Manly Sea Eagles vs Penrith Panthers – Thursday night – 4 Pines Park

The Panthers have the luxury of naming the same seventeen that made light work of the Storm last week. It's not their best seventeen, but it isn't far from it - Leniu, Tago and Peachey are all expected to return before the finals series. For the Sea Eagles, Keppie returns from a back injury to replace Matt Lodge. Lodge is out for the rest of the season but has likely done enough in a short time to earn himself another contract for next year. These sides last met way back in round six, where the Panthers won 44-12 in a canter. Since then, the Panthers have improved while the Sea Eagles haven't. In the last fortnight, the Panthers have scored 54 points and conceded just 6, and those two games were against the teams running 4th and 6th. If Penrith want the minor premiership they may have to win their last four games to do so. I expect they'll overcome the first hurdle.

BREAKING: The Panthers have just ruled out Jarome Luai and Mitch Kenny for this game. Luke Sommerton comes into the squad to make his NRL debut.

Verdict – Panthers by 14

Result – Panthers 24 defeated Sea Eagles 12

Cronulla Sharks vs Gold Coast Titans – Friday night – PointsBet Stadium

I had the Sharks all worked out and then they went and actually played well, and defeated, a top eight team. Now that the boys from the Shire have picked up my sno-globe and given it a good shake I don't know what to believe. Are they any good, or does a Sharks win over the Rabbitohs just prove that the Rabbitohs aren't really a top eight team? A similar performance here should be enough to see off the Titans, particularly playing at Shark Park on a winters night - a miserable place to be unless you're a Sharks fan. Mulitalo returns on the wing for the home team, while Tino Tino Fa'asuamaleaui is back from suspension just in time to replace the suspended Fotuaika. Note that Sam Verrills has been given the rest of the year off to get his shoulder cleaned out and ready for next season. Perhaps that decision gives some insight into how the Titans are feeling about their top eight prospects for the year. 

Verdict – Sharks by 7

Result – Sharks 36 defeated Titans 6

Brisbane Broncos vs Parramatta Eels – Friday night – The Gabba

The Broncos are assured of a top four finish this season, which will bring comfort to fans given their late season fade-out in 2022. They will probably retain a spot in the top two, and the minor premiership isn't out of reach. I've been positive on the Broncos prospects this season for quite some time now, but their win over the Cowboys in Townsville last week put to rest one of my lingering doubts - can they win without Adam Reynolds? The answer is clearly yes. They're better when he's there, but it's nice to know they don't need him. Reynolds has been named on Friday, but he may still be a late withdrawal. The Eels kept their top eight prospects alive with a fortunate win over the Dragons. They'll need to be better than that. Even if they are, they still may not be good enough. It's the Broncos last game at The Gabba...perhaps ever. They haven't lost a game there yet, and I don't expect them to lose this.

Verdict – Broncos by 10

​​​​​​​Result – Broncos 54 defeated Eels 10

South Sydney Rabbitohs vs St George Illawarra Dragons – Saturday afternoon – Barlow Park, Cairns

It's not often a player scores four tries in a match. Last week, Mikaele Ravalawa did exactly that, and they still lost. I don't have access to the archives of David Middleton, but I'd be surprised if that has ever happened before. Mind you, we have since learned that the Dragons shouldn't have lost that game. In fact, there were three games last weekend where the results would have been different had referees not made errors. In each case those decisions went against teams that are struggling at the bottom of the ladder. Frustrating for the coaches I'm sure. The Bunnies continue their epic road trip with a home game in Cairns. They aren't back in Sydney until the final round of the season. If they don't turn things around soon they may have to win that game to make the top eight. I don't want to get too far ahead of myself here, but that game is against the Chooks. That game may very well determine which of the two heritage teams in the NRL make the finals this season. Crikers. As for this clash, the Bunnies did enough to beat the Tigers recently, and I think they can do enough here too. An upset wouldn't surprise me, but I can't quite tip that way.

Verdict – Rabbitohs by 2

​​​​​​​Result – Rabbitohs 26 defeated Dragons 14

Wests Tigers vs New Zealand Warriors – Saturday night – FMG Stadium, Waikato, Hamilton

It's a Tigers home game but it won't feel like it. This game sold out in next to no time and the enthusiasm for the Warriors in New Zealand is palpable. It's unlikely they would drop out of the top four, but a win here guarantees them of their best regular season finish in a very long time. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad is out following a concussion. Taine Tuaupiki gets another opportunity at the top level - he's a genuine talent, and I've popped a highlights video on the page for those who haven't seen much of him. The Tigers were one of those teams unlucky to lose last week. They have to win some games to avoid the wooden spoon, so I expect they'll give this their all, but this is hard. Up the Wahs!

Verdict – Warriors by 10

​​​​​​​Result – Warriors 30 defeated Tigers 22

Sydney Roosters vs Redcliffe Dolphins – Saturday night – Allianz Stadium

This is just the second visit to Sydney for the Dolphins in 2023. Unfortunately, the only other time they were there they conceded 58 points to Manly in what was their worst result for the season. I doubt the Roosters can score 58 points - they haven't come close to that all year, but I do think they'll get the job done. For those of you that like weird bets - you can get $10 about Joey Manu scoring two or more tries in this game. I like that - I think he's ready for a big night out. I'm proud of the mighty Dolphins, but a long and emotional season looks like it's taking its toll. 

Verdict – Roosters by 8

​​​​​​​Result – Roosters 30 defeated Dolphins 14

Melbourne Storm vs Canberra Raiders – Sunday afternoon – AAMI Park

The Raiders have won 12 games this season, and their biggest winning margin is 10. On nine occasions they have won games by a converted try or less. Now, let's give them some credit for their capacity to win the tight contests, because that's an important quality to have. But it does make for a very long season when you have to fight and graft your way to a win every single week. It's also why their points differential could potentially cost them big time. They are the only team in the top ten that have conceded more points than they have scored, and in a tight competition that's the sort of thing that could see you death spiralling out of the top eight in a hurry. This won't be easy, and they have a few difficult games in front of them to see out the year. They do have an impressive record over the Storm in Melbourne, and not many teams can say that, but the Storm need to shore up a top four finish, and we've seen them regularly bounce back after a heavy loss. Note that a whole bunch of the Storm squad took it upon themselves to fly up to the Sunshine Coast and watch Ryan Papenhuyzen running out for the Falcons in his return from injury. What a club.

Verdict – Storm by 8

​​​​​​​Result – Storm 48 defeated Raiders 2

Newcastle Knights vs Canterbury Bulldogs – Sunday afternoon – McDonald Jones Stadium

The Knights have won five of their last six, and their only loss was a competitive effort against the Panthers. That sequence of wins includes a 66-0 thrashing of the Bulldogs in round 18. I'm sure the Bulldogs won't want a repeat of that, but it's hard to see them changing the result, particularly on a Sunday afternoon in Newcastle.

Verdict – Knights by 16

​​​​​​​Result – Knights 42 defeated Bulldogs 6

Wally Lewis - round twenty four selections (in bold)

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

• Sea Eagles vs PANTHERS
• SHARKS vs Titans
• BRONCOS vs Eels
• RABBITOHS vs Dragons
• Tigers vs WARRIORS
• ROOSTERS vs Dolphins
• STORM vs Raiders
• KNIGHTS vs Bulldogs