Canterbury Bulldogs vs Penrith Panthers – Thursday night – Accor Stadium

Those of us that were looking at these match-ups earlier in the week would have noticed that the Bulldogs were very much the outsider in this contest, and by some margin. Then, over a period of hours, things shifted considerably, and then the whispers started. In the end, the Panthers are resting 16 (you heard right) of their best on Thursday night. I won't list them all - just assume it's everybody. In their place will be a bunch of trencherman and charlatans dressed up as first graders. They'll probably go okay, given the depth at the Panthers, but if you had this game marked in your sporting calender and were travelling from interstate to see the game, you'd be tempted to invoice the Panthers coach for costs. The Bulldogs recent record against the Panthers is woeful (0 from 8), but that's all a bit meaningless now. The Bulldogs will be without Kikau and Hayes for this, but the rest of the team are actual first graders and should get the job done. The worst possible outcome for the Dogs in this is a loss - imagine the psychological impact of losing at home to the Penrith reserves heading into a finals series.

Verdict - Bulldogs by 28

New Zealand Warriors vs Parramatta Eels – Friday night – Go Media Stadium

For some teams, this time of year is all-important, while for others it's about making post-season plans. The Warriors need to keep winning to hold their spot in the top four, with two teams nipping at their heels with superior points differentials. The Eels have dragged themselves far enough up the ladder to avoid any risk of running last. In theory they could keep winning and end up as high as tenth. That's something I suppose, but is it enough to get you up and going for an away game in Auckland? The Eels were very good against the Roosters, but the Roosters put up close to their worst effort all year (I do wonder if some of the Chooks knew the Brandon Smith thing was about to explode). The Warriors have steadied the ship with successive wins and I expect they'll make it three in a row.

Verdict - Warriors by 8

Melbourne Storm vs Sydney Roosters – Friday night – AAMI Park

I touched on the Roosters performance last week in my previous preview. Sam Walker remains unavailable, so Sandon Smith joins Savala in the halves. The Storm could mathematically drop out of the top two but they won't, so they've rested a number of players this week - Coates, Meaney, Katoa, King. With Grant suspended and Kamikamica out with concussion, it's a lot of changes for the Storm. For the flutterers among you, the Storm wingers will be tested in the air whenever the Chooks get the opportunity - back Tupou and Nawaqanitawase as likely try scorers with some confidence. Having said that, I do wonder if the Brandon Smith situation is enough of a distraction to unravel the Roosters. It couldn't have come at a worse time. Perhaps the QLD Police wanted to give the Dolphins a leg up...just jokes people. The last regular season game in Melbourne for the Storm and I think they'll get it done.

Verdict - Storm by 7

Canberra Raiders vs Wests Tigers – Saturday afternoon – GIO Stadium

The Raiders will be back at GIO Stadium for the finals, but this is their last game of the regular season at home, and I expect they would like to put on a show for the faithful. The season-ending injury to Savage is a savage blow (groan), but Tamale returns from injury in his place and he's one of the most promising youngsters the Raiders have...and they have a few. The injury to Doueihi for the Tigers is a real blow - he's been in terrific form in recent weeks. The Tigers have two away games to end the season and there's some risk they'll drop off. As for the Raiders, they'll want to keep winning while a potential minor premiership is up for grabs.

Verdict - Raiders by 16

St George Illawarra Dragons vs Manly Sea Eagles – Saturday night – Jubilee Stadium

Manly were very good last week, but they are an unpredictable beast. Their four games prior were sub-standard, and they've clearly lifted at home in a milestone game for a bloke who was playing his 350th game in their colours. Some chance they have to come down a bit from that high. Note that these sides met in round seven at Brookvale and the Dragons won that game. Their prospects are better at home and they wouldn't want a repeat of their poor performance last week. A raft of players return for the Dragons this week too and they're all in the forwards - Su'a, De Belin, Sele. It helps a lot, particularly against a diminished Manly pack.

Verdict - Dragons by 4

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

This is the Cowboys last game of the season, with a bye in the final round. I expect they'll be packed into the crab pot on Saturday night, given the rivalry between these clubs. I'm old enough to recall a time when people up north would go to this game and cheer for the Broncos. So much so, that they would get cranky with the Cowboys if they were going to pull off a win. That was back in the day when the Cowboys never made the finals, and Queenslanders didn't want them taking premiership points away from a team that probably would. Those days are long gone now, but with the Broncos looking like the only Queensland team to make the top eight this season, a few of them might be hoping the Broncos can sneak into the top four. They'll need to win this of course, but they probably will.

Verdict - Broncos by 4

Cronulla Sharks vs Newcastle Knights – Sunday afternoon – Sharks Stadium

As I write this, Adam O'Brien is the Knights coach, but by the time most of you are reading this he probably won't be. A touch unfair I say - in his six seasons at Newcastle they've made the finals four times. They've been disappointing this season, but their current spine of Gagai, Arthur, Cogger and Crossland is, with respect to the players listed, the weakest spine in the NRL. Not many coaches would have done much better I suspect. How the team responds to the news will be interesting - it could go either way, and we will know pretty quickly which way it goes. As for the Sharks, they can breathe a bit easier knowing that the only team on the ladder that could potentially overtake them has given up trying. McInnes is a big loss for the Sharks, but the return of Iro in the centres is massive. A future star.

Verdict - Sharks by 10

Redcliffe Dolphins vs Gold Coast Titans – Sunday afternoon – Suncorp Stadium

As per the other Sunday game, we get to see how a club responds to the sacking of a coach. We may not see Hasler coach again, and I for one will miss the crazy old professor. The Dolphins season has all but fallen off a cliff in recent weeks, and that demise has coincided with the injury to Farnworth. It's not the only reason they've fallen off, but the Dolphins jenga stack has had a lot of blocks taken out of it, and Farnworth was doing plenty of the heavy lifting in their absence. They've conceded 160 points in their last three games and that's hard to ignore. Should the Roosters lose earlier in the round, a win for the Dolphins puts them back in the top eight. Perhaps that's the motivation they need to turn it around. Regardless, if ever there were a game to give us a 52-46 scoreline or thereabouts...this is it.

Verdict - Dolphins by 4

Wally Lewis - round twenty six selections (in bold)

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

• BULLDOGS vs Panthers
• WARRIORS vs Eels
• STORM vs Roosters
• RAIDERS vs Tigers
• Dragons vs SEA EAGLES
• Cowboys vs BRONCOS
• SHARKS vs Knights
• DOLPHINS vs Titans