Sydney Roosters vs Melbourne Storm – Thursday night – Sydney Cricket Ground

It's fair to say these are the two most disliked clubs in the NRL right now. They're disliked, for the most part, because they are the two most professional clubs in the NRL - I imagine both teams wear it like a badge of honour. They have already given us the game of the season, when the Storm prevailed in golden point in Brisbane (in a game I was meant to attend, but didnt because...bah!). This time around they're playing in Sydney, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Josh Morris are returning for the Chooks, and the Storm are without Smith and Munster. The Chooks were without eight regular first graders last week, and despite that they still dropped one of their playmakers and goalkickers, and despite that they still won and never really looked like losing. In a year where club depth will be tested, the Roosters have already faced that test and passed - the pack that kept the Dragons in check last week will be bolstered by the inclusions of JWH, Cordnor, Chricton and SBW this season. The threepeat is not beyond them, and I never thought I would see another threepeat in the NRL in my lifetime.

Verdict – Roosters by 4

Result – Storm 24 defeated Roosters 6

New Zealand Warriors vs Penrith Panthers – Friday night – Central Coast Stadium

Last week the Panthers equalled their longest ever winning streak, and on Friday night they get a chance to beat that record. For a while, the Panthers have flown under the radar, but just about everyone is starting to take notice. Not only are they winning, they are establishing their dominance in games early. For twelve weeks in a row, they have not conceded a point in the first 20 minutes of a game. Hetherington, on loan from the Panthers to the Warriors, has found a way to avoid playing his own team. Decapitating a prop forward is a bit extreme, but he got the result he wanted. The Warriors are, for this season at least, everyones second favourite NRL team. That they are outperforming the three Queensland teams astonishes me. They can't win this, and they might even get trounced, but I take my hat off to them regardless.

Verdict – Panthers by 20

Result – Panthers 18 defeated Warriors 12

Parramatta Eels vs St George Illawarra Dragons – Friday night – Bankwest Stadium

A victory for the Eels on Friday night just about secures them a top four finish this season. They had to win ugly last weekend, but they still won (and Cronulla aren't the sort of team you want to playing ugly against). The Dragons have shown glimpses of what they are capable of in recent weeks, but they arent quite good enough to win against these top tier teams. Their pack will be weakened by the absence of Paul Vaughan and the probable absence of Tariq Sims and Jackson Ford, and they'll fall short again.

Verdict – Eels by 13

Result – Dragons 14 defeated Eels 12

Cronulla Sharks vs Gold Coast Titans – Saturday afternoon – Netstrata Jubilee Stadium

Get ready folks for the weekly poke at the Sharks from The Thinker...and here it goes. Following the rescheduling of the NRL season after round two, the Sharks were blessed with the easiest draw since, well...forever really. In their last 11 games they've played just two top eight teams, and lost them both. Even with that very generous draw, they are hanging onto the fringe of the top eight by a fingernail. This is another relatively easy game for them, but the Titans are doing well with what they have, and deserve their ladder position as the highest Queensland NRL team. I can't quite tip them here, but sheesus mcsnickety I want to. Proctor plays game 250 and they're a much more dynamic team with AJ Brimson back in the fold. I'm with the Sharks by a whisker, but there is a whiff of an upset about this game.

Verdict – Sharks by 2

Result – Sharks 30 defeated Titans 18

North Queensland Cowboys vs South Sydney Rabbitohs – Saturday night – Queensland Country Bank Stadium

The Cowboys have lost nine of their last ten, and were soundly beaten by the Titans last start. As things stand, they are a very real chance at a wooden spoon this year (and have a look who they have to play in their last game of the season). Michael Morgan was scratchy at best in his return to the game, and is bound to be better for the run, but the Cowboys just aren't up to standard this season. The Bunnies aren't world beaters, but they are a professional outfit and they almost always pick up the two points in contests such as these.

Verdict – Rabbitohs by 10

Result – Rabbitohs 31 defeated Cowboys 30

Canberra Raiders vs Brisbane Broncos – Saturday night – GIO Stadium

Back in the day, almost every time I gave the Broncos a good roasting, they would come out that weekend and be ten foot tall and bulletproof. Sadly, the Broncos have sunk so low that even a good old-fashioned spray from The Thinker can't awaken the sleeping giant of the NRL. So I can't get them up and going, the coach is stuck in Sydney, Pangai Jnr has joined a motorcycle gang, Boyd has quit the leadership group, and Staggs has started sending his resume to other clubs. Bring on round twenty, and a clash with the Cowboys to avoid the wooden spoon. 2020...what a ratlicker of a year.

Verdict – Raiders by 32

Result – Raiders 36 defeated Broncos 8

Newcastle Knights vs Manly Sea Eagles – Sunday afternoon – Mcdonald Jones Stadium

Manly, gallant as ever, continue to fight the good fight, but the injury toll on the northern beaches continues to mount. On Sunday they are without their twin towers up front. They have coped in the past without one of their big props, but two? With that in mind, I expect the Knights forwards to win the yardage battle (particularly at home), and Pearce, Green and Ponga know what to do from there. Pretty confident with this one.

Verdict – Knights by 8

Result – Knights 26 defeated Sea Eagles 24

Wests Tigers vs Canterbury Bulldogs – Sunday afternoon – Bankwest Stadium

I dont think the Bulldogs deserve the wooden spoon this year, and this is the sort of game they should be looking at winning if they want to avoid the dreaded cutlery. They're in this game up to their floppy ears, and the Tigers are looking like a team that are running out of petrol, but in the end I came back to a simple philosophy - which team will score the most points? Who scores wins. The Tigers often score 20 or more points a game. The only times they haven't this season were all against teams in the top eight (Panthers, Eels, Raiders, Knights and Rabbitohs). Meanwhile the Bulldogs have scored 20 or more points just twice all year (and both times were against the Dragons). The Tigers aren't going as well as they were when they beat the Bulldogs 34-6 earlier this season. This will be closer than that, but I think they can sneak home.

Verdict – Tigers by 4

Result – Tigers 29 defeated Bulldogs 28

Wally Lewis - round fourteen selections (in bold)

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

• ROOSTERS vs Storm
• Warriors vs PANTHERS
• EELS vs Dragons
• SHARKS vs Titans
• Cowboys vs RABBITOHS
• RAIDERS vs Broncos
• KNIGHTS vs Sea Eagles
• TIGERS vs Bulldogs