Manly Sea Eagles vs St George Illawarra Dragons – Thursday night – 4 Pines Park

Manly will be pleased to be returning to Brookvale, particularly so against an opponent whose record at the ground is poor. That said, the Sea Eagles are on a very short turnaround from a Saturday game in Perth, and that flight from Perth to Sydney isn't easy for anyone. They are facing a third consecutive loss here, but there last two opponents do look like top four teams. The return of Jason Saab won't hurt either. The Dragons were big winners over the Titans last week and I think they're going better than most realise. With an extra day to prepare, I'm willing to tip them to pull off the upset. Val Holmes to (hopefully) find his radar and seal the win with a late field goal.

Verdict – Dragons by 1

Result – Dragons 20 defeated Sea Eagles 18

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

A very good Friday indeed for the Bulldogs, with some talk they'll get 70,000 through the turnstiles. That's not impossible if the weather is kind, but anything in the 60s can make this the highest attendance for a regular season NRL game since...the NRL. Some important inclusions for both teams - Burton is back in the halves for the Bulldogs, and an early candidate for buy of the season (Tupouniua) returns on the bench. For the Bunnies, Walker is back in the halves and Graham returns on the wing to replace Johnston. High profile English recruit Lewis Dodd gets his first taste of an NRL game, either off the bench or in the halves with Walker. Keep an eye on the team lists in case the wily old coach decides to shift Mitchell back to the centres before game time. The scheduling of this clash has to help the home side, who have had a week off to prepare for one of their regular season blockbusters, while the Bunnies are backing up from the trip to the West Coast. I was probably leaning to the Bulldogs regardless, but now I'm leaning a little more.

Verdict – Bulldogs by 10

Result – Bulldogs 32 defeated Rabbitohs 0

Redcliffe Dolphins vs Melbourne Storm – Friday night – Suncorp Stadium

Whatever the outcome on Friday night, those in attendance are in for a treat. Tabuai-Fidow has found his mojo, and the Storm have named one of the most exciting prospects in the game on the wing (Faalogo). Both are likely to make the highlight reels. I would have given the Dolphins a real chance in this, but for the inclusion of Jahrome Hughes for the Storm. They're a next level opponent when he's out there conducting the orchestra, and assuming he's fit and well, the Storm all but pick themselves. Their record at this ground in particular, is better than anyone. In any case, this is a great test for the Dolphins and this could be the game of the round. Eyeball-worthy.

Verdict – Storm by 10

​​​​​​​Result – Dolphins 42 defeated Storm 22

New Zealand Warriors vs Brisbane Broncos – Saturday afternoon – Go Media Stadium

Expect another sold out home ground for the Warriors (if it isn't already), but they'll need all the support they can get in this. They've lost Fisher-Harris, Nicoll-Klokstad and Berry this week - not easy shoes to fill. The Broncos will be hoping to bounce back after the surprise loss to the Chooks, and Kiwi Jordan Riki returns to bolster the pack. The Warriors often lift for this clash and I do expect a contest, but I think that Broncos pack can get on top in this. Note that Staggs is likely to ink an extension to his Broncos contract any day now. Back him in try-scoring markets now...if that's your thing.

Verdict – Broncos by 8

​​​​​​​Result – Warriors 20 defeated Broncos 18

Sydney Roosters vs Penrith Panthers – Saturday night – Allianz Stadium

15th plays 16th (yes...really) in the battle of the duds. It's hard to fathom these contemporary NRL giants being where they are but there they are. In round two the Roosters surprised everyone with a win over the Panthers and the Panthers haven't been able to win a game since. They need to resurrect their season in quick time or they may not even make the finals this year. They continue to start favourite in every game on the basis of what they might do, but I can't tip them until they actually do it. Talagi looked out of place in the halves last week - perhaps he'll be better for the run around but, again, I want to see it happen before I believe in it. The Chooks know they can beat Penrith, and they knocked off the Broncos in Brisbane last week. I think that's good enough.

Verdict – Roosters by 4

​​​​​​​Result – Panthers 40 defeated Roosters 12

Gold Coast Titans vs Canberra Raiders – Sunday afternoon – Cbus Super Stadium

People don't talk about the advantage the Sydney-based clubs have over the other teams because they travel less. With that in mind, I'll point out that the Raiders this year have played at following locations - Las Vegas, Canberra, Sydney, Townsville, Canberra, Darwin, Gold Coast. More time on tour than Bob Dylan. This won't be easy for them either, with the Titans welcoming back Fa'asuamaleaui (times two). For the Raiders, Hosking returns to bolster a pack of forwards that are doing everything right at the moment. The Queenslander in me is really hoping Hudson Young gets injured in the middle of the year (sorry Hudson). I have to stick with the Raiders, and hope that they don't treat an Easter long weekend on the Gold Coast as some sort of holiday. A game that could surprise to the upside, and likely to be much more interesting than the game they'll be broadcasting on free to air televison on Sunday afternoon.

Verdict – Raiders by 4

​​​​​​​Result – Raiders 30 defeated Titans 20

Newcastle Knights vs Cronulla Sharks – Sunday afternoon – McDonald Jones Stadium

Mrs Thinker is working interstate this year, and I still think I could score more often than the Knights at the moment. In their last three games they have scored one try or less, and last week they didn't get their one try until the 79th minute. They're offering next to nothing with the ball in hand and you can understand why they are hoping Dylan Brown can fix that in the seasons ahead. Dylan Brown can't help them on Sunday and I can't see the current Knights line-up challenging the Sharks defence too often. Typically I'm reluctant to tip against the Knights at home in these Sunday afternoon games, but not this year.

Verdict – Sharks by 8

​​​​​​​Result – Sharks 34 defeated Knights 14

Wests Tigers vs Parramatta Eels – Monday afternoon – CommBank Stadium

A big out and a big in for the Easter Monday game - with Galvin getting punted to park football for rejecting a contract extension with the Tigers (bit harsh maybe) and Moses back from a long term injury for the Eels. Now I'm not as fit as I once used to think that I may have been, but to my eye Mitch Moses looks like he's going to need the hitout on Monday. That doesn't mean he can't make a difference, because he does have a handy boot on him, but still. The best of him may be a while off. Dylan Brown is offering moments of magic but he does tend to drift in and out of games. I don't think you can afford to play like that when you're on $13 million, but I'm an old fashioned fool. I assume the Tigers are trying to make a statement about 'team first' or something similar with the punting of Galvin. Perhaps that will spark the rest of the Tigers to give their all. I was going to tip them anyway, because I think they're playing pretty well. Hopefully this off-field silliness doesn't derail what could otherwise be a much better year for the stripey cats.

Verdict – Tigers by 4

​​​​​​​Result – Eels 38 defeated Tigers 22

Wally Lewis - round seven selections (in bold)

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

• SEA EAGLES vs Dragons
• BULLDOGS vs Rabbitohs
• Dolphins vs STORM
• WARRIORS vs Broncos
• Roosters vs PANTHERS
• TITANS vs Raiders
• KNIGHTS vs Sharks
• TIGERS vs Eels