Sydney Roosters vs Penrith Panthers – Thursday night – Allianz Stadium

The Panthers have had the better of the Chooks in recent seasons, but the tricolours won't get many better opportunities than this to knock off the reigning premiers. The absence of Nathan Cleary has been well-noted, but they'll also be without two of their key kiwi enforcers in Fisher-Harris and Sorensen. Lindsay Smith starts at prop and Mavrik Geyer (whose Panthers heritage runs in the family) gets a run off the bench. The Chooks have a few enforcers of their own missing, with former Panther Leniu suspended and Lindsay Collins out with a hamstring issue. Terrell May starts at prop, and it's only a matter of time before he's doing that every week. Importantly for the home side, Sam Walker has passed his concussion protocols and Luke Keary returns from his 11-day stand-down. With their inclusions, the Roosters backline looks first class from numbers one through to seven, and the team that racked up 48 points against the Bunnies last week should be feeling optimistic about their chances. That they're playing at home is a big plus too.

Verdict – Roosters by 4

Result – Panthers 22 defeated Roosters 16

South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Canterbury Bulldogs – Friday night – Accor Stadium

The Rabbitohs find themselves in an uncomfortable and unusual position (for them) - last on the NRL ladder and without a win on the board. The cast and crew on the S.S. Rabbitoh will be feeling the pressure, none moreso than the captain of the ship Jason Demetriou. Rumours would suggest he has a month to steady the ship, and there's an elder statesman of the game on the Redcliffe Peninsula who hasn't been shy about letting everyone know he wants a coaching gig in 2025. It should be noted that the Bunnies have had a tough start to the draw this season, with three games against sides that look like top eight contenders this season. The Bulldogs had their first win of the year last week. I can't question the scoreline (32-0), but I am doubting the class of their opposition. They'll take confidence from the result though, and should continue to improve. Note that Josh Addo-Carr has been named on the extended bench, but is not likely to return. I can't tip them confidently, but I'm leaning slightly to the Rabbitohs in what should be a genuine contest.

Verdict – Rabbitohs by 4

Result – Rabbitohs 20 defeated Bulldogs 16

Brisbane Broncos vs North Queensland Cowboys – Friday night – Suncorp Stadium

The Rabbitohs haven't won a game, and the Cowboys haven't lost a game. In fact, the Cowboys are the only undefeated team left in the competition. A fair crowd are likely to show up on Good Friday - hopefully the figure has a 4 in front of it. There'd be a few thousand more if Reece Walsh were available, who has been offered a multi-year, multi-million dollar deal to extend his contract at the club. We wait for news on that front. Sitting alongside Walsh in the casualty ward are Haas and Piakura, which takes plenty of puff out of the Broncos engine room. In better news, Reynolds has been named, and his general kicking game will be of utmost importance. If the Broncos win, it's on the back of Reynolds and his capacity to manage field position and the pace of the game. This is the Cowboys toughest test of the season thus far, but I like the look of their forwards and their bench forwards in this contest. They'll have fresher legs in the last 30 minutes and I think they can run over the top of the home team when it matters most. For those that like a flutter - Tom Deardon is $4.25 to score a try in this game. He's scored one every week so far, and that looks generous to me (disclaimer: not investment advice/gamble responsibly).

Verdict – Cowboys by 7

Result – Broncos 38 defeated Cowboys 12

St George Illawarra Dragons vs Manly Sea Eagles – Saturday afternon – WIN Stadium

If we put an asterisk against the round one performance against the Titans, and focus on the last fortnight, the Dragons have conceded 84 points. On Saturday afternoon they take on a team that has had no trouble scoring points (81 across three games). Importantly, the Sea Eagles have scored those points against very good teams. They've named the same line-up that went close against the Eels last weekend, and on form they look the winner here. Garrick needs two points to rack up a career tally of 1000. He could score 20 on Saturday.

Verdict – Sea Eagles by 14

Result – Dragons 20 defeated Sea Eagles 12

Gold Coast Titans vs Redcliffe Dolphins – Saturday night – Cbus Super Stadium

Des Halser might be having second thoughts. Things seem dire for the glitter club and the season ending injury to their club captain is a bitter blow. Some positives to note though - with Jayden Campbell returning at fullback on Saturday night, and David Fifita close to a recall. Perhaps not this week, but soon. The Dolphins were awesome against the Dragons in round two with a 38-0 drubbing. At first glance you'd say a win like that over the Dragons may not mean that much, until you realise the Dragons beat the Titans 28-4 in round one. Fins up...and up...and up.

Verdict – Dolphins by 16

Result – Dolphins 30 defeated Titans 14

New Zealand Warriors vs Newcastle Knights – Sunday afternoon – Go Media Stadium

The bad news for the Warriors is that they have had to call on their third-choice fullback for this game. The good news is that their third-choice fullback won the Dally M medal playing in this position not so long ago. He'll be okay. The Warriors finally got their first win of the season out of the way after some competitive losses. Note that the win last week was against a team that comfortably beat the Knights in round one at Newcastle. If you take a look at the quality of the list of reserves for the Warriors you can see how much depth this team has at the moment. The Knights haven't won a game in New Zealand since 2019. They won't go down without a fight but I can't tip them.

Verdict – Warriors by 8

Result – Warriors 20 defeated Knights 12

Cronulla Sharks vs Canberra Raiders – Sunday afternoon – PointsBet Stadium

I'm missing somethere here. The Sharks are a very warm favourite on Sunday, even after the Tigers tore them to pieces last week. They've lost Finucane, Rudolf and Hunt from their forward pack and have had to resort to naming Talakai in the second row. The Raiders pack is so strong that Origin representative Corey Hursburgh and Emre Guler are off playing NSW Cup this weekend. Their only loss for the season was a competitive effort against the Warriors in New Zealand. What am I missing?

Verdict – Raiders by 4

Result – Sharks 36 defeated Raiders 22

Parramatta Eels vs Wests Tigers – Monday afternoon – CommBank Stadium

The Tigers were given a hard time because the players needed a lyric sheet to sing the team song - that seems a bit unfair to me, given Benji had only just finished writing it in the car park before the game. They'll take confidence out of the dominant win against the Sharks and are a team that will continue to improve. The NRL is more fun when the Tigers are playing well, and I hope it continues. After watching the Eels v Sea Eagles match intently last weekend I finally realised who Mitch Moses reminds me of. He looks like one of those inflatable balloon guys you see waving their arms madly out of the front of used car yards. Much of the arm-waving on Easter Monday will be the responsibility of Clinton Gutherson. Gutherson isn't shy when it comes to the arm-flapping, but there's only one of him. The Moses kicking game, and his protesting arms, will be missed. Blaize Talagi moves from the centre to the halves. He does remind me of a young Brad Fittler, and I suspect the excitement around him as a prospect is appropriate. He could be anything. He could be Fittler. The same could be said for Lachlan Galvin - Benji told us he was ready for first grade and Benji was right. Perhaps he can coach after all. This could end up being the game of the round, and I'm leaning to the Eels in what I think I will be an entertaining contest.

Verdict – Eels by 2

Result – Tigers 17 defeated Eels 16

Wally Lewis - round four selections (in bold)

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

• Roosters vs PANTHERS
• RABBITOHS vs Bulldogs
• Broncos vs COWBOYS
• Dragons vs SEA EAGLES
• Titans vs DOLPHINS
• WARRIORS vs Knights
• SHARKS vs Raiders
• EELS vs Tigers