Origin 3 means that only four games will be played in Round 17 of the NRL and several clubs have been weakened substantially by the representative fixture.
Melbourne will host an understrength Dragons side on Thursday night, before Penrith attempt to overcome a near full-strength Warriors outfit on Friday.
The Raiders and Titans are both offered good opportunities to step towards the top eight when they play the Bulldogs and Broncos respectively.
Round 17 is underway with a bang when reigning premiers the Storm host current competition leaders the Dragons on Thursday night.
The Storm snuck past the Roosters in what was a hard-fought and bitter affair last weekend and will take plenty of confidence another tough encounter with the Dragons. That win lifted the Melbourne club into third and their sense of timing leading into the finals looks to be spot-on once again.
The Dragons are amidst a truly stellar campaign and they really do look like a side capable of winning this season’s premiership. They were far from their best against the Eels last week, but still did enough to get the job done. They are missing a plethora of stars for this match with Origin 3 looming, however and will need to be at their absolute best to compete.
Ordinarily the Dragons would be a real shout here but without their Origin stars they will face too great a task in the Storm, particularly in Melbourne.
The Warriors are offered a great opportunity at leapfrogging their Round 17 opponents when they face an understrength Panthers side in Penrith on Friday night.
New Zealand failed to withstand a fair Sharks attack last weekend, but they did manage a few good passages of play and remain in the hunt for a top four finish. With no players out on Origin duty, they line up in good standing to overcome the Panthers without the likes of Maloney, Clearly, Peachy and Campbell-Gillard.
The Panthers let slip a half-time lead over the lowly Sea Eagles last weekend and they are in real danger of dropping further down the ladder without the lion’s share of their stars this weekend.
This is another game for which the result has probably been decided by Origin and the Warriors can cover a small line.
The Raiders will be offered another good opportunity to step towards the top eight when they face the hapless Bulldogs on Saturday night.
Canberra looked to have taken a vital win away from the Broncos last weekend but were pipped at the post by the home team and ultimately, have left themselves six points off the pace of the current finals-bound clubs. They simply must win games like this one from here on in, if they are to sneak into September.
The Bulldogs took a much-needed win away from Newcastle last weekend and that is sure to have boosted the morale, but it is certainly too little, too late. They line up without their Origin stars again this weekend and face a far tougher task in the well-drilled Raiders.
This is another game where the line looks a pretty decent bet, in favour of the away team.
The final game in the shortened Round 17 will see the Titans and Broncos lock horns in a Derby on the Gold Coast.
The Titans completely outplayed the Broncos as rank outsiders the last time these two sides met and a repeat of that performance would undoubtedly deliver the same result. They are missing several quality players, but line up opposite a club completely ravaged by Origin and will be given every chance of completing the season sweep.
This has been a less-than memorable season for the Broncos and while they do remain in the top eight, they have really only been saved by the inconsistency of teams below them on the ladder.
This is an opportunity for the Titans to stake their claims on a finals berth and they represent good value to win.