The Brisbane Broncos will be looking for another win when they take on the Eels at Suncorp Stadium on Thursday night. The Broncos will be looking for back to back wins at home before the State of Origin series.
The Raiders will tackle an in form Manly side who are fresh off a major win against the Melbourne Storm. The premiers will be looking to get their inconsistent season back on track when they tackle the Cowboys and the Roosters will face a rejuvenated Titans side.
The Warriors do battle with South Sydney and Penrith will attempt to get a win over the Dragons. The Sharks will be hoping to grind out another win against the Knights and the Tigers finish off the action this round with a clash against the Bulldogs.
Wayne Bennett will take the reins for his 800th match this week as speculation continues to mount that the Broncos boss will be replaced by Craig Bellamy in 2019.
The Broncos have been decimated by injuries, with forward Korbin Sims joining a long casualty list last week. Brisbane have won three of their last four games and have enjoyed a charmed life at Suncorp Stadium, with a thrilling win against the Roosters last week.
The Eels finals hopes are over for the season and in a bid to spark their attack to life, coach Brad Arthur has swapped Corey Norman with Clint Gutherson.
The Broncos will be hoping to give James Roberts more opportunities with the ball, after his spectacular effort last week against the Roosters. Brisbane will fancy their chances against the Eels and this should be a high-scoring affair with the Broncos coming out on top at home.
The Sea Eagles are coming off wins against the Broncos and Storm in their last three games and will be confident of getting a positive result against Ricky Stuart’s side.
The Raiders will be disappointed to let another positive result to slip through their fingers, after going down to the Dragons last week. The Sea Eagles face their third consecutive game on the road and will be without Dylan Walker as they look to continue Canberra’s poor run of form.
The Raiders have proven to be difficult customers on Friday night and Ricky Stuart’s men have the talent at their disposal to stop their slide and record a memorable win.
The premiers welcome back Cameron Smith to their line-up as they look to bounce back from a humiliating defeat to the Sea Eagles. The Storm have struggled without their skipper and will be striving for stability when they come up against the Cowboys.
North Queensland have struggled to match their intensity from previous seasons and sit near the bottom of the NRL ladder with only three wins for the season.
The Storm have won seven consecutive games against the Cowboys, including their last two north of the border. Melbourne will be favourites to inflict some more misery on Jonathan Thurston’s final season in the NRL and represent excellent value to beat the line for a win in Townsville.
The Roosters were on the end of some tough calls from officials in a close loss to the Broncos but will have the opportunity to get back on the winner’s list against the Titans.
The Gold Coast were able to grind out a positive result against the Knights last round, ending a five-game slump.
The Gold Coast have had a tough time against Sydney, with the Roosters winning four of their last five games.
The Roosters will be expected to get a win this week and expect the likes of Cooper Cronk to enjoy himself against the Titans.
The Warriors will be looking for consecutive wins when they take on South Sydney in New Zealand. The Warriors have shown some major improvement this season and will be looking at another winning run before the competition focuses on the State of Origin series kicks off in Melbourne.
South Sydney have been outstanding over the last month of the competition, winning their last three games and have shown some real enthusiasm for the contest under new coach Anthony Seibold.
The Warriors have only had one setback to the Roosters this season at home and have the talent at their disposal to get the better of an imposing Rabbitohs forward pack that includes the Burgress brothers. New Zealand are good value to beat the line in what should be a high-quality clash.
The Panthers have proven their credentials as a genuine threat to the premiership with some gutsy performances in the face of an extended injury list. The Dragons lead the competition from Penrith thanks to the work of veteran James Maloney.
The former Cronulla Sharks playmaker has been exceptional in the halves in the absence of Nathan Cleary. The Penrith star only returned to the field against the Tigers last week, after an extended absence and will go up against Ben Hunt in what could potentially be an audition for a State of Origin role for both players.
The Dragons have won their last four games against Penrith, but the Panthers have been in outstanding form at home, winning their last three games. The Panthers form at home is impossible to ignore and they represent some good value in the marketplace to get the upset win.
The Knights are starting to miss the influence of Mitchell Pearce in the halves after a close loss to the Titans last week on the Gold Coast. The Sharks have continued their outstanding form, after winning their fifth consecutive game last week.
Newcastle have lost their last three games after a good start to the season and will be looking for an improved performance at home. Cronulla will be looking for their seventh consecutive win against the Knights and with Paul Gallen in their line-up, they should be able to record a comfortable victory.
After wins earlier in the season over the Roosters and the Melbourne Storm, the Tigers are on the verge of falling out of the top eight. The Bulldogs will have been disappointed with the result last week against the Sharks but will take some confidence from their record of the West Tigers.
Canterbury have won nine of their last twelve games against the Tigers and have improved their defensive record over the last month of the competition.
Aaron Woods gets the chance to lead his forward pack to a win against his former side and expect the Bulldogs to show plenty of aggression in a close win.