Round 20 of season 2015 is upon us as more and more pretenders fall from the chase to September.
Looking at the fixtures ahead it seems like some lopsided results are in the offing. But the beautiful thing about the NRL is, nothing is quite as it seems.
In a most likely scenario, all the favourites will win their respective matches but does it always turn out like that in the crazy world of the NRL?
You can’t win a grand final in July but you can certainly lose your chance to be there.
Let’s just hope it’s not your team that crumbles into the Ashes of broken rugby league dreams!
Tim Gore
Tips: Broncos, Roosters, Warriors, Dragons, Rabbitohs, Panthers, Bulldogs, Cowboys (Powerplay).
“Business end approaches and the sheep and goats are being sorted. I hope to be a goat.
“Broncos should beat the Titans but not by as much as you might think.
“I want to tip Wests Tigers but I just can’t see them beating the Roosters, Warriors will belt the Sea Eagles and I reckon the Dragons might just jag a tight win.
“Rabbitohs will smash the Knights who will just be willing the season to end.
“Panthers/Raiders is anyone’s guess. The Raiders only win away but the Panthers will be hurting after getting smacked. Penrith to win at home.
“Bulldogs Sharks – flip a coin. Tails = Bulldogs.
“The Cowboys will beat the Eels like rented mules. Look away people.”
Mary Konstantopoulos
Tips: Roosters, Broncos, Warriors, Rabbitohs, Storm, Panthers, Bulldogs, Cowboys (Powerplay).
“Friday night kicks off with the Tigers and the Roosters. The Roosters have class all over the field and will beat the Tigers who are currently in awful form. The Queensland clash between the Broncos and the Titans is the other Friday night fixture. The local derby is always entertaining but the Broncos are too slick an powerful and will also win easily.
“The Warriors at home, particularly Shaun Johnson, on Saturday will have a point to prove after their poor performance against the Roosters and will beat the Eagles who are likely to be without DCE.
“The Rabbitoh forwards will bounce past the Knights and come away with a strong win. The Storm are also regaining form and will beat the Dragons who continue on a downward spiral.
“The Panthers versus the Raiders shapes up as one of the toughest games of the round but at home I am tipping the Panthers to come away with the win. The Bulldogs are coming together nicely for the finals and with their forward continuing to improve I am tipping them to be too strong for the Sharks. On Monday night the question is by how much will the Cowboys beat the Eels by. I am tipping 30+.”
Dane Eldridge
Tips: Roosters, Broncos, Warriors, Storm, Rabbitohs, Panthers, Bulldogs, Cowboys (Powerplay).
“What a salubrious second-serving of heritage gravy we’ll be fed on Sunday arvo. In the iconic 90s match at Penrith, I’ll be taking the home side to plunge Ricky Stuart in to further speechlessness. It’s just too funny to not continue and Ivan Cleary is responsible enough to recognise this.
“Then from Pepper to Belmore, where I’m backing the Doggies to squeeze out a committed Sharks outfit by a bee’s whisker. With the crunch nature of the fixture and the lack of carparking, the pressure in this beauty is odds-on to cause disorderly chaos! Someone is sure to attempt to cover a two-point gap with a field goal.
“As for the rest, it’s full of lopsided fixtures that have made this a smorgasbord week for the power play. Due to my rife mismanagement, I’ve applied for special dispensation to pick five. Haven’t heard back yet though.”
Ryan O’Connell
Tips: Roosters, Broncos, Warriors, Rabbitohs, Storm, Raiders, Bulldogs, Cowboys (Powerplay).
“The hardest challenge this week is picking the PowerPlay. Honestly, , I’ll be very disappointed if I don’t get a perfect round. The only game that I’m even slightly worried about is the Raiders versus Penrith game, as you never really know which of those two sides will turn up.
“So, now that I’ve successfully jinxed myself, I look forward to eight upsets this weekend, a score of zero, and a bunch of Roarers all too happy to pour egg on my face next week!
“NRL!”
Curtis Woodward
Tips: Roosters, Broncos, Warriors, Storm, Rabbitohs, Raiders, Bulldogs, Cowboys (Powerplay).
“Theoretically this should be the whipping round of the season with Sydney Roosters, Brisbane Broncos, New Zealand Warriors, South Sydney Rabbitohs and North Queensland all undisputable favourites.
“I’m going with Canberra in an upset at Pepper Stadium against a Penrith side that is almost completely cooked.
“Canterbury and Cronulla will be tight but the Belmore faithful will be too much of an advantage for the Bulldogs.”
| Round 19 | Tim | Mary | Ryan | Curtis | Dane |
| WSTvROO | Roosters | Roosters | Roosters | Roosters | Roosters |
| BROvTIT | Broncos | Broncos | Broncos | Broncos | Broncos |
| WARvSEA | Warriors | Warriors | Warriors | Warriors | Warriors |
| RABvKNI | Rabbitohs | Rabbitohs | Rabbitohs | Rabbitohs | Rabbitohs |
| STOvDRA | Dragons | Storm | Storm | Storm | Storm |
| PANvRAI | Panthers | Panthers | Raiders | Raiders | Panthers |
| BULvSHA | Bulldogs | Bulldogs | Bulldogs | Bulldogs | Bulldogs |
| COWvEEL | Cowboys | Cowboys | Cowboys | Cowboys | Cowboys |
| POWERPLAY | Cowboys | Cowboys | Cowboys | Cowboys | Cowboys |
| LAST ROUND | 7 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 7 |
| OVERALL | 101 | 95 | 91 | 86 | 85 |
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