The competition has just been turned on its head, as the Panthers are expected to be without star halfback Nathan Cleary until the finals.
This time last week, Penrith were morals to claim the minor premiership, but is the door now open for the chasing pack?
The Roosters and Broncos kick off Round 21 on Thursday night, and the latter will be eager to put last week’s loss to the Tigers behind them quickly.
However it will be no easy task, with the Roosters continuing their charge towards a finals berth.
The Sea Eagles and Eels headline Friday night footy, while the Sharks and Dragons will go to battle on Saturday evening – both games will have potential top eight implications.
The Bulldogs and Cowboys headline Sunday’s fixtures before the lowly Tigers and Knights clash in the final fixture of the week.
Check out my complete NRL Round 21 Tips below.
There’s a case to be made for both the Roosters and the Broncos ahead of their Thursday night clash in Sydney.
Given the experience (or lack thereof) boasts by their opponents in Round 20, I thought that the Roosters were actually quite poor, and they’ll need to improve noticeably to topple a stronger opponent in the Broncos.
That being said, they appear to have all the pieces of a top four side, they just really need to put it all together.
The Broncos suffered a humiliating loss to the lowly Tigers in Round 20 and that is almost certainly why they have been priced as outsiders in NRL betting this week.
They were far too good for the Eels the week prior, who subsequently beat the league-leading Panthers rather convincingly.
I don’t have nearly as much between these two sides as the bookies clearly do, so I am going to take the value on offer for the Broncos to win as outsiders.
There’s hardly ever been a time that the Titans have looked a winning chance against the Storm, and they certainly don’t at the backend of 2022.
The Storm snapped their four-game losing streak at the expense of the Warriors in New Zealand last week, and things look to be back on track as the run towards another finals campaign.
The Titans, meanwhile, have been nothing short of terrible this season and have dropped to last after the Tigers’ won their match with the Broncos in Round 20.
This looks an open and shut case to me – the Storm win it easily.
Betting suggests that the contest of the round will materialise between the Sea Eagles and the Eels on the Northern Beaches in Friday’s primetime game.
Whatever your opinion of the players, given the number of starters that elected to stay out of last week’s game, there is no denying that the Sea Eagles had a genuine crack, and they were unlucky not to finish closer to the Roosters.
With everyone returning this week, they deserve favouritism.
The Eels meanwhile completed the double over the Panthers, remaining the only club to defeat the reigning premiers in 2022.
While they have attracted good interest in NRL betting this week, but remain outsiders as a result of their incredible and crippling inconsistency.
I’d be very surprised to see either club step out on Grand Final Day, but this should well and truly live up to the billing. Given the upside harboured by the Sea Eagles, I’m happy to be with them.
The Bunnies have found form in the perfect moment for a serious top four assault, and they can record another win over the down-and-out Warriors in Round 21.
It took them about 10 weeks to really start putting everything together, and the Bunnies really have started to kick into the right gear since the return of Latrell Mitchell.
They went to Golden Point in their Round 20 clash with the Sharks and while the result ultimately didn’t fall their way, this is the perfect opportunity to bounce back.
The Warriors have somehow been worse since returning to New Zealand and at this rate, they’ll be lucky to finish above the bottom three.
It’s tough to imagine them pushing South Sydney for a full eighty minutes in current form.
The Panthers will attempt to bounce back from defeat for only the second time this season when they travel to the nation’s capital on Saturday evening.
Do the Eels have Penrith’s number?
I actually think they might, but the saving grace for Ivan Cleary’s men on the day that matters is that I don’t think the Eels have the means to make a Grand Final.
The lack of Jarome Luai was telling last week, and Shaun O’Sullivan will need to take another step up with Nathan Cleary now ruled out for five weeks.
The Raiders have continued to build into a genuine top eight threat, and while they’re almost no chance of a deep finals run, they could make a statement by winning this clash.
I just don’t think they will, though.
The Sharks step out in Round 21 following a thrilling win over South Sydney, and they can keep the pressure on the top two with a win over the Dragons.
They’ve been thereabouts since the beginning of the season, and I’ve been really impressed by the patience and resolve displayed by Craig Fitzgibbon’s men.
Many clubs wouldn’t have been able to overcome South Sydney in current form, but they were duly rewarded for doing so.
The wheels well and truly fell off the Dragon wagon in Round 20, meanwhile, and I think they’ll very much struggle to make the eight.
It was the manner of their loss, at home to the Cowboys, and this really isn’t anything of an easier task for them.
I can’t believe that I am saying this, but I am really looking forward to watching the Bulldogs and Cowboys do battle on Sunday afternoon.
It’s fair to say that Bulldogs are just a completely different side for Mick Potter, and there genuine ability is obvious under the care of a competent coach.
I, for one, would be signing him up for three years to see what could be achieved, given how good the start has been.
The Cowboys bounce back into the winning form with a dominant effort against the Dragons in Round 20, and it solidified their position in the top two.
The continue to rate as a genuine Grand Final threat, and it is truly incredible how well they have performed in 2022 – Todd Payten really knows what he is doing.
I’m really riding the Dogs train at the moment, and I’m tipping an upset!
The lowly Tigers and Knights will contest what will surely be a forgettable game on Sunday afternoon, and it’s tough to know what we’re going to get.
The Tigers did pull off another incredible upset over the Broncos in Round 20, but they’ve often struggled the week after an effort of that caliber this year and I’m concerned that they are under the odds at their current price.
The Knights have been similarly terrible and realistically, both of these clubs surely have more of their focus on Mad Monday celebrations than they do winning games at this point.
I would have thought that $1.90 each side would have been fairer, so I am going to back the Knights to win as outsiders