Welcome back to our NRL predictions and tips for Round 6 of the NRL. We went 7 from 8 on the tipping last week, with Penrith of all teams costing us a perfect round! Who would’ve seen that coming? Nevertheless, we now turn our attention to this weekend, with a new set of blockbuster matches on the cards.
Thursday night kicks off Round 6 of the NRL with the Newcastle Knights taking on the Sydney Roosters. The Knights made light work of the Dragons over the weekend, while the Roosters put up a fight before ultimately going down to the Dogs on Friday. Dominic Young will sit this week and next out after his high shot on Blake Taafe that saw him sent off, and it’s currently unclear if James Tedesco will be cleared to play this week after a rampant Viliame Kikau steam rolled the Roosters fullback, gifting him a category 1 HIA on the way through. Kalyn Ponga and Jackson Hastings seem to be in some good form at the moment, and the trip to Newcastle is proving challenging for all oppositions. I’m taking the Knights by 8 points.
Friday night’s curtain raiser will see the Melbourne Storm host the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs. Melbourne are playing some incredible football at the moment, and look like a real chance to break Penrith’s premiership streak. However they only just managed to hold on against an injury ravaged Brisbane outfit over the weekend. Playing at AAMI Park on Friday does better the Storm’s chances, having won 12 of their last 12 at that ground. In fact, you have to go back to Round 2 last year to find a Storm loss in Melbourne, but that did come at the hands of the Dogs in a comprehensive 12-26 loss. Canterbury will be buzzing coming off their shock win over the Chooks, and if they can produce 80 minutes of football to the standard of that first half from last week, I wouldn’t at all be surprised to see them ambush the Storm and walk away with another win this week. I’m backing the Bulldogs by 6 points.
Friday’s main event pins the Brisbane Broncos up against the ladder-topping Dolphins at Suncorp Stadium. The Dolphins managed to hold off a fighting Tigers outfit last week, but only just, whereas a near Broncos reserve grade side managed to nearly knock off Melbourne in Melbourne (going down by 2 points). There’s word on the grapevine that teen-heartthrob Reece Walsh may be set to return this weekend, which will only strengthen that Brisbane line-up. Despite the stellar start to the season by the Phins, I’m going to have to back Brisbane this week, especially playing in their fortress. Broncos by 12 points.
Super Saturday is set to open with my pick for the match of the round, the New Zealand Warriors hosting the Manly Sea Eagles. As expected, the Wahs knocked off a shambolic Bunnies side on Saturday, but what came as a shock was the Sea Eagles knocking off the Penrith Panthers with relative ease in Daly Cherry-Evans 300th game. Both of these sides come into this game in some red-hot form and it's hard to separate the two. DCE and Brooks have proven to be an extremely dangerous pairing, especially with Tommy Turbo directing traffic behind them. However, the New Zealand spine are no slouches either, with Shaun Johnson pinching a double for himself over the weekend. Realistically I think this game may come down to venue, and the Warriors have been incredibly hard to beat at home as of late. For that reason, I’m going with New Zealand by 10 points.
The second game in the Super Saturday line-up is the Parramatta Eels hosting the North Queensland Cowboys. Coming off a surprise loss to the Tigers, and an absolute demolition by the Raiders on Sunday night, you have to wonder if the wheels are starting to fall off the wagon for Parramatta? They’re two games that Parra probably would’ve expected to win, and while yes, they are down a halfback at the moment with Mitch Moses on the sidelines, is it possible that this is the early stages of another year that the Eels miss the 8? Conversely, the Cowboys enjoyed a healthy contest with a defiant Titans side before comfortably seeing the game home. Currently sitting second on the ladder, it's hard to see North Queensland not getting a win here. Cowboys by 14 points.
The drums are beating in the South, and the pressure is on as the South Sydney Rabbitohs take on the Cronulla Sharks to close out Super Saturday. There is speculation on the rumour-mill that a win this weekend won’t even be enough to save Bunnies coach Jason Demetriou’s job, after the side have fallen to just 5 wins from their last 20 games. Fullback Latrell Mitchell will sit the next three weeks out, after striking Shaun Johnson in the face with his elbow on Saturday, which opens the door for Jye Gray’s potential selection. Gray, who has been killing it in the Knock-On Effects NSW Cup, has been banging on the door all year for a spot, and the suspension also opens the conversation to other possible shake-ups within the starting 17. Is it time to give Cody Walker a break? Coming in fresh off the bye, I really think the Sharks are going to make light work of this match. Nicho Hynes has been racing up the Dally M leaderboard, still sitting comfortably in the top 3 despite having a week off. I’m going with the Sharks by 18 points.
The Sunday ticket will open up with the Wests Tigers facing the St George Illawarra Dragons at Campbelltown Stadium. Both sides have faced their challenges this season, however I think the Dragons are a better side than the standard that they have been producing. With the Tigers missing Lachlan Galvin for another week, and in all likelihood Api Koroisau too, it's hard to see the Tigers not falling back into old ways this weekend against the Dragons. The most expensive winger in the game, Zac Lomax, has been granted his early release, which will no doubt put him in a more positive headspace going into the match, and Ben Hunt looking to extend his contract, it seems to me that Shane Flannagan is taking steps in the right direction to address any cohesion issues the side might have. I’m going with the Dragons by 10 points.
Closing out the Sunday Ticket will see the Canberra Raiders play host to the embattled Gold Coast Titans. The Raiders made incredibly light work of the Eels on Sunday night, and despite showing fight against the Cowboys, the Titans ultimately went down as well, becoming the first team to concede 28 or more points in nine consecutive games. Jamal Fogarty’s kicking game looks to be pin-point accurate right now, and the defensive line is working in a way that suggests dramatic off-season improvement. I’d be surprised if Tanah Boyd isn’t shut down by the Raiders defensive almost identically to the way he was against the Dogs a few weeks ago. It may seem harsh, but I’m taking the Raiders by 40+ points.
There you have it, it’s a cracking weekend of footy coming up and I’ve gone with a couple of potentially controversial decisions, but I’m confident this could be the week we get the perfect round! I’m tipping the Knights, Bulldogs, Broncos, Warriors, Cowboys, Sharks, Dragons and Raiders to all walk away victorious. How many do you think we’ll get right this week? I’m feeling confident. As always, if you haven’t already got your supporter gear for 2024, make sure to head into Jersey’s Megastore for All Things Footy!
