Canberra Raiders vs Canterbury Bulldogs – Thursday night – GIO Stadium

It's been 18 days since the Bulldogs have played a game - a fair break after their one point win over the Dragons in Las Vegas. They were lucky there, but they still won, and good teams seem to be luckier than the not so good teams. Another away game for the Dogs, and Canberra hasn't been a great hunting ground for them in recent years. Xerri makes way for Tuala in the centres for the visitors, with no other changes. Like the Bulldogs, the Raiders scored a one point in their first game of the season. That form (against the Sea Eagles) may have a question mark on it right now, moreso after an under-strength Warriors put the cleaners through them in Auckland last week. That said, the Warriors might be better than we realise...early days. Just the one line-up change for the Raiders too, with Papalii returning in the front row. It's fair to say his leadership and presence will lift the team in green. I'm happy to pick the Raiders but not confidently so. The first home game of the season should lead to an improved performance, and it happens to be the 300th game as Raiders coach for Ricky Stuart. The team likes him and I expect they'll want this badly. While I'm here, allow me to flag a player who is fast becoming a favourite of mine. Nathanael (call me Simi) Sasagi has what it takes to a really good footballer. Really really good. He may end up in the backrow when he's older, but for now he's killing it in the centres. I can see why the Raiders extended his contract not once but twice last year. 

Verdict - Raiders by 1

Result - Bulldogs 14 defeated Raiders 10

Sydney Roosters vs Penrith Panthers – Friday night – Allianz Stadium

Often the early Friday night game gets lost in the sporting news over the weekends, but it's worth making the effort to take a look at this contest if you can. Reece Robson makes his debut for the Roosters, with no other changes to the team that held out the 'visiting team' in round two. For the Panthers, Liam Martin plays his first game of the season, while Lussick replaces Cogger on the bench while he gives his head a rest. The Roosters impressed last week, but no team has shone brighter than the Panthers thus far, conceding just one try in two games. Notably, those games were against the defending premiers in Brisbane and a 2025 preliminary finalist in Bathurst. They look good, and one wonders how good they would be if they had a home ground this season. The Chooks will throw plenty at them and could win this, but it's hard to ignore the Panthers form.

Verdict - Panthers by 7

Result - Panthers 40 defeated Roosters 4

Melbourne Storm vs Brisbane Broncos – Friday night – AAMI Park

This contest is the reason the Roosters v Panthers game is the entree on Friday night, with the undefeated Storm taking on the yet-to-win Broncos in their first match-up since a very entertaining grand final last year. Loiero was suspended in that game, and returns for this one. For the Broncos, Grant Anderson makes his debut for the club against his old team-mates. The backline shuffle sees Shibasaki demoted to an extended interchange bench. The Storm have scored more points than every other team and they take on a team that leaked 40 points last week. It would be a fair turnaround for the Broncos to win this. I wouldn't say it's impossible, but the Storm have won their last nine games against Brisbane at AAMI Park. It's nearly impossible.

Verdict - Storm by 8

​​​​​​​Result - Broncos 18 defeated Storm 14

Newcastle Knights vs New Zealand Warriors – Saturday afternoon – McDonald Jones Stadium

Only four teams have won two games from two this season, and most of us wouldn't have been picking either of these sides to be in that list. What we have learned (if we hadn't already) is that these sides have two of the best up-and-coming coaches in the game. The Warriors have been beating better sides but there's an argument that the Knights performances are more impressive - this is their first game of the season in Newcastle and they've had key position players dropping like flies. The Warriors have had two games at home and, as a rule, their form slides down a notch or two when they travel across the ditch. Some significant outs for both teams - Ponga and Brown for the Knights and Harris-Tevita and Nicoll-Klokstad for the Warriors. But there's still plenty of quality hyphenated surnames in the Warriors list and I think they can get the job done. The daytime schedule helps them too. A shout out to Tanah Boyd who appears to be finding his feet at the Warriors. It's a tough gig the halfback role, and many of them don't peak until their late 20s and beyond. His best years are still ahead of him. 

Verdict - Warriors by 4

​​​​​​​Result - Warriors 38 defeated Knights 12

Cronulla Sharks vs Redcliffe Dolphins – Saturday afternoon – Ocean Protect Stadium

No changes for either side. The Dolphins overall record in Sydney isn't flash and, of all the places to play in Sydney, this is possibly the worst. The weather in Sydney leading into this game is also a bit ugly, and we saw in round one that the Dolphins are (counter-intuitively) less impressive in the wet. The Sharks racked up 50 points in round one at home. I can't see that happening again, but I think they'll be winning this.

Verdict - Sharks by 7

​​​​​​​Result - Dolphins 38 defeated Sharks 10

South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Wests Tigers – Saturday night – Polytec Stadium, Gosford

The Tigers impressed with their first hitout but that was at their spiritual home against what looks like easier opposition. Can they replicate that away from home, at a ground where they've lost their last four? The Bunnies recent record over the Tigers is strong and Humphries returns to bolster the spine. They've had an emotional week but Wayne Bennett will be quick to remind everyone they didn't win. Now that Johnston has cracked the try-scoring record he can stop worrying about it. Might go on a bit of a run now.

Verdict - Rabbitohs by 4

​​​​​​​Result - Rabbitohs 20 defeated Tigers 16

Parramatta Eels vs St George Illawarra Dragons – Sunday afternoon – CommBank Stadium

Hopgood returns for the Eels while Liddle is the new addition to the bench for the Dragons. The Eels will be keen to play their first game at a ground they love and will head into this contest in good spirits after their come-from-behind win over the defending premiers. The Dragons haven't had a win this season but they haven't been poor. Mind you, I feel like I've been saying that about the Dragons for years now. Competitive and close...but not quite there yet. This feels like another one of those.

Verdict - Eels by 4

​​​​​​​Result - Eels 30 defeated Dragons 20

North Queensland Cowboys vs Gold Coast Titans – Sunday afternoon – Queensland Country Bank Stadium

With Queensland teams filling the last three spots on the NRL ladder, it's good to know that at least one Qld team will have a win in round 3. Under sufferance, I'm tipping the Cowboys who will have home ground advantage for the first time this season. The timeslot is a bit of a shocker for Cowboys fans, so there's some risk of a disappointing crowd here, but those that will be there will do what they can to lift the home team. They need it...and so does the coach. It's still pretty warm in Townsville at this time of year. The Titans will handle the heat better than many, but North Queensland heat is a different animal. Cotter returns for the Cowboys after spending some time with his wife who is battling significant health issues. I wish them well.

Verdict - Cowboys by 4

​​​​​​​Result - Cowboys 30 defeated Titans 16

Wally Lewis - round three selections (in bold)

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

• Raiders vs BULLDOGS 
• Roosters vs PANTHERS
• STORM vs Broncos
• Knights vs WARRIORS
• SHARKS vs Dolphins
• RABBITOHS vs Tigers
• EELS vs Dragons
• COWBOYS vs Titans