Round 22 of the NRL boasts several key matches and results could ultimately prove vital to the make-up of the top eight, ahead of the finals.
The action is underway in Townsville on Thursday night when the Cowboys and Broncos lock horns, while the competition will hit fever pitch in Sydney on Friday night when the Rabbitohs and Roosters square off.
The Storm and Sharks will both attempt to return to winning form in Melbourne on Sunday afternoon.
Round 22 is underway in style when the Cowboys and Broncos reignite their fierce rivalry in Townsville on Thursday night. Regardless of form, this is always an outstanding fixture and despite their reasonably firm favouritism in betting, the Broncos cannot afford to underestimate their opponents.
It has been a truly forgettable season for the Cowboys and they remain a live chance of finishing with the spoon. They have simply failed to playout a full 80 minutes in most cases this season and that was the case once more against the Roosters last weekend, though that was a substantially improved performance.
The Broncos suffered a pretty convincing defeat to the lowly Bulldogs last weekend and a similar performance would see them lose again, here. Corbin Sims had a huge impact off the bench but if Brisbane are any chance of making an impact in the finals, they cannot be relying on the work of a solitary forward. They have slipped back to seventh and need to recapture winning form to consolidate their position.
There is every chance that this game will go right down to the wire and the Cowboys can cover a line currently set at 4 points.
An intriguing game will see the up-and-down Warriors host a reasonably competitive Knights outfit across the ditch on Friday evening.
Eighth place is now what the Warriors appear to be playing for, though they are tied on points with the Sharks and Broncos in overall standings. They remain difficult to trust in head-to-head betting; their two most-recent results include a heavy loss to the Titans, but also a win over premiership threats the Dragons. At their best they are the pick of these two sides but clearly, they remain capable of a shocker.
The Knights have continued to chip away at their opponents and are unlucky to have lost their two most-recent games with the Cowboys and Tigers respectively. The finals are certainly now out of reach, but they can take plenty of positives from their performances this season, particularly after suffering a number of key players through injury.
The Warriors really should be winning this game, but they are too short at their current price and I am not confident that can cover the line.
We don’t have to wait long until the game of the round and not only will Friday night’s Souths vs Roosters clash be a treat for spectators, it could also be a preview of this season’s decider. Barely anything splits the recent form of these old rivals and there is subsequently a big case to be made for both taking bragging rights.
Souths have been simply outstanding this season and they have well and truly pulled themselves out of their slight form slump after Origin. They put together another outstanding performance to do away with the Storm in last weekend’s top-of-the-table clash and they really do look like a team that could go the whole way, particularly with superstar Greg Inglis set to make his return imminently.
The boys from Bondi are timing their run of form to absolute perfection and while they weren’t at their absolute best last weekend, still did enough to take the win away from a desperate Cowboys side. They have moved into third in overall standings and are tied with the second-placed Storm on competition points.
It is extremely difficult to image one team getting the better of the other here, but Souths’ win last weekend was enough to say that they can win the premiership and they can consolidate their position at the top by continuing past the Roosters.
The Titans season is all but over and they will have their hands full with the Panthers again on Saturday afternoon. This is probably one of the more un-heralding fixtures of the round from a neutral’s perspective, but there’s plenty of value to be found in betting.
The Titans do have a real opportunity to take advantage of a side that is potentially rattled by the mid-week loss of their coach and at their best, they have been capable of competing with top eight clubs. A big win over the Warriors two weeks ago was all but forgotten when they lost to the lowly Eels last weekend and they’ll need to improve drastically off that, if any chance here.
In what was easily the biggest head scratcher of the season to date, the Panthers decided to immediately end their relationship with coach Anthony Griffin, despite sitting fifth on the ladder and with a real chance of making a run in the finals. That simply will not happen now; they will finish in the eight but a disruption of this calibre never bodes well this close to September.
The Titans will need to be at their best, but I’m confident that they can steal a win here and I’m happy to give them a go at their current price.
Finals hopes may be a long-forgotten dream for the Sea Eagles and Bulldogs, but plenty remains on the line when the two clubs meet at Brookvale Oval on Saturday.
The Sea Eagles have incredibly never finished last since entering the competition in 1947 but they remain in real danger of bucking that trend this season. A single-point victory over the Sharks last week was a potentially massive result for their cause and they can get the W again this week, should be able to keep away from sixteenth.
The Bulldogs certainly have not been awful recently and they notched a tough and well-deserved win over the Broncos in Round 21. Their superior for-and-against puts them in a far-better position that all of their rivals at the bottom of the ladder and they’ll be confident of making it two-in-a-row when they arrive at the Northern Beaches.
I think Manly can win this game, but they’ve made a habit of bottling big leads and scraping home, if at all. Subsequently, I think that the Bulldogs can cover the line again.
An interesting encounter will see the bottom-placed Eels host the out-of-form Dragons on Saturday night.
The Eels have been dreadful all season but their recent run of form reads WLW, with the loss coming at the hands of South Sydney and even then, there was only one try in it. They clearly do not want to end the season in last position after being touted as a top four side and they will be confident of continuing the Dragons’ lacklustre run of results.
It must feel like deja vu for Dragons fans, who have watched their side absolutely dominate the first half of the competition before once again falling over in the lead-up to the finals. They have now lost four of their five most-recent games and simply have to find form if they are any chance of competing in the finals, let alone finished in the top four.
This is a great opportunity for the Dragons, but they’re too short in head-to-head betting.
One of the better contests in Round 22 is likely to come from the nation’s capital on Sunday afternoon when the Raiders host the Tigers.
The Raiders have fallen out of finals contention recently, but they’ve been a far side with Josh Hodgson at hooker and the lack of success this season can ultimately be put down to his extended absence. They were neck-and-neck with the Panthers last weekend and looked to have the game won when Sam Williams slotted a 66th minute field goal but ultimately, they ran out of steam and were finished over the top of.
The Tigers are the one side outside of the eight that can still mathematically make the finals, but they’ll need to be perfect from here on in, if they are any hope. A good win over the Knights last weekend was their third in four games and another positive result against the Raiders wouldn’t only help their chances of making it to September, but also instil of confidence for the run home.
There’s more on the line for the Tigers and they can grind out a win, at great odds.
We are set for another great game to conclude Round 22 when the Storm and Sharks reignite their rivalry in Melbourne. Both sides suffered losses last weekend and will be eager to get things back on track with only a few weeks remaining in the regular season.
The Storm have been typically excellent since the Origin period, but they were clearly rattled by the Rabbitohs in last weekend’s top of the table clash and showed a few small gaps in their brilliance that all other sides will surely attempt to exploit. Billy Slater has announced he will retire at season’s end and surely, that will give Melbourne a little extra to play for.
The Sharks have been consistent of late, but they failed to overcome the lowly Sea Eagles at home last weekend and obviously, will need to improve drastically off that to beat Melbourne. The Sharks boast a strong team across the park and one of the toughest benches in the competition, and if they can put it all together they would not look out of place in the decider.
Melbourne will surely return to winning form at home and will subsequently keep the pressure on Souths at the top of the table.