The round of NRL football gone opened with arguably four consecutive upsets! Dolphins over the Sharks, Cowboys over Canberra, Rabbitohs over the Broncos, and Tigers over the Titans. It took the Melbourne Storm to restore order to the Rugby League world, kicking off the run of four expected results. This weekend will see a shortened bye round due to State of Origin game two. So let’s dive in and take a look at what’s coming!
After getting the club’s first win in Sydney, the Dolphins return to Queensland to take on the Melbourne Storm. In a top four battle, and likely the match of the round, this one could go either way! Both sides will be missing key players to State of Origin duties, further blurring the path to victory. The Dolphins managed to do just enough to hang on against Cronulla last week, but conceded quite a few points in the process. Melbourne were far from their best, but still managed to pile on the points in New Zealand. The next man up mentality, and depth of the club at Melbourne ought to be what gets them over the line here. Last week will not have been good enough defensively for Bellamy and I’d suspect that will have been the focus of the week at training. I’m going with the Storm by 16 points.
The first of two Super Saturday clashes kicks off with the Gold Coast Titans playing host to the New Zealand Warriors. The Titans were disappointing against the Tigers last week in a match they probably expected to win, and the Warriors fought valiantly but were ultimately outplayed by Melbourne. Neither of these sides would expect to be decimated by Origin call ups, and thus they should be starting fairly standard 17’s this week. The Warriors had been playing some very good football, with Te Maire Martin playing exceptionally well. If the Wahs can return to some form, I’d expect they will be good enough to get the win here. Warriors by 12 points.
Closing out Super Saturday will see the Sydney Roosters take on the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs. The Chooks will be missing several key players to Origin duties, whereas the Dogs will expect to welcome back Viliame Kikau, and Matt Burton has missed out on Origin selection. After Penrith conceded more than 12 points last week, the Bulldogs now sit as the best defensive side in the competition. Canterbury already have the wood over the Chooks in 2024, and with the tri-colours missing some vital players to Origin and suspension, I suspect that history may repeat itself! Bulldogs by 12 points.
The Sunday ticket will kick off with the South Sydney Rabbitohs going up against the Manly Sea Eagles. Both sides will be missing State of Origin stars, and this week will test the depth of their club squads. Souths managed to shock the Rugby League world by knocking off Brisbane last week, while Manly made light work of the Dragons. Without Daly Cherry Evans and Jake Trbjovic, I suspect Manly may struggle for leadership, and find themselves overrun by the resurgent Bunnies. I’m going to tip South Sydney by 14 points.
Closing out the weekend of football will see the Wests Tigers play return to Campbelltown to take on the Canberra Raiders. The Tigers come into the clash fresh off a win, having broken their 10+ game losing streak, whereas the Raiders were once again embarrassed at home by a side they should have beaten. For the Raiders to stay in the top eight, this is a must win game. They arguably have more to play for than the Tigers do in this one if they want to avoid derailing their finals hopes. Ricky Stuart will have drilled that into his side, and ensured they use last week as a wake up call. I’m tipping the Raiders by 18 points.
There you have it! There are this weeks Bye-Round tips and predictions. The Knights, Broncos, Cowboys, Panthers, Dragons, Sharks and Eels will all take a rest this week while I’ve tipped the Storm, Warriors, Bulldogs, Rabbitohs and Raiders to all walk away with the two points. What do you think of the tips, and how many will I get right? Let me know your thoughts! As we start to look toward State of Origin and finals football, remember to head in to the shop to get your fan gear from Jerseys Megastore- For all things footy!
