South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Melbourne Storm – Thursday night – Accor Stadium

The Storm don't lose two games in a row very often, which spells trouble for the 15th placed Rabbitohs. Cody Walker returns which will help, but he was playing when the Rabbitohs took on the Storm on ANZAC Day, and the Storm cracked the half century that day (54-20). The Storm will be without Eliesa Katoa, and if I'm any judge he's the most under-rated player in the NRL right now. He's a significant out, but Kamikamica returns to bolster the forwards, and I can only see one possible outcome here.

Verdict – Storm by 14

Result – Storm 28 defeated Rabbitohs 16

Gold Coast Titans vs Cronulla Sharks – Friday night – Cbus Super Stadium

You don't need me to convince you that the Titans can beat the Sharks, because they already did. They did it only a month ago, and a month ago the Sharks had Nicho Hynes and the Titans didn't have Jayden Campbell. The only game the Titans have lost since then was to Manly at Brookvale, so they're arguably going better now than they were in July. And they have momentum, scoring 7 tries in the second half against the Broncos at this same ground less than a week ago. I just hope they can keep it going.

Verdict – Titans by 7

Result – Sharks 44 defeated Titans 0

Parramatta Eels vs Penrith Panthers – Friday night – CommBank Stadium

To give the Panthers current reign of dominance some context, the teams they defeated in the last three NRL grand finals are currently 14th, 15th and 16th on the NRL ladder. Yikes. On Friday night they face the team they defeated in the 2022 grand final. The Eels have probably done enough to dodge the wooden spoon following their surprise victory over the Warriors in Auckland last week, but a win here would all but lock that in. Meanwhile, the Panthers are biting at the heels of the Storm, and may have their eyes on a minor premiership. Daine Laurie returns this week to bolster their line-up. The Panthers were too good when these sides met in round two, and I'm expecting a similar result.

Verdict – Panthers by 7

​​​​​​​Result – Panthers 36 defeated Eels 34

Canberra Raiders vs Manly Sea Eagles – Saturday afternoon – GIO Stadium

10th faces 7th in what looks like one of the more difficult contests to assess this round. The Sea Eagles, with a favourable points differential compared to the pack of teams just below them, will just about lock up a top eight finish with a win on Saturday. The return of Olakau'atu, Croker and Hopoate will help, as will the inclusion of Garrick and Saab who both went off with concussions in round 21. For the Raiders, Ethan Strange returns after a break last week, and while Smithies has been named I've heard from some quarters he won't line up. Something to keep an eye on. The Raiders prevailed when these sides met in round 9 at Brookvale (26-24), but the Sea Eagles should be nice and fresh after the bye last week. Daytime conditions are likely to suit the visitors and I'll tip them to turn the tables.

Verdict – Sea Eagles by 4

​​​​​​​Result – Sea Eagles 46 defeated Raiders 24

North Queensland Cowboys vs Brisbane Broncos – Saturday night – Queensland Country Bank Stadium

The Cowboys will be thinking about a top four finish, while the Broncos won't have given up entirely on sneaking into the top eight. The mathemagicians will tell you they can do it, but I would remind the mathemagicians that the Broncos have conceded 87 points in their last two games, and 36 points in their last 40 minutes. They aren't playing like a top eight side, and they don't deserve to be there. That they've lost both Haas and Mam to what are likely to be season-ending injuries won't help either. The Broncos have named Rogers in the halves, but Reece Walsh has been training their during the week. Assume Sailor slots in at fullback if the training goes well. No major changes for the Cowboys, with Cotter returning from concussion protocols after one of the more brutal head knocks I've seen. The Cowboys haven't had much trouble scoring points this season, and the Broncos are leaking like one of those boats made out of beer cans. A final scorecard of 40ish to 20ish looks likely here.

Verdict – Cowboys by 14

​​​​​​​Result – Broncos 42 defeated Cowboys 18

St George Illawarra Dragons vs Canterbury Bulldogs – Saturday night – Netstrata Jubilee Stadium

The Dragons made a statement last weekend, and that was statement was "you can beat us in Melbourne for 25 years in a row, but you can't beat us in Melbourne for 26 years in a row". Well done, Dragons...it's always nice to break a hoodoo. I imagine this game is well and truly sold out already, and so it should be. There's some talk they should move the game to a larger venue, including chatter from Bulldogs peeps who (thinker checks notes) played a sold out game at Belmore last weekend. Oh well, it was worth a try. The Dragons get home ground advantage but I'm picking the Bulldogs on Saturday night. They've been a little more consistent than the Dragons, and its hard to forget the result when these sides met in round 12. For those that might have forgotten, the Bulldogs won 44-12. This should be closer.

Verdict – Bulldogs by 4

​​​​​​​Result – Bulldogs 28 defeated Dragons 10

Redcliffe Dolphins vs New Zealand Warriors – Sunday afternoon – Suncorp Stadium

If you were to accuse me of being pro-dolphin, you would be right. And it's entirely possible that my affection for these terrific creatures and this terrific club has affected my judgement a little, but here this...the Dolphins are going to smash the Warriors on Sunday afternoon. They do have to back up following the flight home from Perth, but the Warriors have to travel almost as far from Auckland. Tevita Pangai Jnr is proving to be unpredictable on and off the field, letting the Dolphins know he's heading to France - perhaps he's been watching the Olympics and liked what he saw. He's been named to start on Sunday after withdrawing last last week, and he owes the Dolphins a decent performance or two before he jets off. The Dolphins were so short of troops last week they were about to ask for volunteers from the crowd in Perth, but despite all that, they racked up 34 points against a genuine premiership contender. Once again, they've been competitive and fallen just short. Something of a pattern in recent weeks, but they should find this easier, and daytime conditions should suit. The Warriors disappointed most of us last weekend. They've won 3 from 10 in Australia this season - given that record and their recent form, I'll take the Phins to win.

Verdict – Dolphins by 8

​​​​​​​Result – Dolphins 34 defeated Warriors 32

Newcastle Knights vs Wests Tigers – Sunday afternoon – McDonald Jones Stadium

The Tigers can still avoid the wooden spoon but they'll need to win at least two of the their last four games to be any chance of that. Their run home means that isn't impossible, but it's unlikely. This is their last away game of the year - Newcastle on a Sunday afternoon isn't an easy road trip, particularly against an opponent still in the contest for a top eight finish.

Verdict – Knights by 7

​​​​​​​Result – Knights 34 defeated Tigers 18

Wally Lewis - round twenty three selections (in bold)

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

• Rabbitohs vs STORM
• Titans vs SHARKS
• Eels vs PANTHERS
• Raiders vs SEA EAGLES
• COWBOYS vs Broncos
• Dragons vs BULLDOGS
• DOLPHINS vs Warriors
• KNIGHTS vs Tigers