Cronulla Sharks vs Canterbury Bulldogs – Friday night – Suncorp Stadium

Twelve points. In their last three games the Bulldogs have scored a total of twelve points. In a competition where teams appear to be scoring more points than they have in, perhaps forever, that's not enough to win games of football. It was during the first two rounds of the season, when the Bulldogs ground out low-scoring victories, but not anymore. Perhaps they'll flick the switch at some point and it will all come together, but I'd like to see it happen before I start predicting such a thing. As for the Sharks, well they truly are a difficult lot to predict. They're hot then they're cold. They're yes then they're no. They'll be missing Brailey and McInnes on Friday night, which worries me a little, but I worry about the Bulldogs attack more. Burton, Mann and King return for the Bulldogs this week. It probably helps...probably. A reluctant tip for the Sharks in this - if I had an option to tip neither team I'd be tempted.

Verdict - Sharks by 7

Result - Sharks 38 defeated Bulldogs 16

South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Redcliffe Dolphins – Friday night – Suncorp Stadium

On paper this looks like the best game of Magic Round, but some of these other contests might surprise the cheese out of us. It's not the first time these sides have clashed - they met way back in round one at this venue where the Rabbitohs prevailed 40-30 in what was something of a surprise result at the time. The Bunnies are now in the top four and look every inch a top eight team. The Dolphins meanwhile, are on the cusp of the top eight, a position Dolphins fan have become familiar with. Some slight line-up changes for Friday night compared to their round one clash - the Rabbits won't have Wighton, Fifita or Johnston this time. The Dolphins have lost Averillo, but have gained Plath, Marshall-King, Stone and Molo. Handy additions there for the Dolphins middle, and they did look more dangerous in attack last week when Marshall-King made his long-awaited return. Looks a terrific contest. I'm hoping the Dolphins have most of the crowd support to help will them over the line.

Verdict - Dolphins by 4

Result - Dolphins 32 defeated Rabbitohs 10

Wests Tigers vs Sea Eagles – Saturday afternoon – Suncorp Stadium

It's been a difficult few weeks for the Tigers, conceding 96 points in their last two outings. Still, they're in the top six, so it could be a lot worse. Terrell May returns on Saturday to bolster the forwards, but they're still missing plenty of key personnel. The Sea Eagles have won five of their last six, and their only loss was a narrow one to the Panthers. This weekend, Fogarty and Hetherington return to make a strong side even stronger. 

Verdict - Sea Eagles by 16

Result - Sea Eagles 46 defeated Tigers 18

Sydney Roosters vs North Queensland Cowboys – Saturday afternoon – Suncorp Stadium

Victor Radley dodged suspensions recently, but then got suspended for something he did in a game he shouldn't have been playing in because he probably should have already been suspended. The suspense is killing me. Otherwise, Collins returns to the front row and Leniu goes back to the bench. Some big outs for the Cowboys, with Deardon injured and Taumalolo rested. Liam Sutton makes his NRL debut in the halves alongside Clifford - best of luck to the young man. In their last five games the Cowboys have conceded 30 or more points four times - the exception was the game against the Bulldogs and we're all well aware how much trouble they're having scoring points at the moment. Of those four games, the Cowboys still managed to win two of them, and were narrow losers in one other. So no issues with the Cowboys attack, but defence appears to be an issue. Here they face a team that have scored...and this might read like a typo...42 tries in their last 6 games. That's not a typo - since their loss to the Panthers, the Chooks are averaging 7 tries per game. Looks like a high-scoring contest this one.

Verdict - Roosters by 10

Result - Cowboys 18 defeated Roosters 12

Parramatta Eels vs Melbourne Storm – Saturday night – Suncorp Stadium

Pleasingly, Faalogo has been cleared of a facial fracture and has been named at fullback for the Storm. They're a much more entertaining proposition when he's on the paddock. A much-needed win for the purple machine, but there's some doubt about that form. Still, a win is a win, and it wouldn't surprise if the Storm find some spark off the back of it. The Eels never looked like winning against the Cowboys, but won anyway. They'd been poor in the weeks prior so, again, there's some doubt about the form. What I do know is that these sides have already played each other this year. In round one, the Storm won 52-4. A lot has happened since then of course, and a scoreline like that seems unlikely, but I'm tipping them.

Verdict - Storm by 4

Result - Storm 34 defeated Eels 8

Gold Coast Titans vs Newcastle Knights – Sunday afternoon – Suncorp Stadium

Few would argue that Holbrook has done a terrific job in charge of the Knights, and he gets a chance to notch up a win against his old club on Sunday. I do have a soft spot for the Titans, but even I can't tip them here. Ponga gets another chance to impress the Qld Origin selectors, who may very well get creative and name him in the halves.

Verdict - Knights by 14

Result - Knights 36 defeated Titans 12

New Zealand Warriors vs Brisbane Broncos – Sunday afternoon – Suncorp Stadium

The Broncos don't get a lot of Sunday afternoon games, so its good to see this slotting into this timeslot for Magic Round. They'll make up the majority of the fans at the game, but there'll be no shortage of Warriors fans fronting up too. Reynolds is an important return for the Broncos, and a familiar looking and sounding player will make his NRL debut on the wing - the best of luck to Philip Coates. There's plenty of firepower in the Broncos backline but it's in the forwards where they are under-manned. To make matters worse, Barnett returns up front for the Warriors to take on his next club. When he or Fisher-Harris need a rest, Jackson Ford comes on to replace them, so no real reprieve for the Broncos there. I expect the Broncos to improve on their showing last week, but I'm with the Warriors in this.

Verdict - Warriors by 8

Result - Warriors 42 defeated Broncos 12

Penrith Panthers vs St George Illawarra Dragons – Sunday night – Suncorp Stadium

What can I say? The Dragons have nothing to lose, except this game...and they will.

Verdict - Panthers by 34

Result - Panthers 28 defeated Dragons 6

Wally Lewis - round eleven selections (in bold)

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

• SHARKS vs Bulldogs
• RABBITOHS vs Dolphins
• Tigers vs SEA EAGLES
• ROOSTERS vs Cowboys
• Eels vs STORM
• Titans vs KNIGHTS
• WARRIORS vs Broncos
• PANTHERS vs Dragons