Cronulla Sharks vs Redcliffe Dolphins – Thursday night – PointsBet Stadium

The Dolphins first visit to Sydney for the season, can you believe it? It's actually just their fourth visit to Sydney ever, but their history in the NRL is a brief one. They're yet to win a game in Sydney either - last year they were monstered by Manly (58-18), managed by the Roosters (30-14) and missed it by a whisker against the Tigers (24-23). This Dolphins side is a lot stronger than the side that lost to the Tigers, but the Sharks aren't the Tigers. The Dolphins missed by a whisker in their last outing too, going down to a solitary point to the Raiders. Notably, the Dolphins were without Tabuai-Fidow, Kaufusi and Nikorima in that game. Add those three to their starting thirteen and they probably win but, again, the Sharks aren't the Raiders. The Sharks were without Hynes last week and were still too good for the Broncos in Brisbane. He returns to steer them around his preferred ground, and has an opportunity to remind NSW selectors that he's not the bad guy. Clearly the Sharks respond positively to my criticism. I gave them a rebuke last week and they responded strongly. I give them a plug prior to that and they were awful. I'm tipping them here so....the Sharks are terrible, go Sharks!

Verdict – Sharks by 4

Result – Dolphins 30 defeated Sharks 28

Canberra Raiders vs North Queensland Cowboys – Friday night – GIO Stadium

When the Cowboys board their plane in Townsville the temperature will be in the mid-twenties. When the Cowboys run onto GIO Stadium on Friday night it will be close enough to freezing point. You can't pick a winner based on the weather, but it's a factor, especially in a case like this. An even bigger factor is the Cowboys form, who were comprehensively outplayed by the Warriors in Townsville last week. From time to time, the Cowboys show glimpses of what they're capable of. This is a roster that could win a premiership, but only if those glimpses were the standard they were setting every week. I can't trust them at the moment, and I'm not convinced a freezing night in Canberra is the right time for them to show us their best. 

Verdict – Raiders by 8

Result – Cowboys 34 defeated Raiders 16

South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Brisbane Broncos – Friday night – Accor Stadium

In round two the Broncos prevailed 28-18 over the Bunnies in Brisbane. That Broncos side included Reynolds, Walsh and Arthars while the Rabbits were without Wighton and Arrow. Cameron Murray returns from injury off the bench and will make a difference. The Broncos were outplayed by the Sharks last week, who dominated the game through the middle at times, particularly so when Jenson and Haas were off the field. Willison returns on the bench and that can only help. The Rabbits don't have a forward pack that can dominate, but they'll hold their own. Since Wighton moved into the halves the Rabbitohs look like a different team, scoring 42 against the Eels and 46 against the Titans. The win over the Titans is significant, given the Titans beat the Broncos just two weeks ago. I've long felt that the Broncos get a bit wobbly without the steadying influence of Reynolds. I expect they'll improve on last week but they lack composure without Reynolds out there telling them all to settle down. In a close game that can be the difference between winning and losing. Mitchell to slot a casual field goal at some point and remind the NSW selectors he's keen if they're keen.

Verdict – Rabbitohs by 7

​​​​​​​Result – Rabbitohs 22 defeated Broncos 12

Wests Tigers vs Gold Coast Titans – Saturday night – Leichhardt Oval

I'm pretty keen on the Titans here, who have a good overall record against the Tigers and a surprisingly good record at Leichhardt Oval. The Titans were blown away last week but I'm hoping that was a temporary blemish - prior to that they've been competing (and sometimes beating) with some of the best teams in the NRL. The Tigers have now lost nine in a row, and their last two losses were particularly bad against teams outside the top eight. A new halves pairing for the home side on Saturday, with Koroisau moving to halfback and Sezer returning from suspension. They have to try something, and options are limited for now.

Verdict – Titans by 8

​​​​​​​Result – Tigers 18 defeated Titans 10

New Zealand Warriors vs Melbourne Storm – Saturday night – Go Media Stadium

Something a little unusual is happening in New Zealand this weekend. A Super Rugby semi-final between two New Zealand sides has been re-scheduled to avoid a clash with this regular season NRL game. In Australia, we're quite used to rugby union playing second fiddle to the NRL, but this is quite a development for the rugby codes across the ditch. Needless to say, this game is another sell-out, and the Warriors are on track to be the first rugby league club anywhere on the planet, at any time in history, to sell out every single game of a season. And all this for a team currently running 10th. On Saturday night they take on the team running first, but I'm keen on their chances. Shaun Johnson returns from injury and they were very very good against the Cowboys. This is harder, but the Storm aren't at full strength, and a boisterous home crowd can help get the Warriors over the line.

Verdict – Warriors by 4

​​​​​​​Result – Storm 38 defeated Warriors 24

Parramatta Eels vs Sydney Roosters – Saturday night – CommBank Stadium

The Roosters are at times mocked for not having much of a junior nursery, but the criticism is a little unfair. They're locked in by geography to a few postcodes that aren't brimming with kids that are likely to put their hand up for a rugby league career. Most of them are trust-fund kids, much more likely to spend their childhoods in a woollen vest and an expensive school blazer, as they transition into adulthood where they pretend to like the Sydney Swans. With that in mind, the decision by the Roosters to set up camp in the United States is the sort of broad-thinking we need to celebrate, even if it's a little crazy. Brandon Smith certainly didn't grow up with a trust fund, and the Roosters are showing him some tough love at the moment. He's been dropped from the seventeen altogether, with Connor Watson returning from injury in the number nine jersey. They still look like a premiership contender, despite the recent win-loss, win-loss form. The Eels came to life with the return of Moses and Gutherson two weeks ago, then came back to earth a little with a narrow loss to the Bulldogs. Note the short turnaround from that Monday night fixture, while the Chooks are coming off a bye and should be running on fresh legs. The Eels do like CommBank as a venue, but it hasn't been a fortress for them this season. If the Tigers can beat them there, I think the Roosters can too.  

Verdict – Roosters by 8

​​​​​​​Result – Roosters 28 defeated Eels 18

Manly Sea Eagles vs St George Illawarra Dragons – Sunday afternoon – 4 Pines Park

The Dragons won't have any fears about this contest - they've already beaten the Sea Eagles once this year (20-12) and they're going better now than they were then. The complicating factor on Sunday is the venue and the timeslot - Brookvale on a Sunday afternoon has brought undone many a visiting side. Manly have lost just the one game at home all season (to the Raiders). The list of wins includes victories over the Storm, Panthers and Roosters. The Dragons are in form, but I'm not sure they're at that level. In any case, this looks like a genuine and interesting contest, and I'm backing the steadying influence of Daly Cherry-Evans and a heaving crowd to get the home side over the line.

Verdict – Sea Eagles by 1

​​​​​​​Result – Sea Eagles 30 defeated Dragons 14

Newcastle Knights vs Penrith Panthers – Sunday afternoon – McDonald Jones Stadium

The Panthers replacement fullback (Daine Laurie) ran for 343 metres against a better opponent than this last week. Not a bad spare tyre to put back in the boot with Dylan Edwards returning on Sunday. The Knights often save their best for Sunday afternoons at home, but they've won just half their games in Newcastle this season. Bradman Best returns for the Knights, and he needs to hit the ground running if he wants to reclaim a centre position for NSW. He'll need a strong supporting cast to get the points here, and the Knights look a shandy short of the better teams this season.

Verdict – Panthers by 8

​​​​​​​Result – Panthers 26 defeated Knights 18

Wally Lewis - round fifteen selections (in bold)

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

• SHARKS vs Dolphins
• RAIDERS vs Cowboys
• Rabbitohs vs BRONCOS
• Tigers vs TITANS
• WARRIORS vs Storm
• Eels vs ROOSTERS
• SEA EAGLES vs Dragons
• Knights vs PANTHERS