OK, it’s official – there is no such thing as an easy tipping round in the NRL.
Round 22 looked straightforward and then the Eels upset the Warriors in Auckland, the Titans defied the odds against Brisbane before the biggest boilover of all when St George Illawarra became the hoodoo gurus by ending their 25-year jinx in Melbourne.
The bookmakers reckon all eight matches this week have a clear favourite with the Dragons, who are $2.27 outsiders against Canterbury, the best bet among the underdogs.
But as this season has proved time and again, there are no guarantees.
The round kicks off with South Sydney long odds to lower the Storm’s colours at Accor Stadium on Thursday night before what could be a nail-biter on Friday when the Titans host Cronulla.
Penrith travel to Parramatta in the later Friday night game before the Sea Eagles head to Manly on Saturday, the Cowboys are at home to Brisbane then the match of the round between the rejuvenated Dragons and Dogs at a sold-out Kogarah.
The Dolphins should end the Warriors’ finals hopes in Brisbane on Sunday and Newcastle are strong favourites to keep their playoff hopes alive when Wests head north to complete the round.
Here’s how the experts see Round 23 unfolding.
Stuart Thomas
Storm, Titans, Panthers, Raiders, Cowboys, Dragons, Dolphins, Knights
Picking anyone against the Storm this time of year is usually silly, especially a disinterested Souths. Can the Titans keep finals hopes alive and beat the Sharks on the Gold Coast? You bet they can.
The Panthers will obviously beat the Eels on Friday night at CommBank and the Raiders are still travelling well enough to use the home ground advantage against the Sea Eagles on Saturday afternoon in Canberra.
The Cowboys are a far better team than the Broncos right now and with finals now off the table for Kevin Walters’ men, North Queensland to firm as top eight participants. The match of the round sees the Dragons and Dogs in a ripping affair at Kogarah. The red and whites might have the passion in the air required to snatch it in a classic.
The Dolphins to beat the Warriors on Sunday and the battle between the Knights and Tigers soon after will be the most disappointing match of the round, in which Newcastle take the points and maintain hope they can still scrape into eighth spot.
(Photo by Jeremy Ng/Getty Images)
Nick Wasiliev
Storm, Titans, Panthers, Raiders, Broncos, Bulldogs, Dolphins, Knights
Currently on a bullet train between Tokyo and Kyoto as I type this, so not beating around the bush. But this is footy, after all, it is serious stuff.
The Storm to crunch the Bunnies. Enough said.Actually going Titans. I think their form right now warrants it, and while the Sharks did bounce back last week, it wasn’t convincing.
The CommBank clash isn’t really up for debate in my opinion. The riff by a landslide.
Oh Canberra. I’m going you at home, but with no confidence at all. North Queensland have been up and down, but they’re certainly coming home the right way. Same cannot be said for Brisbane.
Sheesh, Jubilee Oval is the place to be this weekend if you are a footy fan – Dragons and the Doggies have been the two best sides to watch this year. I’m going Canterbury in a thriller.Ditto Dolphins. Warriors are not the side of 2023, but they’ve given us some quality moments. Redcliffe at home should have enough.
Finally, Knights will get home comfortably in the Steel City. Like the Wahs, 2024 is starting to feel like a case of what could have been.
Mary Konstantopoulos
Storm, Cronulla, Panthers, Sea Eagles, Cowboys, Bulldogs, Dolphins, Knights
The Melbourne Storm do not lose two weeks in a row, especially to a team with as many injury woes as the Bunnies. Just like so many other teams, the Bunnies are just waiting for this year to end and will find it almost impossible to beat a Storm team who will have a point to prove after their loss to the Dragons last week.
I’m still not brave enough to tip the Titans especially against a Cronulla team who needs this win to keep them in fighting spot for a top four position. I have loved the brand of footy the Titans have been playing with so it’s a good test for Cronulla who I think many still see as pretenders when it comes to a tilt at the title.
As an Eels fan, will this hell of this season never end. No matter how hard they fought against the Warriors, beating the Panthers will be a bridge too far. I just hope that it isn’t a blow-out.
Last weekend would have been a tough loss for the Raiders and to keep their finals hopes alive, this is a must win. The Sea Eagles though are looking strong leading into the final weeks of the competition and Tom Trbojevic seems to be getting better each week. Sea Eagles to win this one.
The Broncos are in free fall and the Cowboys are marching to the top four. Cowboys to win in front of their home crowd.
This next game will be game of the round. I can’t tip the Dragons because of how hot and cold they are, but if they perform in the same way they did last week, it should be enough to get the win. I’m tipping the Bulldogs though who are high on vibes at the moment and with Stephen Crichton leading the way, what could possibly go wrong?
I think the Dolphins will keep their finals hopes alive with a win over the Warriors and same goes for the Knights with a win over the Tigers.
Paul Suttor
Storm, Sharks, Panthers, Raiders, Cowboys, Dragons, Dolphins, Knights
“I don’t know where the mathematics are at, but I am assuming we can’t make it,” said Souths coach Ben Hornby on Wednesday. He’s a realist. The Storm have too much to play for to slip up again after their loss to the Dragons.
Cronulla are low on halves but the Titans are even lower on reliability.
Penrith don’t have to get out of third gear to put a big score on Parramatta.
Canberra continue to punch above their weight and are primed to land a body blow on Manly’s top-four hopes.
The Cowboys would like nothing more than putting Brisbane out of their misery while St George Illawarra can show they are finals calibre by beating the Bulldogs.
In Sunday’s uninspiring double-header, the Dolphins are my lock of the week over the Warriors while the Knights are a shoe-in to beat the Tigers.
Nathan Cleary scores the game winner. (Photo by Brett Hemmings/Getty Images)
AJ Mithen
Rabbitohs, Sharks, Eels, Raiders, Broncos, Dragons, Warriors, Tigers
Like all true heroes, I continue to go after the upset results to drag myself back to the top, where I am so used to being. Do you have the grit to come with me? Or are you all safe-tip-taking cowards? We shall see.
The Bunnies will take up where the Dragons ended last week by stirring up Melbourne just enough to win. The mighty unimpressive Cronulla have the right defensive structure to keep the Titans out, so they’ll win. Parramatta woke up last week and they’ll cause the result of the season against a dawdling Panthers team who are waiting for finals.
Your presumptive champions, the people’s team the Canberra Raiders will hammer the hapless, aimless Sea Eagles to the vibe of exactly 56 points, then the Broncos will summon one last haul of energy to send a message to the Cowboys before collapsing in a heap and going winless the rest of the season. St George Illawarra will grind out the Bulldogs, who need space the Dragons won’t give them.
The Warriors will handle the stumble Dolphins and Wests Tigers are going to end Newcastle’s season in a blinder. I like the Tigers.
Mike Meehall Wood
Storm, Titans, Panthers, Raiders, Cowboys, Bulldogs, Dolphins, Knights
Melbourne’s defeat to the Dragons wasn’t great, but a) they won every major stat, so we might say it’s a fluke and b) Souths are meh. The Storm win.
The Sharks are on the slide, the GC … well they’re not good but they’re also not bad anymore. Titans take it. Penrith will beat Parra by a million.
Reverse psychology time for my Beaches Boys. I think they’ll beat Canberra but in the interest of manifesting such a result, I’ll tip the Raiders. The Cowboys are total fools gold, the Bronx are total trash. NQ will win but, really, nobody is the winner.
Dogs v Drags is a belter and I’m genuinely looking forward to watching it on the sofa. They’re both decent(ish) but I reckon Canterbury are a little ahead so I’ll take them, in the hope that it’ll be close either way.
The Wahs are back to untippable so let’s say Redcliffe, though in truth it wouldn’t be a shock at all if NZ took this.
Newcastle are useless but the Tigers are chronic and I’d back them to lose to anyone…Knights, I suppose, but I won’t be watching
| Round 23 | Stuart Thomas | Nick Wasiliev | Mary K |
Paul Suttor | AJ Mithen | Mike Meehall Wood | The Crowd |
| SSR v MEL | Storm | Storm | Storm | Storm | Rabbitohs | Storm | ? |
| GCT v CSS | Titans | Titans | Sharks | Sharks | Sharks | Titans | ? |
| PAR v PEN | Panthers | Panthers | Panthers | Panthers | Eels | Panthers | ? |
| CBA v MSE | Raiders | Raiders | Manly | Raiders | Raiders | Raiders | ? |
| NQC v BRS | Cowboys | Broncos | Cowboys | Cowboys | Broncos | Cowboys | ? |
| SGI v CBY | Dragons | Bulldogs | Bulldogs | Bulldogs | Dragons | Bulldogs | ? |
| DOL v NZW | Dolphins | Dolphins | Dolphins | Dolphins | Warriors | Dolphins | ? |
| NEW v WT | Knights | Knights | Knights | Knights | Tigers | Knights | ? |
| Last Round | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 6 |
| 2024 tally | 103 | 108 | 89 | 100 | 92 | 109 | 106 |
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