Billy Slater will return this week for the Melbourne Storm against The Dragons, which will be a massive boost for a side struggling to understand why they are on such a poor run. Coach Craig Bellamy will be looking for more intensity this week after accusing his stars of being lazy against Parramatta. So look for an early Storm onslaught and a big Melbourne win if they can break The Dragons will early.
The Gold Coast Titans have been one of the form sides in recent weeks with wins over Canberra and Brisbane and I can’t see that changing in round 21 against the Sydney Roosters. The Roosters are on the up and could be a force over the next few years but with this season all but over for them they are going to find it hard to motivate themselves in the closing weeks.
The Cowboys were in a tough game on Monday night and could find it difficult to recover in time for their clash against The Bulldogs. But they have been in great form and in Matt Brown they have one of the best backs in the competition. On the other hand The Bulldogs are still without Sam Kasiano and Kris Keating which will be big losses in such a tight game.
Cronulla will welcome back both Paul Gallen and Jeremy Smith for their tie against Penrith. They have struggled a little without them over the last few weeks and if they want to prove themselves as real finals contenders they have to brush aside The Panthers without much of a fuss.
The Warriors have been the extremely inconsistent this season and are going to find it very difficult against a Manly side that are close to full strength. Manly can cause any side problems on their day and will win here easily.
Both The Raiders and The Knights are still in finals contention but this game is a must win for both. It is promising to be a match full on fireworks but Newcastle have struggled recently when playing in Canberra and I think that home advantage for The Raiders will be enough to get them over the line.
South Sydney will be without both Greg Inglis and Issac Luke for their clash against Benji Marshall’s West Tigers. But The Tigers have their own selection woes with Tim Moltzen, Chris Lawrence and Curtis Sironen all out and it is because of this that I think Sydney will have enough to scrap out a win.
Parramatta will be without Jarryd Hayne so a lot will depend on how the troops rally without him. If they get at Brisbane early they could be in with a chance. They wont be helped by the fact that Ben Te’o escaped suspension and I feel that The Bronco’s will just have too much for the Eels this time around.
