Parramatta Eels vs Cronulla Sharks – Thursday night – CommBank Stadium

15th plays 1st doesn't read like a compelling contest, but the NRL is a funny competition. It's more 'tipsters nightmare funny' than 'laugh out loud funny' mind you. Up until last week the Sharks had lost just one game all year. That loss was to the Tigers, and they were flogged, which is funny. Last week, on the back of impressive back-to-back victories over competition heavyweights, they lost again, and they were flogged. They're on a short turnaround here and they'll be without the halfback that scores Dally M points every time he puts the bins out, and their club captain who makes more tackles than the entire Cronulla backline put together. Hynes is replaced by Trindall who returns from...lets call it an injury. McInnes isn't easy to replace, unless Fitzgibbon names four military-trained Alsations and a brick wall in his starting side. Meanwhile, the Eels are getting their old band back together. Gutherson returns at fullback, Moses returns at halfback, and Penisini returns at centre. They lose Hopgood as he makes his Origin debut (which I'll discuss in more detail in my Origin preview), but Wiremu Greig returns to bolster their forward stocks. This will be a very different Eels side to the one we've seen in recent weeks, and they're coming together at their favourite ground. Don't get me wrong - the Sharks are a very warm favourite and should be, but:

Verdict – Eels by 1

Result – Eels 34 defeated Sharks 22

Newcastle Knights vs Canterbury Bulldogs – Friday night – McDonald Jones Stadium

The Knights have strung together a series of wins and have had a week off to freshen up and overcome any niggles. They've lost Bradman Best to injury, but were probably going to lose him to Origin duty anyway. In their last four games at home they've beaten the Storm, Dragons and Warriors and went down to the Roosters by two points. Importantly, these sides met in round 7 and the Bulldogs were decisive winners (36-12). That's hard to ignore, but the unavailably of three key ex-Panthers (Burton, Crichton, Kikau) is hard to ignore too. Their depth faces a stern test here - I don't expect them to lose any admirers on Friday night, but I do expect the home crowd can push the Knights to victory.

Verdict – Knights by 4

Result – Bulldogs 32 defeated Knights 2

Penrith Panthers vs St George Illawarra Dragons – Saturday night – BlueBet Stadium

A genuine test of the Panthers depth here, with five players on Origin duty and their captain unavailable through injury. The new halves combination of Cole and Schneider have had their share of first grand experience this year, and the new halfback (Laurie) is no slouch. Their forward pack is still strong...really strong. The Dragons will have their depth tested too, and they aren't as deep as the Panthers. Hunt, Lomax and Su'A are in Origin camp, and Bird has been cruelled by another long term injury. The bloke used to live down the road from me, and I know this is going to hurt him. I wish him well. The Dragons can go close here, but it's notable that they've lost their last ten games when they've been without Ben Hunt. A pro-Panthers crowd won't make it any easier either.

Verdict – Panthers by 4

​​​​​​​Result – Dragons 22 defeated Panthers 10

Redcliffe Dolphins vs Canberra Raiders – Saturday night – Kayo Stadium

The Dolphins have hardly crossed the Queensland border all season, but this is just their second game of the year at what I call their actual home ground. They played in Redcliffe back in round two, and they won 38-0. They won't have my favourite player in the number one jersey on Saturday, but Trai Fuller has already proven his worth this season. Note the Dolphins also lose Kaufusi, who is 18th man in the QLD origin camp. The Raiders will be without Hudson Young , and he's much more important to the Raiders than most people realise. He's their top try scorer, and last week topped their tackle count too. They get Papalii back which helps, but he's a 35 minute proposition while Young plays the full 80. It's unusual for the Raiders to be out-muscled in the forwards but the Dolphins pack could do it, particularly at home. Looks like the game of the round to me.

Verdict – Dolphins by 4

​​​​​​​Result – Raiders 26 defeated Dolphins 25

Sydney Roosters vs North Queensland Cowboys – Sunday afternoon – Allianz Stadium

Both sides have been depleted by Origin departures, but the Cowboys have been hit harder despite what has been a pretty poor season for them thus far. The Cowboys have won two in a row, which is something, but those victories were against the teams running last and second last, and a depleted Roosters line-up is still better than that. The only teams to concede more points than the Cowboys this season are the Eels and the Rabbitohs. Now they travel to Sydney to take on a team that has scored 212 points in their last five games. There's every chance Tedesco has a blinder too, given the circumstances. 

Verdict – Roosters by 26

​​​​​​​Result – Cowboys 18 defeated Roosters 16

Wally Lewis - round thirteen selections (in bold)

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

• Eels vs SHARKS
• KNIGHTS vs Bulldogs
• PANTHERS vs Dragons
• DOLPHINS vs Raiders
• ROOSTERS vs Cowboys