Indigenous Round has come and gone, with some astronomical score lines over the weekend. Now the superstars of the game are in State of Origin camps for their respective states, leaving some sides looking depleted and others grateful for the bye. There is a reduced number of games this week, but the young bucks are ready to grab their opportunities with both hands. Let’s dive in and have a look at this weekend’s footy.
Kicking off the shortened round will see the Parramatta Eels host the Cronulla Sharks. After extended stints on the sideline, Parra welcome back Will Penisini, Clint Gutherson and Mitchell Moses into the side, while the Sharks will be missing Cam McInnes and Nicho Hynes to NSW Blues selection. Cronulla were handed a reality check by a fired up Penrith side last weekend, being held scoreless, while the Eels went down in a high scoring shoot off with the Bunnies. The key focus in this game will be if Moses and Gutherson can get through the match without sustaining further injuries. The Cronulla side is still quite strong on paper even without their stars, and after last week’s demolition job I’m sure the Sharks will be working overtime at training this week to rain on the Moses parade. I’m tipping the Sharks by 14 points.
Friday night’s match will see the Newcastle Knights take on the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs. Somehow, the Dogs will take on the side coming off the bye for the third week in a row. The Knights have been playing some very good football despite the absence of Kalyn Ponga, and the Dogs will be missing Matt Burton (Origin), Stephen Crichton (origin) and Viliame Kikau (broken finger). It will be a real test of the young bucks this week, to see who wants it more. The week off may just hinder some of the momentum the Knights have been building, while I’d expect the Dogs to come in chomping at the bit after they ran rampant on the Dragons last week. The heart of the club and the desire to step up while their leaders are away may just be enough to ignite the flame in the Dogs this weekend necessary to get the job done. I’m going with the Bulldogs by 16 points.
The first of the two Super Saturday matches pins the Penrith Panthers up against the St George Illawarra Dragons. Both sides have been hit with Origin selections this week, with Penrith losing Luai, To’o, Edwards, Yeo and Martin, and the Dragons going in without Hunt and Lomax. Traditionally, Penrith have always stepped up when their Origin players go into camp, and I’m expecting a similar score line this week. I wouldn’t be surprised if Penrith run in bulk points, and exploit the same defensive weakness in the Dragons left edge that the Dogs did last week. Hunt and Lomax are just going to be too big of a loss for the Red V this week. I’m tipping Penrith by 36 points.
Super Saturday closes with the Dolphins hosting the Canberra Raiders in Redcliffe. There is only minimal disruption to the Raiders where Origin is concerned, with Hudson Young going into camp, however Josh Papali’i comes back from suspension to balance out the loss in the forward pack. The Phins lose the Hammer and Felise Kaufusi, but between injuries and suspensions that might be considered a standard day at the office for Redcliffe. The Raiders were embarrassed for a second straight home game over the weekend gone, and will be eager to give the fans something to cheer for. The underdog mentality of the Green Machine shouldn’t be underestimated and I’d be shocked if Ricky Stuart hasn’t given his side a real rev up this week. I’m anticipating a very different look to how the Raiders go about this game to last, and will hang on to walk away with the two points. I’m going with the Raiders by 4 points.
The final game of the weekend has the Sydney Roosters playing Sunday afternoon footy against the North Queensland Cowboys. This will be potentially the game most affected by Origin selections, with the Roosters losing Crichton, Sua’li’i, and Collins and the Cowboys traveling without Robson, Tualagi, Nanai, Holmes and Tommy Dearden. Unfortunately for the North Queensland faithful, they have been playing some very ordinary football in recent weeks, with zero interest in defending, and they come up against a Roosters side that is still stacked with talent and try scoring ability. The Roosters are firing on all cylinders right now, and with Tedesco being omitted from the Origin side, I’d expect him to come out wanting to prove a point. I’m tipping the Roosters by 40 points.
Round 13 is set to be a fascinating weekend of football with potential stars of the future on display across all the games. So lay it on me, what do you think of the predictions? There are some brilliant matches on this weekend, and you won’t want to miss a minute of the action. I’m tipping the Sharks, Bulldogs, Panthers, Raiders and Roosters to all walk away victorious, with the Broncos, Rabbitohs, Sea Eagles, Storm, Titans, Warriors and Tigers all taking on the bye this week. How many do you think I’ll get right this week? The chances of a perfect round increase with their only being five matches. There are still a few Indigenous and ANZAC Jerseys left in the shop but they won’t last long, to secure yoursmake sure to head into Jersey’s Megastore for All Things Footy!
