Melbourne last produced a controversial victory over an injury depleted Raiders outfit and will now face the struggling Titans as the Victorian club looks to consolidate their top-four position. The Gold Coast bounced back from their devastating round-eight loss to the Sharks with a narrow victory over the Warriors, albeit in similarly controversial circumstances to their opposition this week.  

Both Felise Kaufusi and Cameron Munster will return for the Storm in a huge boost to the Victorian club. Star prop Jesse Bromwich will also miss the clash with an injury with Tino Faasuamaleaui relegated to the bench as cover. The Titans will field a new centre combination with Phillip Sami and Brian Kelly returning from injuries as Beau Fermor shifts to the second-row in an otherwise unchanged squad.  

Expect the return of Cameron Munster to add another dimension to the Storm’s attack as the Gold Coast continue to struggle with an enormous injury toll. The Titans will need to summon a Herculean performance to challenge Melbourne and while Justin Holbrook’s troops have displayed resilience in spades throughout this season, expect the Victorians to take the win.  

The Broncos snapped a six-game losing streak with a win against the last-placed Bulldogs in a morale boosting result but the battling Brisbane club will need to find further improvement against a Wests outfit who will be eager to avoid their fourth consecutive loss after a narrow defeat at the hands of South Sydney.  

Wests will field a new-look halves combination of Billy Walters and Benji Marshall with the suspension of Josh Reynolds and regular halfback Luke Brooks dropped to the bench. Tommy Talau and Russell Packer will also join the starting side on the wing and front-row respectively with Sam McIntyre and Chris McQueen the new faces on the bench. For the Broncos, Joe Ofahengaue will return on the interchange, allowing Ben Te’o to shift to the second-row to cover injured captain Alex Glenn. Herbie Farnworth was also a late scratching with Richie Kennar joining the squad at centre.  

On recent form, Wests will enter this match as firm favourites with coach Michael Maguire placing an enormous amount of faith in the new halves combination of Walters and Marshall. Expect Brisbane to struggling without the leadership of Alex Glenn on the field with the Tigers to get the win. 

St George returned to the winner’s circle in style with a dominant 30-point win over a depleted Manly outfit last week as the Dragons look to the battling Bulldogs in the club’s first game since the mid-season departure of coach Dean Pay. Canterbury will be looking to restore pride after a disappointing loss to Brisbane last week and face a massive test against a rejuvenated Dragons squad.  

Bulldogs’ interim coach Steve Georgallis has named Lachlan Lewis to return in the halves at the expense of Brandon Wakeham in an otherwise unchanged squad. Meanwhile, St George will replace the suspended Jordan Pereira with Jason Saab in Paul McGregor’s only squad change.  

The Dragons have seemingly settled on a winning spine combination with Ben Hunt taking over the starting hooker role last week to devastating effect. Canterbury’s response to the departure of coach Dean Pay remains to be seen but expect the desperate Dragons to come away with the win. 

Despite failing to notch a victory, the Knights look to have returned to the gritty defensive style that saw them enter the top-four earlier this year after a narrow six-point loss to the red-hot Eels last week. They will now look to take on a Souths team searching for their third consecutive win after a similarly narrow victory over Wests in their last match in what shapes as an important contest for both clubs.  

Sione Mata’utia, Connor Watson and Mitch Barnett will all return on the Knights’ bench with Jacob Saifiti shifting to the starting side in an otherwise unchanged squad. Souths have been forced into a reshuffle with Latrell Mitchell, Liam Knight and Campbell Graham all absent. Jaxson Paulo has been named to make his NRL debut on the wing alongside the returning Corey Allan.   

Souths have struggled against the competition’s elite teams this season and facing a Knights squad sitting only one win outside the top-four – this match is a perfect opportunity for Wayne Bennett’s troops to prove their mettle against quality opposition. Expect Newcastle to target Souths’ rookie wing combination with the Novocastrians to come away with the points.

After a devastating 30-point loss to the Dragons last week, Manly face a huge test against the competition leaders in Parramatta. The Eels displayed plenty of defensive grit in a narrow last-start victory against the Knights as Brad Arthur’s troops look for their fourth consecutive win – particularly impressive given the absence of inspirational halfback Mitchell Moses.  

Corey Waddell will join the Sea Eagles’ bench in an otherwise unchanged squad. Addin Fonua-Blake, Tom Trbojevic and Dylan Walker are still missing for the northern beaches club. The Eels have again named an unchanged squad heading into this match.  

Parramatta will enter this match as firm favourites but should be wary of a bounce-back from a proud Sea Eagles outfit led by Daly Cherry-Evans. The Maroons’ captain had an uncharacteristically poor performance last week so expect a big response from their skipper. While Manly certainly possess the character to rise for this occasion, expect the red-hot Eels to come away with the win. 

Cronulla were humbled last week by an in-form Panthers outfit in a devastating loss that is sure to elicit a response from this battle-hardened Sharks squad. They will face a struggling Warriors outfit who conceded a narrow loss to the Titans last week in controversial circumstances as the New Zealand club continued to perform admirably despite the enormous toll of playing away from home.  

Andrew Fifita will be absent in a big blow for the Sharks as Ronalda Mulitalo returns from injury on the wing with Scott Sorensen and Connor Tracey joining the bench in an otherwise unchanged squad. For the Warriors, Kodi Nikorima will be welcomed back at five-eighth at the expense of Chanel Harris-Tavita with Eliesa Katoa also joining the starting-side in the second-row in Todd Payten’s only changes.  

Despite their massive loss last week, Cronulla will enter this match as firm favourites given the form of their opposition. Expect a big response from Cronulla, who will be eager to restore their wounded pride after conceding 54-points against the Panthers in their last game. While Todd Payten has done a respectable job instilling some resilience into his squad, expect a big response from the Sharks to get them over the line.

North Queensland produced a poor performance in last week’s disappointing loss to the injury depleted reigning premiers and facing their own injury crisis, the Cowboys will be desperate to avoid their third consecutive loss. Their opposition in Penrith notched an impressive victory over Cronulla in their last outing as the second-placed Panthers continue biting at the heels of the competition leading Eels with the club looking to consolidate their top-four position.  

Valentine Holmes has been ruled out with a long-term ankle injury in a massive blow for the Cowboys’ finals aspirations. Scott Drinkwater will also be absent with a knee injury with Justin O’Neill returning on the wing and Daejarn Asi also named to make his NRL debut off the interchange. For Penrith, Dean Whare will return at centre in an otherwise unchanged squad.  

Penrith will enter this match as heavy favourites, particularly given their opposition’s injury woes. The loss of Holmes and Drinkwater in two key spine positions is a massive blow for Paul Green’s troops and his squad will struggle to compensate. Penrith to get the win.