The Origin period has officially concluded and it’s now full steam ahead towards the 2018 NRL Finals.
All sixteen teams are in action in Round 18 of the NRL and the action is underway at the foot of the mountains on Friday night when the Panthers host Cronulla. Souths will attempt to consolidate their position at the top of the table when they face the Bulldogs on Saturday.
Manly and Melbourne will renew their rivalry on the Northern Beaches, while the Dragons will take another step towards a home final if they beat the Tigers on Sunday.
The Panthers will look to continue a consistent run of form leading into the finals when they welcome back their Origin stars for Friday night’s game with the Sharks.
They had every right to lie down without the likes of Cleary, Maloney, Campbell-Gillard and Peachey last weekend, but their young squad really rose to the occasion and put on a show. They remain fourth in overall standings and with plenty of scope to climb back into the top two.
Cronulla boast one of the league’s best teams on paper but they really haven’t lived up to the hype, despite remaining sixth on the ladder. The Sharks enter this game off the back of a week off and prior to that, a gritty win over the Warriors in New Zealand.
Given their ability without their big names in tow last week, the Panthers can secure another win on Friday and at a great price.
The Knights will host the Eels in Newcastle on Friday night, in what looms as a competitive fixture from a spectator’s and betting perspective. Neither team has managed to make too much of an impression in season 2018 and this is a terrific opportunity for both to post a rare win.
Following a positive start, Newcastle’s campaign was thrown into disarray early when they lost star signing Mitchell Pearce for the season. While they lack the potency of many of their rivals, that have continued to put in and remain a mathematic chance of making the eight, though that does seem to be slipping further out of reach by the week.
The Eels have been the league’s big flop and while many pundits had them as a top-four side, they enter this Week 18 fixture anchored to the bottom of the ladder. They had the bye last weekend but let go of a lead over the league-leading Dragons in the final minute of play two weeks ago.
The Knights have the character to post another win here and keep the pressure on the likes of Canberra and Brisbane at the edge of the right.
The out of sorts Bulldogs face another tough task when they host old rivals the South Sydney Rabbitohs on Saturday afternoon. Its been a season to forget for the Canterbury club, whose poor form has been compounded by plenty of salary issues and the subsequent release of several big profile players.
It was another loss for the Bulldogs in Week 17; their twelfth of the season and focus is already on next year’s rebuild. Coach Dean Pay has been thrown something of a hospital pass and the rookie will need to call on everything in his playbook if his side is to compete with the red-hot Bunnies.
Souths have returned to their former glory once again and are a live chance of winning this season’s premiership. They’ll only improve with their Origin stars returning to the fold this week and look extremely difficult to beat.
The Rabbitohs look like one of the safer bets of the weekend and they can cover a line currently set at 10.5 points.
The bitter rivalry built between Manly and Melbourne throughout the last decade has led to some truly outstanding football and the rivalry will be renewed in Sydney on Saturday evening.
It certainly hasn’t been the best season on record for the Sea Eagles, but they’ve still pulled out glimpses of vintage form and have tended to play a better brand when the chips are down, and against better quality opposition. They have won only five times this season, however and will need to find something special to compete with the Storm.
It hasn’t been quite as potent a season for the reigning premiers, but their experience and class has delivered eleven wins and third position in overall standings leading into this clash. The return of their Origin stars will only boost their claims on this result and the premiership.
Regardless of form this is always an outstanding contest and I give Manly a real chance, particularly at home.
The Raiders will attempt to keep the pressure on the top eight when they host the Cowboys in the nation’s capital on Saturday night.
It was another slow start to the season for the green machine but a decent run of form recently has seen them move back into finals contention and a couple of wins could be enough to finally break into the eight; particularly given the form of some of the clubs at the edge. They snuck home late against the Bulldogs last weekend but will need to be better than that to continue the climb.
The Cowboys were hoping to send future immortal Johnathan Thurston off a winner in 2018 but as these things sometimes go, its been one of their worst seasons in recent memory. The North Queensland side have managed only four wins for the entire campaign and they are in line for an early mad Monday celebration.
The Raiders should have too much firepower for the Cowboys to handle, particularly on a cold winter’s night.
The Broncos and Warriors are both offered a terrific opportunity to consolidate their position in the top eight at the expense of the other, when they square off in Brisbane on Sunday afternoon. Both clubs are locked on twenty-two competition points and a win here could prove vital to their respective title aspirations.
The Broncos have not appeared together this season and they don’t really look like a side that would put up too much of a challenge come finals. They were lucky to scrape past the Raiders two weeks ago and while they did deliver the Titans a heavy defeat last weekend, it’s tough to line up that result with their overall legitimacy.
The Warriors exceeded all expectations through the first ten or twelve weeks of the competition but they have come crashing back down to Earth in spectacular fashion and are now on the verge of falling out of the top eight. Losses to the Panthers and Sharks have thrown their campaign into potential chaos.
The Broncos should do enough to scrape home in this, but they are too short in betting and I am happy to stay out.
The Dragons are primed for another big performance when they step out opposite Wests Tigers on Sunday afternoon. Its been a glittering season for the St George club and they are one of the genuine title threats in an open field. Without their Origin stars, they competed with Melbourne for 70 minutes before running out of puff last weekend. With the lion’s share of their forward pack now returning, they are a far stronger prospect and they will be full of confidence.
It hasn’t been an awful season for the Tigers and they have exceeded all expectations, but they do remain outside the eight and need to start stringing together a few wins if they are any chance of playing finals.
Realistically The Dragons will be winning this game and winning well. They can cover a line that seems to be pretty short.
Betting suggests that Sunday’s Titans vs Roosters game is set of be one of the more one-sided contests in Round 18 of the competition.
The Titans have certainly become the unbackable team, having comfortably overcome Wests Tigers two weeks ago before being thoroughly played off the park by an understrength Broncos side last weekend. This is a tougher prospect again and it’s difficult imagining them competing for the full eighty with the Roosters.
Sydney will welcome back their Origin players and will be ready for another big performance, with a view towards climbing the ladder. The Roosters currently sit fifth, but with plenty of scope towards an assault on the top two.