Panthers at home. Can see the Rabbits getting up, but I think that part of the black cats issues have been confidence based, So would tip them even without the rules.
Dragons - Both lost fairly handily last weekend, Thinker nailed it though, No Thurston no win, (sorry Mr. Marley). But there are some other serious holes left in the Cow's side as well. Dragons just had the misfortune of running out onto Pirtek and against the BOYS.
Sharks - Dunno, might be a bad call this one, but the Sharks have a few good fringe players who want a job when Gallen hangs up the boots and Gordon becomes a BOY. No Evans might help the Eagles here as it allows Foran to do his thing. Have I ever mentioned how much I rate Foran as a player?
Eels - Win last start against a team that was thrashed by one man. We have a big winger who likes to score multiple tries in a game. We also have apparently the longest injury list in the NRL currently. Sami to get 4 and his try scoring list to over shadow our injuries.
Submitted by Baggy_Gee on
And Thinker, enjoy the time off and hope you get to relax. Travel safe and remember to leave your laptop charger back in Sydney.
Submitted by Johnny Ray on
Awesome as ! Enjoy your time away Thinker. Also here's a tip for everybody and I know this is going to sound little crazy but you ever go to beach, take a disposable diaper with you to hide your valuables in (like your wallet and your car keys) since who's going to steal what looks like used diaper from somebody ? Dude works every time. Yeah ... Let's get on with this weeks picks :
Rabbitohs - Rabbits may have Greg Inglis out but how many players have Panthers got out ? Expect Issac Luke to carry his team home on Friday. Close game to call but I'm going with Bunnies. Rabbits by six points.
Dragons - Cowboys playing without Thurston, away from home, against an unchanged Dragons side. Dragons to win. Dragons by eight points.
Sharks - To beat not only top team in competition but 2015 premiers,
Nth Queensland Cowboys, away from home without your captain and best player Paul Gallen playing is huge win so I think they can back that up here playing bottom placed team Manly Sea Eagles at Brookvale. Sharkies by ten points.
Eels - Is there worse team in competition right now than Parramatta Eels ? Answer - West Tigers. Eels by six points.
Thanks alot Thinker. Thanks everybody. Good luck with all your picks and go New Zealand Warriors ! Kiwi Power ! Peow ! Peow ! ;-D
Submitted by mark ashford on
Hey Thinker enjoy that break mate!
JR great tip about the nappy mate (we don't call em diapers in Aussie)
Who would want to put their hand in there!
Same as Thinker this week
Rabbits
Dragons
Manly
Eels
Good luck everybody.
Submitted by Johnny Ray on
Yep. Nappies. Right ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUhBRlXC8LY&index=3&list=RDDHQRZXM-4xI ;-D
Submitted by Coach Potato on
1. If the Tigers can put 34 on a South's team pre-Origin, I'd be worried if the Panthers couldn't do the same. PANTHERS
2. No Thurston, Tamou, Scott, Morgan or not, the Cowboys as a team are still used to scoring points, and the Dragons are not. Not unlike the pre-Origin Broncos being too good for Newcastle. COWBOYS
3. Lose this game and Manly hit 10. That's 10 losses in three losing streaks. That spells bottom 4. They will also hit 10 at any stage where they lose two in a row from now until the end of the year. That is going to happen, no question. So why run from the inevitable? Just get it over with Manly. Let it be 10 this week. SHARKS
4. Tigers on a streak of two losses. Lose here then face Broncos, Roosters, and Storm. Lose just this week and next week, and guess what? Tigers will hit 10 on the losing streak. EELS
Submitted by newbie from perth on
Hi everyone,
OK, another 50% effort with 4 from 8 last week. Not too bad I suppose. Not that good either but a damn sight better than I’ve been doing lately so I’m happy.
A bit light this week with only 4 games to tip on but the bonus is that we get to see the final, all-deciding SOO on Wednesday. Bring it on, Newbie can’t wait. Woo-hoo! But before we get to Wednesday, we have some club games to get through. Let’s get into it…
Panthers vs Rabbitohs - watched the Panthers game last week and was pretty impressed with how they went about their business. Not sure if Souths were good or whether Manly were crap. Again, we have a dilemma regarding the thoughts of tonibet’s mate. Green horizontal stripes thing versus the Friday night upset thing. Nah, I’ll have to stick with the Bunnies.
Dragons vs Cowboys - not taking anything away from the Eels, I would’ve thought the Dragons, on paper at least, should’ve won last week but they didn’t. Then there was that runaway Cowboys train I jumped on. And yes, as Newbie’s luck would have it, it derailed right on cue. I’m thinking they might not have enough time to get it back on the tracks before Saturday. Are they looking at losing 2 in a row here? Dragons for me, especially at WIN.
Manly vs Sharks - apologies to the Manly fans out there but what a pathetic effort last Friday night. I just cannot for the life of me get a handle on these fellas. No wonder they’re sitting on the bottom. Yes I know it’s only because of points differential but take a gander at the PD. Minus 94, worst in the competition. Sharks on the other hand are continuing to surprise and all credit to them. Only thing that has me worried is that they knock off the good sides against all odds and seem to struggle a little against the average sides. They should win this week though and I’m thinking they’ll do it fairly comfortably, even at Brookie on a Sunday afternoon. Go on Manly, prove me wrong! Sharks for me.
Tigers vs Eels - mistakingly I thought that Leichhardt might be a bit of a mini-fortress for the Tigers but how wrong I was. They were rubbish and really disappointed. The Eels surprised me with their win against a quality side. Have to go with my gut here and pick the Slippery Ones on Monday. Eels for me.
Qld vs Blues - have absolutely no idea. Maroons to beat the Mexicans by 8.
@ Johnny Ray - nice vid brother. Yes it was takin’ the p - - s but it made me giggle. Sadly, I actually use about 25% of those sayings in real life. Ouch!
@ The Boss - if my assumptions are correct, it’s a wee bit pricey going on holidays in Oz, even “just up the road” to the Whitsundays. Ever thought of taking Mrs Thinker to Thailand? Reckon you’d both love the place. Then again, you may have already tasted the delights of the LOS so I might just be whats-a-naming in the wind here. At any rate, hope you have a great time on your short break.
OK kids, good luck with your tipping and may your team win by 40 points! Until next week people. Cheers.
P.S. Can you ever get tired of sleeping? Hmmm…
Submitted by Coach Potato on
Anyone want a little roughie that should give a good sight at Wimbledon, try Milos Raonic. 40/1 with some places. Odds will only get shorter. Semi-finalist here last year. I would think much better for the experience. Obviously not rated. Booming effortless serve, not quite ala Ivanisevic or Philipousos - but not far off. Both mentioned made finals, the former, winning. Big booming serves often go deep into week two, and if you're still in it, you're a chance right?
Not Stan this time? Dont think so. Still coming down from the clouds after the French last month. He's got a chance, but grass is a bit slick. Not quite the time to wind up that big backhand. He's made the quarters at each Grand Slam except this one. No coincidence they are all slower surfaces on comparison.
Submitted by Baggy_Gee on
Ok straight from the mouth of babes, My daughters are going to try and show me up.
4 yr old
Rabbits, Dragons, Eagles, Eels
3 yr old
Panthers, Cowboys, Sharks, Eels
This was in a controlled environment with my only imput being pointing out colours. At least they know dad's team.
Submitted by a on
Here are my tips
Rabbitohs by 6 I think Rabbitohs are going to be too strong for the Panthers
Dragons by 8 I hate tipping aganist the Cowboys but I have to do it
Sharks by 2 I hate Manly and I want them to lose
Eels by 6 I think eELS WILL WIN HERE
Submitted by Coach Potato on
So does everyone know the territorial history of our country? I would say not a very high percentage. Did you know that Qld'ers all live in what was once part of NSW going back to the first settlers of 1788, and the following 70 years? Did you know that New Zealand was once part of NSW too? Hey, I wonder if that makes Shaun Johnson eligible for the BLUES?
Anyway, for anyone interested in the boundaries, here it is.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Territorial_evolution_of_Australia#7_Feb...
Next piece of history is this Wednesday, when the BLUES will travel north to invade, conquer and rule over the land once more.
Submitted by Shanghai on
Howdy one and all ..... my tips this week:
Rabbitohs
Dragons
Sharks (couldn't possibly pick the Sea Eagles three weeks in a row)
Eels
With any luck Coach, Milos Raonic will blast that boofhead Kyrgios off the court next round and we won't have to put up with his tantrums for one second longer! He should have a close look at Federer to see how a real champion conducts himself.
Good luck everyone ....
Submitted by Coach Potato on
My sentiments exactly. You're a punk who needs his ass kicked Kyrgios. How dare you behave that way in public and call yourself Australian. How dare the loudmouth red-neck bunch of gooses, supporting him claim themselves as representing Australia too. Showboating when you win a friggin point, then sooking like a little baby because you lose one. I'm so ashamed to say I'm from the same country.
Submitted by Coach Potato on
Shanghai, this is what I was saying recently about players like Slater. He just can't ever be tagged champion because of the way win at all costs, "kick a player when he's down" attitude he plays with. It's the Federer's of the game that played hard but fair, that get the champion tag. Eg Lockyer, Webcke, Fittler, Johns.
Submitted by Coach Potato on
Shanghai, this is what I was saying recently about players like Slater. He just can't ever be tagged champion because of the way win at all costs, "kick a player when he's down" attitude he plays with. It's the Federer's of the game that played hard but fair, that get the champion tag. Eg Lockyer, Webcke, Fittler, Johns.
Submitted by a on
QLD will win everybody
Submitted by Coach Potato on
De ja' vu, I'd love to see you one more time.
Here is Milos Raonic showing the most humble champion qualities sending the punk packing last year. Boy, oh boy, I want De ja' vu
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=g6z0tA2WjN0
Submitted by Johnny Ray on
Yes coach. Also how many of you on here realise that a large portion of Australia including most parts of Queensland was fully submerged under water only 25,000 years ago ? That alot of what you call great Aussie outback was once ocean floor ? New Zealand is also a sunken continent with only 12% of it's land mass currently above water. This land mass stretches from New Caledonia in north to Chatnam Islands in the south. Also how many of you on here know that New Zealand as was Australia was first discovered by Chinese more than 1000 years ago as they have official maritime documents dating back to at least 750AD that tell of land 60 days sailing south that is so hot the natives skin is burnt to crisp, throw sticks that come back to them and have animals with two heads that hop on ground ? Then there's Ancient Egyptians : http://wakeup-world.com/2014/10/14/hieroglyphics-experts-declare-ancient... ;-D
Submitted by Coach Potato on
...and why Tasmania looks like it broke off from the mainland, and why North and South islands NZ also look like they were once joined, and why South island looks like it fits against northern NSW, and North island against southern Qld.
Submitted by Coach Potato on
There's a hyeroglyphic inside a pyramid in Egypt of a kangaroo.
Work that one out.
Submitted by Johnny Ray on
@ Coach : http://www.relativelyinteresting.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/i-dont-k... ;-D
Submitted by Coach Potato on
Sounds difficult to comprehend but humans of different ages have thought patterns which don't interact. The Egyptians and their pyramids, builders of Stonehenge etc would have no way of comprehending the working of things like TV, radio, aeroplane, even if you sat down and explained it in detail, in the same way that we have no way of comprehending the pyramids and Stonehenge (even if someone from that time sat us down and explained it in detail). Difficult to explain but we use a different form of logic and so is impossible to understand. That's what I think anyway.
Submitted by Coach Potato on
Sounds difficult to comprehend but humans of different ages have thought patterns which don't interact. The Egyptians and their pyramids, builders of Stonehenge etc would have no way of comprehending the working of things like TV, radio, aeroplane, even if you sat down and explained it in detail, in the same way that we have no way of comprehending the pyramids and Stonehenge (even if someone from that time sat us down and explained it in detail). Difficult to explain but we use a different form of logic and so is impossible to understand. That's what I think anyway.
Submitted by Johnny Boney on
Hi guys these are my tips for this week.
Panthers by 4- No Inglis I think Panthers just here.
Dragons by 4- My beloved Dragons in an absolute thriller here.
Manly by 34- Manly will bounce back here in an one sided affair.
And Parra by 10- Parra have been in great form, their last victim was my beloved Dragons by 4, their next victim will be the Tigers here and don't be surprised if the Eels win well here and Radradra scores 3 or more tries.
Thanks a lot Thinker and the crew and cheers.
Submitted by Coach Potato on
Mini round try time anytime multi (time)
1. Bryce Cartwright - Panthers @ $6
(Just likes scoring tries)
2. Ben Hannant - Cowboys @$11
(played all 15 games and still on a nudie run)
3. Ben Barba - Sharks @$3
(Can anyone stop an in-form Barba?)
4. Martin Taupau - Tigers @$5.50
(I'm not gonna stand in his way)
4 leg multi odds - 1089/1
Submitted by Coach Potato on
Mini round try time anytime multi (time)
1. Bryce Cartwright - Panthers @ $6
(Just likes scoring tries)
2. Ben Hannant - Cowboys @$11
(played all 15 games and still on a nudie run)
3. Ben Barba - Sharks @$3
(Can anyone stop an in-form Barba?)
4. Martin Taupau - Tigers @$5.50
(I'm not gonna stand in his way)
4 leg multi odds - 1089/1
Submitted by a on
Are you excited about origin
Submitted by Tailspin on
Hey everyone, hope all good.
Same as the thinker this week, even though it kills me to back against the boys up north, but going with the head instead of the ticker :(
Submitted by Tailspin on
And of course on Wednesday for the big one it will be QLD by 10 - happy days :)
Submitted by a on
NSW are crap
Submitted by Declan_S on
Rabbitohs
Cowboys
Manly
Eels
Submitted by Baggy_Gee on
Only origin excitement I feel is the fact that deciders make more money for the hospitality industry, apart from that I feel nothing even coming close to excitement for game 3.
Submitted by a on
SOO is excitement
Submitted by Tailspin on
Holy #*#* Declan_S I hope your right about the cowboys.
Submitted by Tailspin on
We should be ashamed of ourselves a!!!!
Submitted by newbie from perth on
Hi everyone,
On a sad note, condolences to our AFL friends at Adelaide Crows for the sad loss of Head Coach Phil Walsh this morning. Man it just reminds us all that the world is a small place and crap things happen.
No doubt we'll find out exactly what happened and why in due course. RIP Phil.
Submitted by Steel Panther on
Trust you are enjoying your break Thinker. It's always good to get away.
I'm picking Rabbitohs (nervously), Dragons, Manly and Tigers (last chance) this week.
Good luck everyone. Looking forward to Origin next week. Just hope the game's a cracker.
Submitted by Johnny Ray on
R.I.P Phil Walsh :-(
Submitted by a on
Yes we will be ashemed of our selfs Tailspin
Submitted by Tailspin on
Jason Nightingale ruled out for dragons
Submitted by Islander on
Hi guys, My tips this round.
PANTHERS
DRAGONS
SEA EAGLES
TIGERS
Submitted by Tailspin on
Sorry everyone, I just couldn't do it I"ve changed my tip from Dragons to the Cowboys
Submitted by a on
Im not changing because when I has in the past I was wrong to
Submitted by Baggy_Gee on
Good job Tailspin, Always back your BOYS, even if they are contesting for the spoon.
Submitted by Coach Potato on
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/06/13/article-2341276-1A4EBD9B000005...
Submitted by Coach Potato on
Can't believe people who know their stuff see Tigers take apart a Souths team without Origin players and dont think Panthers can do the same. Lots of people don't follow the game as closely as they think they do.
Submitted by Johnny Ray on
I am absolutely stunned by Panthers beating Rabbitohs. I thought that was complete certainty they would win. Still think Sharks will beat Sea Eagles ... :-s
Submitted by Coach Potato on
I repeat ..
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