Canterbury Bulldogs vs North Queensland Cowboys – Thursday night – ANZ Stadium

A couple of important inclusions for the Cowboys in Coote and Granville, but the Thurstiest man on their roster won't be there. In one of the more unusual positional changes Asiata shifts from the halves to prop forward. If that's not a first in the NRL it's right next to first. The Cowboys will need all hands on deck in that engine room when they take on this mighty Bulldogs pack. Given that challenge, and the absence of Thurston, it all points to a victory for the home team.

Verdict – Bulldogs by 4

Result – Cowboys by 16

St George Illawarra Dragons vs Cronulla Sharks – Friday night – UOW Jubilee Oval

It's one of those special rivalires in the NRL but this clash has lost some of its lustre with the injuries to Josh Dugan and Gareth Widdop. The battle of the forwards has me salivating and that alone will keep this game close, but that Sharks backline is intact and, all other things being equal, should outpoint those opposite. Worth watching though, particularly if you like big units belting the cheese out of each other for 80 minutes.

Verdict – Sharks by 8

Result – Sharks by 4

Wests Tigers vs South Sydney Rabbitohs – Friday night – ANZ Stadium

Finally we get to see Robbie Farah face his old club. I imagine Farah is feeling pretty comfortable with himself given how the Tigers have gone about unravelling themselves. What's more, the Tigers are actually paying most of his salary this season, and what they are paying him would be more than what most of the players actually wearing Tigers jerseys are getting paid. Three of the big four in Tiger Town are playing on Friday night but Aaron Woods isn't, and in this case he's probably the most important of the four. Without Woods the Tigers look set to struggle in the forwards and the consistent (if somewhat predictable) kicking game of Reynolds can help keep the Tigers pinned at the wrong end of the wrong paddock (note this Tigers home game has been taken to the Rabbitohs home ground). It's not particularly funny, but Farah gets the last laugh.

Verdict – Rabbitohs by 4

Result – Rabbitohs by 20

Penrith Panthers vs New Zealand Warriors – Saturday afternoon – Pepper Stadium

Here it is folks – this seasons most frustrating team taking on the winner of the most frustrating team award for the previous ten years in succession. And yet here I am tipping the Panthers again...I must be a very slow learner. There's nothing particularly rational about my choice, other than glass-half full thinking that at some point the Panthers are going to show us something this season, and many of these Warriors are backing up from international duty and another game in Australia. They usually save their worst for us. If they are near their best I'll have this completely wrong.

Verdict – Panthers by 2

Result – Panthers by 8

Melbourne Storm vs Gold Coast Titans – Saturday night – Suncorp Stadium

Both sides lose one key man each with Jesse Bromwich (Storm) and Proctor (Titans) suspended from duty for off-field stupidity. I assume they won't be hitting Caxton Street together for a drink or two after the game. Now I've probably told you all a thousand times that tipping against the Storm is a mugs game, but I'm tipping against the Storm. They've lost just once this season but they're missing some key men in the middle. A lot of these Titans should be nice and fresh and they'll be well prepared for this game. They've struggled with injuries all season but they have so many of their key men available right now they've got Jarryd Hayne playing in the centres. They're rank outsiders and they probably should be, but I'm giving them a live chance.

Verdict – Titans by 2

Result – Titans by 2

Manly Sea Eagles vs Brisbane Broncos – Saturday night – Suncorp Stadium

I'm tipping two upsets at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night. Since round two the Sea Eagles have been taking on top eight teams and have proven to be more than competitive. They beat the Cowboys in Townsville and the Raiders in Canberra. Their only losses during this period were an absolute towelling by the Dragons and a narrow loss to the Storm – that's the top two teams on the ladder right now. Last start they absolutely ran riot over the Rabbitohs, a team that almost beat the Broncos in round eight. They're up to this, paticularly while the Broncos are without Hunt and Roberts. This game gives Mr Cherry-Evans an opportunity to show the QLD Origin selectors what he can do too.

Verdict – Sea Eagles by 4

Result – Broncos by 10

Newcastle Knights vs Canberra Raiders – Sunday afternoon – McDonald Jones Stadium

Insert logical reasoning here. None of you would be tipping the Knights so I can say just about anything can't I? My hovercraft is full of eels.

Verdict – Raiders by 16

Result – Knights by 14

Sydney Roosters vs Parramatta Eels – Sunday afternoon – Allianz Stadium

Shaun Kenny-Dowall really dropped the ball last week...which isn't unusual. He's resting this week, and he may struggle to get another contract from here. Mind you, for a backpacker who just turned up from New Zealand and thought he'd give the game a try he's made a pretty reasonable career out of it. It beats picking fruit for a living, which could be his next contract. Note that Bevan French is named on an extended bench so keep watching the skies in case he gets called into the seventeen. I'm a fan. In any case I'm with the chooks on Sunday – every time I look at that Roosters forward pack I start smiling like an idiot. They're so good Aiden Guerra can't even get a start. If the Eels played for 80 minutes I'd be tipping them, but they're likely to switch off in patches and the tricolours won't. That may prove to be the difference.

Verdict – Roosters by 4

Result – Roosters by 38

Wally Lewis - round ten selections (in bold)

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

• BULLDOGS vs Cowboys
• Dragons vs SHARKS
• TIGERS vs Rabbitohs
• PANTHERS vs Warriors
• STORM vs Titans
• Sea Eagles vs BRONCOS
• Knights vs RAIDERS
• ROOSTERS vs Eels