Thursday night will bring a mouth-watering top-four clash between the Roosters and Storm in what shapes as a massive contest given the quality of the last game played between these two teams. The Storm produced a dominant win over the Bulldogs last week, while the Roosters outclassed the Dragons in an impressive display.  

Josh Morris will return at centre for the Roosters in a welcome boost given the continued absence of a number of key players. For the Storm, Ryan Papenhuyzen and Dale Finucane will return after being rested last week. Riley Jacks will also join the squad for the injured Cameron Munster in an otherwise unchanged squad.  

Both teams are missing key personnel heading into this clash but do not expect their absence to impact the quality of the contest. While the Roosters have been in fantastic form this year, it is tough to tip them against an in-form Storm outfit, particularly in the absence of the likes of Waerea-Hargreaves, Boyd Cordner, Angus Crichton and Brett Morris. Storm to get the win.  

Penrith were impressive in their eighth consecutive win against the Raiders last week but the club will need to be wary of an in-form Warriors outfit who produced a stunning upset over Manly in their last game. Despite enormous upheaval in their season, interim Warriors coach Todd Payten has his troops firing but the Panthers represent a major test for the Kiwi club.  

Isiah Papali’i will join the Warriors’ bench with Lachlan Burr shifting to the starting side to cover the suspended Jack Hetherington. Meanwhile, Penrith have named an unchanged squad, although injured fullback Dylan Edwards could be a late inclusion after he was named in the reserves.  

The Warriors have shown enormous resilience on the field and they will need it in spades against a Penrith outfit who start fast and typically blow their opposition out of the water early. The Kiwis certainly have the talent to produce an upset but expect the Panthers to get the win for their ninth consecutive victory.  

In the aftermath of the shock announcement that St George have parted ways with coach Paul McGregor, the Dragons face the unenviable task of playing the Eels at their home-ground. The joint-venture club were outclassed by the Roosters last week, while the Eels fought a tough contest for a narrow victory over Cronulla.  

Corey Norman will return for the Dragons at five-eighth, forcing Ben Hunt to hooker with captain Cameron McInnes shifting to lock. Both Tariq Sims and Trent Merrin will be absent in a big blow for St George with Korbin Sims and Jacob Host their replacements on the bench. The Eels’ only change comes with the return of Ryan Matterson in the second-row.  

Despite a mild form slump in recent weeks the Eels will be in the hunt for their fourth consecutive win in signs of the club’s newfound resilience this season. Expect the Dragons to struggle with the uncertainty following the departure of Paul McGregor. Eels to get the win. 

The Gold Coast posted a dominant victory over the hapless Cowboys last week with the future looking continually brighter under new coach Justin Holbrook. They will face an in-form Sharks squad who last produced a gritty performance in their narrow loss to Parramatta with the Cronulla club desperate to consolidate their position in the top-eight.  

Gold Coast have named an unchanged squad in encouraging signs for their team. For the Sharks, Jack Williams will displace Teig Wilton on the bench in an otherwise unchanged squad. 

The return of Alex Brimson has sparked a major form turnaround for the Titans but they face a massive test in an extremely tough football team in the Cronulla Sharks. The Shire club were courageous in defeat of the Eels last week and represent a massive test for the resurgent Titans. Expect a free-flowing contest between two squads with mobile forward rotations and a classy back-line to boot. Could go either way but it is tough to tip against Cronulla on their recent form.  

Souths produced a dominant performance against the struggling Broncos last week in the absence of coach Wayne Bennett with the club searching for their third consecutive victory as they look to secure their position in the top-eight. They will face a struggling Cowboys squad who were poor against the Titans in their last match in a disappointing performance from the club.  

Jaydn Su’A will return for Souths at the expense of Jack Johns in an otherwise unchanged squad. For the Cowboys, Scott Drinkwater will return at fullback, relegating Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow to the wing at the expense of Justin O’Neill. John Asiata will also return from injury in place of Tom Gilbert in an otherwise unchanged squad.  

South Sydney rarely looked troubled against Brisbane but the club will be wary of an ambush from the North Queenslanders at their home-ground. Expect the Queensland club to target their opposition through the ruck with Souths’ depth in their middle-rotation lacking. Despite this vulnerability, expect the form and game-management ability of the Rabbitohs to get them over the line. 

The Broncos produced yet another disappointing loss against the Rabbitohs last week and the Brisbane club’s job gets no easier against the Canberra Raiders. Canberra were outclassed by Penrith in a gritty performance from the Raiders in their last match, despite the loss. Brisbane will be desperate to restore lost pride while the Raiders will still harbour ambitions of breaking into the top-four at this stage of the season.  

Ricky Stuart has the luxury of naming an unchanged line-up, although hooker Siliva Havili could be a late scratching. Meanwhile, Brisbane will be without Tevita Pangai Jr after the forward’s controversial Covid-breach with Jordan Riki joining the bench alongside Corey Paix. Matt Lodge has also been ruled out with a season-ending knee injury with Rhys Kennedy likely to join the bench as cover.  

The Raiders will be looking to avoid complacency against the Broncos as the struggling team battles a lack of confidence. It would require a massive performance for Brisbane to upset their opposition but expect the Raiders’ toughness to get them over the points.  

Newcastle produced a massive victory over the Tigers last week in a morale-boosting result for the club that proves they are no spent force despite a horror injury-toll. They will face a Sea Eagles outfit who were at the receiving end of a shock upset to the Warriors in their last match as they face their own injury woes.  

Newcastle will welcome back Blues prop Daniel Saifiti in a welcome boost for the club in an otherwise unchanged squad. Meanwhile, Manly have lost starting prop Addin Fonua-Blake to injury but will welcome Joel Thompson and Curtis Scott back into their second-row in a massive boon.  

Given Manly’s injury toll and the on-field inconsistency that has followed, the Knights will enter this match as firm favourites. The versatility of the Newcastle squad should be commended given they are now fielding their fourth-choice hooker in Kurt Mann, but with both clubs missing key players the result could go either way. Newcastle to get the win. 

Despite looking like a top-four team at times this season, the Tigers conceded a horror 44-4 loss to the Knights last week in a devastating blow to their finals aspirations. They will face a struggling Bulldogs squad who were poor against the Storm in their last match as the Canterbury club desperately seeks to avoid the wooden-spoon.  

Tigers centre Joey Leilua will miss the game after departing the club’s Covid-bubble for a personal matter. Following a season-ending injury to Billy Walters, Josh Reynolds will return on the bench alongside Luke Garner in the second-row. For the Bulldogs, Jack Cogger will replace the suspended Lachlan Lewis in an otherwise unchanged squad.  

Despite their woeful loss last week, the Tigers will enter this match as firm favourites given their habit of producing a big response to poor performances. Canterbury are struggling to compete with elite squads and will continue to do so until they can improve their roster. Tigers to get the win.