Manly – Tigers
Should be a thriller. The Tigers have taken care of both the Panthers and Eels in consecutive wins, but face a much sterner test against the Eagles. Good signs from a couple of Tigers, that have been out of touch, particularly Chris Lawrence and Blake Ayshford. The former's clash with Jamie Lyon will be a real highlight. The Tigers caught the Eels short a couple of times on Friday night, I don't think they'll have the same latitude against Manly. The scheming Cherry-Evans and Foran to have too much for the Tigers to handle. Tip: Sea Eagles
Dogs – Souths
What a boost for the Bulldogs to get both Barba and Pritchard back for the Easter Friday clash. Half chances become genuine tryscoring opportunities with Barba back in the line up. The match up between the two fullbacks is mouth-watering.
Souths can't afford to drift in and out over 80 minutes this week. On a positive, they are learning to win while not at their best. Tough one to pick, with some great individual battles right across both teams. The return of two key men for the Dogs has me leaning their way. Tip: Bulldogs
Broncos- Storm
You just wonder when the Storm's hectic start to the season will take a toll. A trip to Brisbane, against an in-form Broncos outfit might've been the breaking point, after Melbourne's late fade against the Dogs. However it's a Broncos team struggling big time to get across the tryline. There was very little variation in their attack against the Roosters, and they came up empty despite dominating all possession stats. The return of J.Hodges helps in that department but it won't be enough.Tip: Storm
Sharks – Dragons
Local derbies always have the knack of producing the unexpected. So be prepared for anything. The Sharks had a number of good performers against the Warriors and for the third time this season are at home.
The question has to be: Can the Dragons score enough points against the strong Sharks defence? While the Dragons' spluttering attack is the focus - and it's a big problem - their lack of attention to detail worries me just as much. The 1% efforts that lead to a good performance just aren't happening. A win will eventually come but not this weekend. Tip: Sharks
Panthers – Titans
After their big win in round two, the Titans made it back to back with a gutsy performance against Manly. Again there were promising signs from the young halves and the pack didn't yield an inch to the Eagles forwards. Both wins, however, were at home and a road trip to Penrith will be a huge test. The Panthers might have lacked the power to get over the top of Souths, but they also showed they're a side with plenty of grit. Get set for a war of attrition between these two with the home ground advantage proving the difference. Tip: Panthers
Newcastle - Raiders
Both bounced back with Round 3 wins, after being immensely disappointing the week before. That inconsistency makes it hard to line this one up.
Physically the Knights were ready on Monday night against the Cowboys and totally out enthused them. The kicking from Tyrone Roberts and Jarrod Mullen was as good as I've seen all year.
Canberra might have got their season off and running with the win over the Dragons, but they still haven't 'clicked' . A fair bit of faith is involved to think they'll put it all together this week. Might be too early in the season. Newcastle to go back to back. Tip: Knights
Warriors – Cowboys
Monday night was just the sort of effort that has you questioning the Cowboys bona fides as genuine title contenders. The problem of defending periods when momentum shifts against them is still there. The ball control is the other issue.
In the three games so far, their completion rates have all been under 70%. With the ball, Matt Bowen has made a slow start, they'll need more input from him. What can you say about their opposition, the Warriors? They look like they'd struggle in the NSW Cup. If form from round 3 carries through to this clash, the Cowboys, even as bad as they were against Newcastle, still win. Tip: Cowboys
Roosters – Eels
Self belief will be sky high in the Roosters camp after their remarkable defensive effort against the Broncos. Powerful performances for Jared Waerea–Hargreaves and SBW, were another positive out of the win. James Maloney's start to the year has been strong and will see his name mentioned in Origin talk if his form continues. Ricky Stuart will have the Eels competing, but they'll struggle against sides like the Roosters, who look to have too much firepower across the board. Tip: Roosters
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