Hey 'a' - you mightn't be far wrong, with that logic prediction.
Dogs have been closely unlucky on a few occasions, this year.
Anything is possible!

Keep well old son
Big Pete

Evening everyone,

I hope you are all well. I will be posting my comments of my round 18 picks tomorrow.

Cheers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tigers v Rabbits

Souths - As the Thinker says The Bunnies are specials. The big WB has the Souths team primed for the finals, they will not lose this game. Wests have more problems than a couple of missing Tigers...It would appear to be a club is disarray and dysfunction. Honesty sessions, player revolt, mad coach and gun shy board..Criticising your star half to the media and sacking the other one? what did they hope to achieve here? The Guru is at a loss. Along with The Sharks, The Tigers are probably the other club that need to be removed from the NRL. Nonsensical leadership and no idea how to move forward. The is more professional business sense in your local centrelink line than in the Tigers front office!
Souths by plenty.

Bulldogs v Manly

Manly - The Dogs have been reasonably decent in defeat for some time, but last weeks effort was difficult to watch. How is it we have such a close battle for the top 6, then we have several clubs, like the Dogs who can put out such an awful and embarrassing performance. The Guru will add The Bronco's, NQ, St George and last weeks sharks into the same kettle...beyond hopeless this year. The Sausage Dogs would get beat by an U13s team. Many by 40+

Panthers v Eels

Panthers - Unless the Pennies fall to the curse of the win streak, they will put plenty on the hapless Eels this week. Para have been found out now, without poor/incorrect ref decisions they lose last week. NZ were the better side. Para were not able to get clear of the Warriors and fall into that area of our game where they just fail to have a leader or a general who can direct the team efficiently. They become complacent and play without the confidence needed to win at this time of year. Eels are Gonski. Penrith 13+

Dragons v Raiders

Raiders - lock, Stock and a flaming Viking clap, Ricky's men will challenge their seasons for and against here. St George are an embarrassment right now, the players are not putting in any effort. Bumbling stumbling heartless rubbish. A bit harsh? no. The Dragons didnt care if they lost to the Titans and they cared less about the Cowboys. Golden point game that was extremely difficult to watch, lowest quality game of the year. Canberra by 60 if they want it.

Titans v Brisbane

Brisbane - The Guru will take a huge leap of faith and tip Brisbane. Just for the reason that its time they found some heart and they are way overdue to actually have a good crack. This is the only chance the Bronc's have to win this year, Brisbane should be able to give 50-60 mins of footy, might be enough. Not a betting option for the G.

Roosters v Knights

Roosters - The Chooks are a quality side. Newcastle are not. Expect the Knights to lay down here and Sydney to put on a cricket score. The Lion King is being rested, that says it all, Newcastle forfeit this game, free money, Chooks could run out an U12s team and win by 50. Knights wont win again in 2020.

Storm vs Cowboys

The Covid Stormers should challenge the NRL winning margin in this game if they are willing. Townsville have 5 or 6 players in their playing roster who are not NRL standard. The Hammer? couldn't tackle a sandwich and Drinkwater with him. While the latter had a few nice touches in attack, he is well below the standard for a first grade half. The Guru enjoyed NQs win and it finished off a nice multi, but lets be realistic, NQ are beyond awful. Melb 50+

Sharks v Warriors

Warriors - NZ are playing with heart and they deserved to beat Para last weekend, they welcome back two quality players and will decimate the Sharks. Cronulla are considerably weaker than last weeks big loss, apart from Johnson, but it wont matter. Cronulla are done and dusted, BIG BIG win for NZ. Locked in big time!!!

The Guru has been a bit to the point this week, however he will stand by his tips. NQ, ST George, Cronulla, Newcastle.....woeful, would all get beaten by a third grade side, no heart, no effort. Its disappointing because The Dragons and Sharks should not be this bad, both sides had winnable games last round, but the players and staff had little interest other than turning up. Brisbane are worst of all, but we have said enough about them. This round is pretty clear cut, a lot of guaranteed results here the Guru feels.

On a happier note, The Guru feels Souths are a real chance of making the GF...using the NRL match predictor they have a very strong chance, however they will need to beat the Roosters twice to get there probably.

The Cap'n is back, and desperately needed. Hook will be a positive for the Dragons

Thank you Mary :)

Careful christine don't get in a battle of wits with the butcher your unarmed

Thanks for the support Rocket, but I'm thinking that the Panthers will be tough nut to crack, but I agree that this weekend is the time to back the Broncos in, No spoon for you this year.

Just having some fun dont take me seriously chritine .....
.
But old butcher is fairly sharp.

Nice to see some spirited conversation...lol

For anyone who feels they have to sink to personal insults...well you've just shown everyone what sort of person you are. good luck to ya.

Hey everyone, my tips for this week are:

Rabbitohs by 6 – Rabbitohs should get the win here. The Tigers are coming off a great comeback win over Manly. I’m so glad I got that tip right. Considering they were down by 14 with not long to go, an impressive comeback indeed. How about that crazy Manly fan giving Doeuihi some kicking lessons and he actually nailed it from the sideline! Great banter! Great work indeed! The Rabbitohs on the other hand, are coming off a tight loss to the Storm by they shouldn’t be disheartened by that, they played well and deserved a win but they just couldn’t close that game out. They’ll be better for the run and that will be this week. They’ll bounce back and get the win over the Tigers to kiss their finals hopes goodbye for good. Rabbitohs just have too much talent across the park and the Tigers are having problems outside the footy field, they need an adjustment in their team culture by the looks of it.

Manly by 16 – Bulldogs were disappointing last week against the Titans. Now that game was their best chance yet of a win at last but they stuffed it again! They lost in a tight one but perhaps you could say the score line would’ve flattered the Dogs a little because they didn’t play great footy. Manly would want to bounce back after an incredibly tough loss last week in a game that they should’ve won. Manly to bounce back in a big way. Dogs will get the spoon unfortunately for them. I can’t see them winning any more games this season, this game is their best chance of their remaining three. Even without Tommy Turbo, Manly will still win comfortably. They do still have some talented players and they have a ripping forward pack when at full strength.

Panthers by 24 – Panthers to smash the Eels here. I can see this game is getting hyped up a lot. I think Penrith can smash the Eels here and they’ll expose the Eels just like Souths did a couple of weeks ago. The Eels have been poor as of late and were lucky to beat the Warriors last week. The Panthers on the other hand, got yet another win this time getting a win over the Broncos. Although they were expected to demolish the Panthers, they still got a good win considering how tough the Broncos actually were in defeat. Panthers to make it 13 in a row here with a massive win over the Eels in the battle of the west to get sweet revenge. Yeo back will help their cause.

Raiders by 20 – The Raiders to smash us Dragons unfortunately. We had two chances to win games over the last two rounds and we stuffed them up. I’m very disappointed with us Dragons and looking forward to 2021 when we will actually really improve under Griffin. Even though we are playing at home, it’ll be a tough day in the office for the Saints and if the Raiders are on, they will smash us for sure. It’s sad that I’m saying this but hey, I’ve got to be realistic you know. I would love for us to give it a crack and go close or even get the win but it won’t happen. Excited to know that young Cody Ramsey will be given a go this week. Good luck lad! Give it your all! Raiders just look too strong in their lineup getting us all over the park even though the Dragons have a good side on paper. Norman stuffed up a few chances last week and is playing under no confidence. I think that more youngsters should be given a crack for the Saints and not many unfortunately is chosen by Deanno. Oh well, maybe next season then! C’mon Dragons! It’ll be tough but I hope the boys give it their all. Raiders are a contender and should be way too good for the Dragons here.

Titans by 4 – Broncos to lose yet another here. Broncos are the true wooden spooners post the suspension. They’ve only won once since then and that is to the team running last in the Bulldogs. The Titans are a much improved team and I can see them getting win number 3 in a row. Justin Holbrook has something going in the Gold Coast and he is reaping the rewards. 2021 will be a great year for the Titans and they will continue to build on to then for the remainder of the season. This is a game that they should win and I think they will. They smashed the Broncos earlier this season and although I don’t think they’ll smash them this time round, I can definitely see the Titans win another Queensland derby. Though the Broncos have a great record against the Titans in the Gold Coast in recent times and they are a real chance here but they just won’t get it done. It’ll be interesting to see how long the Broncos will play good, tough footy for this week. Last week they were tough, let’s see how they’ll fair this week.

Roosters by 30 – Roosters to put a score on the Knights here. The Knights are resting a couple of key players here and I don’t think that’ll work well for the Knights. I think that will give the Roosters a big opportunity to absolutely embarrass the Knights. The Roosters are getting ever more closer to full strength as the regular season moves closer to the end and finals time around the corner. The Roosters are crowing at the right time and they’ll continue to crow into finals footy. They love playing at the SCG and they will be having plenty of fun on Saturday night toying with the Knights. Roosters to just about secure their top 4 position with a win here. Goddamn didn’t Ponga get smashed last week, it’s no wonder he is given the rest. He had an amazing game last Friday night though.

Storm by 34 – Storm should demolish the Cowboys here. The Cowboys finally broke their losing streak last week by getting a golden point win over my Dragons. Well-deserved that one! Credit to the Cowboys, they did show up and put up a good fight against the Saints coming from 6 points down at half time to get the win. Val Holmes was the hero for the Cowboys. He won’t be the hero this week, as a matter of fact, the Cowboys will have a tough day in the office surely. The Storm are just on a roll and I can see them playing some footy and just having some fun with the Cowboys here. The Storm love it at this time of the season where finals footy is just around the corner. They do welcome back Vunivalu and Asofa-Solomona this week too so they are getting closer to full strength themselves. Papenhuyzen is a blow but Hynes should do the job. Bellamy usually does a great job getting these youngsters to do the job and speaking of youngsters doing the job, how good has Olam been for the Storm this season? He’s definitely improved a lot and is having a great season bringing in so much energy in whatever he does on the footy field. Storm by plenty! They love playing at the Sunshine Coast just like the Roosters love playing at the SCG.

And finally… Warriors by 2 – Warriors to just get the Sharks here in a thriller. This is a crucial game. We’ve got the 8th placed Sharks coming up against the 10th placed Warriors to round out round 18. This one will be a cracker and I see the Warriors getting the upset. Yes, the Warriors have been phenomenal in the last 6 weeks and have gained the respect of everyone for their heart and their effort on the field. Credit to Todd Payten for changing this club and turning it around to a club who were playing with no heart to a club playing with plenty of heart. I really respect what Todd has done for the club and it’s admirable as well to any other coach that they can turn a club around, even if they are going through an absolute rough time. For some coaches it’s hard to do, but what Todd has done is most definitely admirable. And full credit to the players too, particularly the ones who’ve stayed from round 1! An unbelievable effort. RTS has been an amazing captain too. Given the Warriors can grind now, I wouldn’t be that surprised if they outgrind the Sharks here. But by gee weren’t the Sharks poor last week? I tipped them to beat the Knights but they were horrible last week. Played with no purpose at all. Play like that this week, the Warriors could even smash them. But I don’t think that’ll happen, the Sharks will play better but still not well enough to beat the Warriors. Johnson comes back for the Sharks to play against his former club and Fifita also comes back. Them two will have their fitness tested. Rudolf also returns and he is a handy inclusion himself. Townsend is a huge blow meaning Johnson has to step up with his game management. In his return game, he may find that tough. That is where the Sharks may lose it, in the lack of game management and I think the Warriors will want it more to keep their season alive. Game of the round!

Awesome! Good luck with everyone’s tips for this week and with everyone’s teams for this week. Enjoy the rest of your weeks everyone. Cheers and good luck to the mighty Dragons this week lol, hope we don’t get smashed.

Hey All
Nice to see some friendly banter here as it has been missing for a while.
It's what makes this site fun to be on. Myself and Rocket have crossed swords with the Butcher and now it's our Guru's turn. None of it is said in anger just improving our reading here and as I said it's all in fun.
Just keep enjoying the site, that's what we are here for.

Just my “ two bobs worth” after reading some of the earlier comments posted.

An interesting subject is the written word, and our reaction to them being strung together to make sentences to express our thoughts.

The receiver can have an entirely different response from what the writer intended, as without the aid of body language (smile, expression, posture), it becomes the interpretation on word alone, and this can depend entirely on the mood of the receiver at the time of reading those words.

A receiver in a good mood, something can be a joke. In a sour, frustrated or anxious mood, something can seem like an attack.
How quickly do we react at the time, to what seems like an attack?

In a sign of the times, texting and social media seem to suggest that anything can be said, without enough attention being given to the power words can have.

Lesson for the day is over!!
Cheers,
Mary

Sa-wat-dee krup,

Great minds think alike! Just seen the Boss and I have tipped exactly the same. Noice! 💪 Mary’s "lesson for the day" was spot on regarding the written word and our reactions when reading them. Thanks for that young lady. Exactly why I occasionally put in emojis. It’s to let people know I’m only joking 😁, something did in fact annoy me 🤬 or the best RL team in the world is undoubtedly the Sydney Roosters 🐔. I suppose I should add in a 🤪 after that last comment eh? FWIW, I use Segoe UI emojis, available free of charge from all leading brands of Microsoft Word documents. OK, let’s do this thing…

Tigers vs. Rabbitohs 40-60 @ Bankwest
Ladder Position = Rabbitohs
Bookies Favourite = Rabbitohs

Tigers
The Tigers had a good last 10 minutes in the first half last week against Manly. With the score at 20-12 heading into the break they were still in touch. Things didn’t look so good for them in the second half when they were down 32-18 with just 10 minutes to go but they came back at Manly and went “wooshka” and scored 16 points in 9 minutes to get up for a rather surprising 34-32 win. The Tigers absolutely stole that 34-32 win with some help from a confusing Manly effort. Great efforts from Doueihi (2 tries) and Nofoaluma (3 tries) you’d have to say. Theoretically, there was no way the Tigers should have won that. I mean, look at how much possession they had 😱. They were out-gunned for the first 70 minutes but proved the old adage that if you never give up, you’re always a chance of getting the win. I love seeing wins like that. Some stats worth a mention:

Possession (32-68)
Missed Tackles (20-32)
Ineffective Tackles (27-16)
Penalties Conceded (8-1)

Rabbitohs
The Rabbitohs looked the goods in the first half last week against the Storm and although they led 14-10 at the break, they should’ve been leading by more to be honest. The wet weather in the second half got the better of the Rabbitohs. They were dropping far too much ball and their completion rate was sub-par. This played right into the hands of their opposition who simply ground their way to a 22-16 win. Reynolds, Burgess and Walker were good but the Rabbitohs’ high error count in the second half ultimately proved their undoing. Some stats (not a lot) worth a mention:

Possession (51-49)
Completion Rate (66%-84%)
Errors (15-9)

Verdict: I just can’t make a case for the Tigers based on last week. Rabbitohs for me.

Bulldogs vs. Manly 40-60 @ ANZ
Ladder Position = Manly
Bookies Favourite = Manly

Bulldogs
As they usually do, the Bulldogs had a crack last week but unfortunately, also as they usually do, they came up a little short and went down to the Titans in a close one 18-14. Try as they did, they couldn’t quite get the job done. Foran did his best to get them back into the game but as soon as he went off injured (while he was getting treatment actually) the Titans scored a try and it was basically game over. As hard as Lachlan Lewis tried, it looks like the Doggies will get the wooden spoon this year. Had they not missed 2 of 3 conversion attempts, it might’ve been interesting 🤔. Some stats worth a mention:

Possession (48-52)
Forced Drop Outs (3-0)
Kick Defusal (65%-80%)
Missed Tackles (29-17)
Penalties Conceded (3-6)

Manly
Manly dominated most of the first half last week against the Tigers but the Tigers worked hard towards the back end of that first half and Manly went into the break leading 20-12. Manly started the second half in similar fashion to the first where they were dominating possession and field position and eventually got to what seemed to be an unbeatable 32-18 lead with just 10 minutes to go. Somehow they let the Tigers score 16 points in 9 minutes and Manly ended up losing it 34-32. I’m not saying their last 10 minutes was soft but I will say it was confusing. How to clutch defeat from the jaws of victory! The club, players and fans are most probably still scratching their heads a week later wondering what happened. I know I’m still SMH in disbelief 😱. Some stats worth a mention:

Possession (68-32)
Missed Tackles (32-20)
Ineffective Tackles (16-27)
Penalties Conceded (1-8)

Verdict: To me, this is a tough one. As bad as they were in the last 10 minutes, I still think Manly might just have enough to get over the line here.

Panthers vs. Eels 60-40 @ Panthers Stadium
Ladder Position = Panthers
Bookies Favourite = Panthers

Panthers
The Broncos managed to apply some pressure to the Panthers last week and force them into some errors and after 9 minutes the Panthers were down 6-0. The Panthers then found their rhythm and got back into the game and led 14-6 at the break. It was a much better effort in the second half where they did enough to get over a much improved Broncos. The 25-12 result was not the shellacking some may have expected and the Panthers certainly had to work for it. Some stats worth a mention:

Possession (58-42)
All Run Metres (2113-1200)
Post Contact Metres (908-497)
Dummy Passes (45-12)
Kick Defusal (25%-72%)
Penalties Conceded (3-7)

Eels
Parramatta started well last week against the Warriors and raced out to a 16-0 lead after 25 minutes. They were looking very good up until then but they allowed the Warriors to get 2 quick tries (in 2 minutes) and went into the break just 16-12 ahead. They did manage to hold out the Warriors’ second half fightback but they just seemed a little indecisive at times and some may say they were a little fortunate to get the 24-18 win. I’m wondering … if Tevaga doesn’t get binned, do the Eels score those 2 converted tries? If not, do they win? Yes, they did get the win but it wasn’t a totally convincing one and they didn’t look up to their usual standard. The Eels got out of jail last week in my opinion (sorry Baggy). Some stats worth a mention:

Possession (55-45)
Kicking Metres (715-574)
Ineffective Tackles (18-13)
Penalties Conceded (3-8)

Verdict: Can’t tip the Eels based on what I saw last week. Panthers to keep rolling along.

Dragons vs. Raiders 35-65 @ WIN
Ladder Position = Raiders
Bookies Favourite = Raiders

Dragons
The Dragons had the better of the Cowboys last week in the first half (only just) and led 12-6 at the main break. Really enjoyed seeing that beautiful flick pass from Lomax which gave Ravalawa the opportunity to score that amazing try in the 30th minute. The Dragons had some chances to score more points than they did but just like the Cowboys, they gave away momentum far too often. I’m pretty sure they’d be disappointed with how they played last week, especially seeing as they went down in extra time by a single point. I thought Cameron McInnes played a pretty good game. He laid 56 tackles and ran for 203 metres. Some stats worth a mention:

Possession (48-52)
Forced Drop Outs (0-2)
Kick Defusal (42%-86%)
Errors (9-14)
Penalties Conceded (2-4)

Raiders
A great first half effort (from both sides) last week saw the Raiders go into the break just 10-6 down courtesy of a terrific chip’n’chase try from Bateman. The Raiders looked a little better in the last 20 minutes of that first half and the only thing that stopped them scoring more than that one try was the Roosters’ solid defence. The Raiders tried their best in the second half but were no match for a Roosters side that had just a little more desire and the Raiders went scoreless and lost a disappointing one 18-6. At the end of the day it was more than likely their error count and remaining scoreless in the second half that cost them. Pretty sure they would’ve felt frustrated with their effort. At least they never gave up. Some stats worth a mention:

Possession (49-51)
Completion Rate (74%-86%)
Kicking Metres (554-636)
Bombs (2-12)
Missed Tackles (33-28)
Ineffective Tackles (16-12)
Errors (15-8)
Penalties Conceded (3-6)

Verdict: The “form” from last week suggests the Raiders comfortably but you never know eh? Yeah, Raiders.

Titans vs. Broncos 55-45 @ Cbus
Ladder Position = Titans
Bookies Favourite = Titans

Titans
I’m not so sure the Titans deserved to win 18-14 last week against the Bulldogs to be frank. Yeah, they were a little better than the Bulldogs in the first half (on balance) but just thought they were bordering on average in the second. I could be wrong but that’s how I saw it. The Bulldogs put them under pressure quite a number of times but in the end the Titans did enough to get the win. I might’ve changed my mind had Ash Taylor nailed more than 1 from 4 conversion attempts 😱. I was impressed however with Fogarty and especially with Fotuaikia who ran for 201 metres (from 70 minutes) and made 45 tackles (with just one being ineffective). Correct me if I’m wrong but I think last week was the first time the Titans have had back-to-back wins in almost 18 months. Some stats worth a mention:

Possession (52-48)
Forced Drop Outs (0-3)
Kick Defusal (80%-65%)
Missed Tackles (17-29)
Penalties Conceded (6-3)

Broncos
The Broncos put in a very good first 20 last week against the Panthers. They basically dominated (something we haven’t seen from them in a long time) and were putting pressure on the league leaders. Absolutely beautiful ball from Darius to Staggs resulting in their first try. Another nice try when Dearden put Jordan Riki through that gap to run 45 metres and score. Nice efforts from Haas, Staggs, Dearden and Riki. Overall a pretty good effort from a much improved Broncos. Even so, they eventually went down 25-12. Some stats worth a mention:

Possession (42-58)
All Run Metres (1200-2113)
Post Contact Metres (497-908)
Dummy Passes (12-45)
Kick Defusal (72%-25%)
Penalties Conceded (7-3)

Verdict: Dunno, I’ve got this funny feeling the Broncos are a chance here. They could prove me wrong but I’m gonna tip them 🙄.

Roosters vs. Knights 65-35 @ SCG
Ladder Position = Roosters
Bookies Favourite = Roosters

Roosters
The Roosters fought out a high quality first half last week against the Raiders and after scoring 2 tries to 1 went into the break leading 10-6. The Roosters scored after 5 minutes, were rock solid in defence and after a dominant second half they ran out deserving 18-6 winners. Best on ground for me was James Tedesco. He ran for 234 metres, had 16 tackle-breaks, 2 line-breaks and scored two tries (his first double in almost 3 months). Great games from Kyle Flanagan, Freddy Lussick and Daniel Tupou as well. Sonny Bill Williams’ return was OK I suppose but nothing to get too excited about (yet). In his 14 minute stint he had 7 runs for 37 metres, one offload and made 6 tackles. It made me smile when the Raiders fans booed him onto the field 😁. Some stats worth a mention:

Possession (51-49)
Completion Rate (86%-74%)
Kicking Metres (636-554)
Bombs (12-2)
Missed Tackles (28-33)
Ineffective Tackles (12-16)
Errors (8-15)
Penalties Conceded (6-3)

Knights
The Knights basically won last week’s game against the Sharks with an impressive 22-4 first half. They dominated possession and absolutely smacked the Sharks all night in what was a sometimes nasty contest. Ponga played a blinder and was so good the Sharks sent out the hit squad but that didn’t work as we saw when Townsend got binned. The Knights showed much more intent than the previous week and put in some really solid defensive work. Some stats worth a mention:

Possession (57-43)
Missed Tackles (19-40)
Ineffective Tackles (19-8)

Verdict: Roosters. Begurk! 🐔 Begurk! 🐔

Storm vs. Cowboys 70-30 @ Sunshine Coast
Ladder Position = Storm
Bookies Favourite = Storm

Storm
Last week things looked ominous for the Storm when the Rabbitohs started so well but the Storm remained in touch with sheer perseverance and were only down 14-10 at the break. A strong second half saw the Storm get up over the Rabbitohs 22-16. An absolutely outstanding effort from Papenhuyzen last week. He scored a try, set up two more and ran for 196 metres from 21 runs. Smith, Munster and Faasuamaleaui were pretty good too. The Storm scored the only 2 tries of the second half and came away with a hard fought and deserved win. Some stats (not a lot) worth a mention:

Possession (49-51)
Completion Rate (84%-66%)
Errors (9-15)

Cowboys
The Cowboys’ attack was lacking just a bit in the first half last week against the Dragons. They didn’t take advantage of the opportunities that they had and they headed into the sheds 12-6 down but still in with a chance. Not much separated the Cowboys and the Dragons as the final score showed. The Cowboys had their chances but seemed to hand over momentum on a regular basis. I think it might’ve just been the nature of the contest. They did slightly better in the second half than the Dragons and crawled over the line in a thriller 23-22 courtesy of a Valentine Holmes field goal. Not too bad an effort considering they were missing Morgan and Taumalolo. Maybe that spurred them on to be as competitive as they were. Some stats worth a mention:

Possession (52-48)
Forced Drop Outs (2-0)
Kick Defusal (86%-42%)
Errors (14-9)
Penalties Conceded (4-2)

Verdict: The Storm should have too much class here. Storm for me.

Sharks vs. Warriors 50-50 @ Jubilee
Ladder Position = Sharks
Bookies Favourite = Sharks

Sharks
The Sharks jumped out of the blocks early last week against the Knights and scored after just 5 minutes. The Knights then put 4 tries past them and they were 22-4 down at half-time. If the game wasn’t over at the break then it certainly was when the Sharks leaked another 3 tries in the second half. In the end they lost 38-10 after an embarrassing effort. Things weren’t helped when Townsend got binned for the hit on Ponga, that’s for sure. Some solid defence from the Knights seemed to annoy the Sharks and I thought the Sharks’ lack of direction attack-wise and an excess of errors ruined the chances they got. The Sharks were undisciplined, disorganised and put up very little resistance in defence. Some stats worth a mention:

Possession (43-57)
Missed Tackles (40-19)
Ineffective Tackles (8-19)
On Reports - 3
Send Offs - 1

Warriors
The Warriors found themselves down 16-0 early on last week against the Eels but after 2 great tries from Chanel Harris-Tavita late in the half, the Warriors were only down 16-12 at the break. The Warriors were a tad unlucky in my opinion when Jazz Tevaga got binned for allegedly “punching” Nathan Brown. I reckon the ref got that one wrong. I’m baffled as to why Brown wasn’t punished for his retaliation. The Warriors fought back and had a real crack at the Eels and if Tevaga wasn’t binned, would the Eels have scored those 2 tries? Hmmm. In a real physical and tough game I liked the way the Warriors acquitted themselves and the fact they never gave up. Some stats worth a mention:

Possession (45-55)
Kicking Metres (574-715)
Ineffective Tackles (13-18)
Penalties Conceded (8-3)

Verdict: From what I saw from the Warriors last week and the fact the Sharks will have bodies missing through suspension, I just gotta tip the Warriors this week.

Let’s finish off with another “Song of the Week”…

Are you going to worry for the rest of your life?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSG64FsSxG4

OK kids, good luck with your tipping and may your team win by 40 points! Until next week people. Cheers.

Yeah we’re all here for fun aw you all said and banter

Tiger
Sorry for the loss of your friend mate. It's never easy, hope you get over this soon.

You've demonstrated the courage of a cardboard box

Tiger
Instead of having an avatar of a tiger pulling the expression of a prisoner after the soap drop.
You should change it to a picket fence
You know like the one you always sit on.
PS condolences always tough losing a mate

Very true Mark - some great banters here and some excellent heifer dust from some. Butcher fairs well, but just depends on how many of those bottles, he's let loose on others. He has a very good sense of humour and sharp as a tack, when it comes to immediate response. Like a Bondi bullet out of a gun!

Now, as much as we really don't need it, but don't count it out before the end of the season. I'd wonder how the contest would be thrown up, with that bloke that loved his Smiths Crisps, especially now the way The Mulgoa Boys are going.
Struth, heaven help us, if he sets loose, here as a phantom of the opera (in disguise). I, like some here, can feel it coming!

Cheers folks and keep well and be aware.
Big Pete

Big Pete
As well as you I have enjoyed the Butchers stories (wish there more of them) Occasionally he strays to the dark side with some comments but I'm sure most are "tongue in cheek". Even Rocket Ryan has come on board (hope he doesn't read this).
Hope you are well big fella and those peepers are behaving.

Thanks Big Pete, appreciate your comments mate.

Tiges

I can't believe I forgot to put my tips in again! And I tipped the Rabbits too!... Oh well, the rest of my tips for this round are:
Sea Eagles
Panthers
Raiders
Titans
Roosters
Storm
Warriors
Have a great weekend everyone!