Brisbane Broncos vs Canterbury Bulldogs – Thursday night – Suncorp Stadium

As we approach the finals there will be many games that have a significant bearing on the make-up of the top four and the top eight. This game is definitely one of them. The Bulldogs are in fourth place currently and four points clear of fifth, so you'd think they were safe, but in the next two weeks they play the two teams that are in the best position to overtake them. After this game the Broncos face the Storm, so successive losses for them in the next fortnight sees them in danger of dropping to the ugly end of the top eight. It's a big game folks. Everyone loves a turnaround story and the Broncos need to turn around a 26 point loss in round 16 if they are to keep moving forward. That's a lot of points, so what's changed between then and now? A few useful additions to the seventeen to begin with - this time around they'll have Thaiday, Glenn, McCullough and Kahu. Mind you, the Bulldogs are adding Josh Morris and Eastwood to their seventeen - very handy additions indeed. The other important change has been the form of the home side. Their defence was a real issue, but in the last two weeks there has been significant improvement. The Dragons could muster just one try in the 76th minute, while the Eels scored just three last week (and one of those was in the 77th minute when the game was over). That's not perfect and that's not top-flight opposition, but it's better than it was. That improvement in defence is important because I still have a question mark over the Bulldogs attack. In their last four games they've scored just 47 points. They're often winning, so I can't be too critical, but they'll need to find another gear if they want to make an impression at the business end. We saw about 45 minutes of the best of the Broncos last week, and that was enough to rack up eight tries. If their goal-kicker was on target a half century was in the offering. With the return of Kahu we may see an improved showing on that front. I've been waiting for the Broncos to find their mojo as we approach September and it's almost there. It looks like the game of the round, and The Thinker is actually getting off the couch and dragging himself to the game on Thursday. Get there if you can.

Verdict – Broncos by 4

Result - Broncos 20 defeated Bulldogs 10

Penrith Panthers vs Wests Tigers – Friday night – Pepper Stadium

It's crunch time for the Tigers. WIth their heartbreaking loss to the Titans last round I think they'll need to win their last three games to make the finals. None of their last three games are easy, but this one looks the least hard. These sides met in round 17 and the Tigers prevailed 34-26 at a neutral venue. This time we're in Panther country and the Tigers don't have James Tedesco. In that last meeting Tedesco was so dominant he forced the hand of NSW coach Laurie Daley in two ways:

• Tedesco was a must-include at fullback for NSW
• Bryce Cartwright wasn't ready for representative football...not yet at least

The absence of Tedesco on Friday night is a game-changer for mine. The Tigers have won their last three games at Pepper Stadium but they haven't been there since 2013. That means most of the players in both sides wouldn't have been around back then. Panther coach Anthony Griffin was pretty scathing of his sides performance in round 17, and they've been going swimmingly in recent weeks. A win doesn't quite guarantee the Panthers a top eight finish, but they're so very close. A game worthy of your eyeballs.

Verdict – Panthers by 7

Result - Panthers 40 defeated Tigers 10

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

After gigs on the Gold Coast and in Sydney the Jarryd Hayne tour stops in Newcastle before making its way back to the Gold Coast and then up to Townsville. Whether the tour continues beyond that is up to the Titans, but they're in the top eight right now and that draw with the Sharks in round 21 just might be the difference between being there and being in Bali. With the Titans on an odd number their points differential isn't important but winning is. Given the circumstances this isn't the sort of game they'll be taking lightly.

Verdict – Titans by 16

Result - Titans 26 defeated Knights 6

Manly Sea Eagles vs Melbourne Storm – Saturday night – Brookvale Oval

Two teams with a rich history in recent years, but while the Sea Eagles drift off the pace the purple machine keeps on keeping on. With the nutmegging of Trbojevic last round the Sea Eagles season officially ended, and their only motivating factor this weekend is to stick a fork in an old foe. I doubt that's enough. What's worse the Storm lost last week. If I told you the Storm don't lose two games in a row I would be lying...actually it's more of a fib. If you back the Storm to win following a loss you won't be right every time but you'll be right most of the time. If this game were in Melbourne I'd be picking purple by 50. The venue tightens the margin, but it doesn't change the result.

Verdict – Storm by 13

Result - Storm 38 defeated Sea Eagles 18

North Queensland Cowboys vs New Zealand Warriors – Saturday night – 1300SMILES Stadium

As they say in North Queensland - what's going on with the Cowboys eh? And I'll take myself back to North Queensland and respond in kind - I don't know eh? Whatever is wrong needs to be righted very quickly. Note their impressive points differential, which helps their cause if they are to claw their way back into the top four, and just about ensures they get a home game in week one of the finals if they don't. The Warriors appeared on target for a finals berth until they forgot to show up against the Rabbitohs. Clearly they can bounce back, but the trip from Auckland to Townsville doesn't help. The Cowboys have lost just once at home this season - that was without Thurston and against the Storm. It's time the defending premiers steady their ship, but this won't be easy. Back the total points overs I say - this looks like one of those Cowboys 34 - Warriors 26 type of games.

Verdict – Cowboys by 8

Result - Cowboys 34 defeated Warriors 6

Canberra Raiders vs Parramatta Eels – Sunday afternoon – GIO Stadium

Welcome back to rugby league Semi Radradra - when he wakes up on Sunday morning it will be 0 degrees. His inclusion adds some intrigue but the most notable absence is Josh Hodgson for the Raiders. The wily pom was a deadset chance of jagging the Dally M this year, but a suspension (minus three points) and missing a game will make it hard. Baptiste steps into the dummy half role and he's more than adequate. The Raiders have knocked off the top two teams in successive weeks and have looked great in the process - last week their first try against the Storm was the fastest try all season. With the Olympics on at the moment they are, for the trivia buffs among you, the United Nations of the NRL. They have players whose heritage includes Portugal, Turkey, PNG , England, Samoa, Tonga, New Zealand and the Cook Islands. I guess all those nations have embassies in the capital. The Raiders in form and on a Sunday afternoon in Canberra. Lock it in.

Verdict – Raiders by 20

Result - Raiders 28 defeated Eels 18

Sydney Roosters vs St George Illawarra Dragons – Sunday afternoon – Allianz Stadium

The Roosters are up and down like Ms Thinker on her wedding anniversary. Gutsy against the Broncos, woeful against the Panthers and red-hot against the Cowboys. That would suggest they're due to go down again, but it's hard to see them losing to the Dragons. I'm not sure where the Roosters have been all season, but they appear to be in a mini-battle with the Rabbitohs at the wrong end of the ladder. Meanwhile the Dragons are stuck in that dead zone where they can't make the eight and they can't win the spoon. Granted they pulled a game out of nowhere last week but that was the local derby and I suspect they played that game like it was their grand final. I expect their thoughts will be elsewhere this weekend. This is the Roosters last home game of the year. The joint won't be packed to the gills but the tricolours will give their most dedicated fans an enjoyable afternoon.

Verdict – Roosters by 22

Result - Roosters 42 defeated Dragons 6

South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Cronulla Sharks – Monday night – ANZ Stadium

Is the bubble bursting? The team with the longest winning streak all season haven't won a game since they beat the Knights four weeks ago. They've conceded 62 points in their last two games and while the loss to the Raiders was understandable, conceding 32 points to the Dragons is baffling to say the least. Prior to that the Dragons had scored more than 20 points just once all season (and even then they lost). They look punch-drunk, and now they face a rejuvenated Rabbitohs who clocked up more than 40 points against the Warriors in New Zealand last week. If the Chooks rack up a big win on Sunday afternoon the Bunnies need to respond, and I think they will. Take note Raiders fans...a top two finish isn't out of the question.

Verdict – Rabbitohs by 4

Result - Rabbitohs 12 defeated Sharks 6

Wally Lewis - round twenty-four selections (in bold)

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

• BRONCOS vs Bulldogs
• PANTHERS vs Tigers
• Knights vs TITANS
• Sea Eagles vs STORM
• COWBOYS vs Warriors
• RAIDERS vs Eels
• ROOSTERS vs Dragons
• Rabbitohs vs SHARKS