The four best teams after eight weeks will be on show in the second half of Round 9 with plenty of exciting matchups on offer.

The Manly Sea Eagles will be gifted an opportunity to move as high as sixth position when they face the challenging task of doing battle with the second-placed North Queensland Cowboys while the Warriors will host the Dragons in Auckland without key players to kick start a feast of football on Sunday.

The Titans will be out to get a win over the Storm having gone down in some tight contests in recent weeks while the Sharks and Broncos will meet at Shark Park to end the round in a battle at the top of the table.

Manly Sea Eagles versus North Queensland Cowboys
Saturday, April 30, 7:30pm (AEST) at Brookvale Oval

The Manly Sea Eagles will return to their home at Brookvale Oval with a tough task on their hands as they prepare to face reigning premiers and competition frontrunners the North Queensland Cowboys.

Trent Barrett’s side face a huge test after defeating the Newcastle Knights 26-10 on Anzac Day in Daly Cherry-Evans’ return from a syndesmosis injury.

Following the announcement of skipper Jamie Lyon’s retirement on Tuesday, the Silvertails will be hoping for a win before the break over the representative weekend before taking on the only team better than the reigning premiers after eight rounds, the Brisbane Broncos in Round 10.

Matt Parcell could add some extra spark to the Sea Eagles with the hooker being named on an extended bench in the only change to Manly’s side while Cowboys coach Paul Green has also made just one change with John Asiata named as 18th man.

North Queensland have set the competition pace with the reigning premiers sitting in second position having recorded just two losses behind only the Brisbane Broncos.

Paul Green’s side are coming off a 32-16 win over the Parramatta Eels, whom they lost to back in Round 2, with the North Queensland outfit boasting an extremely powerful forward pack.

The impressive form by the Cowboys has seen four players selected for the Australia Kangaroos with Johnathan Thurston, Matthew Scott and James Tamou all named while Michael Morgan will make his Test debut off the bench giving credit to the young five-eighth’s stellar start to 2016 and his dream finish to 2015.

North Queensland go into their meeting with Manly as heavy favourites with the Cowboys expected to be very tough to beat.

Since 1998, the Sea Eagles and Cowboys have met on 23 occasions with Manly winning 13 times to the Cowboys’ ten.

North Queensland were victorious in both meetings last season with a 30-12 win in Round 19 and an 18-14 victory in Round 12.

The reigning premiers have won four of eight matches at Brookvale Oval.

Prediction
North Queensland will continue their dominance with a win over the Sea Eagles at Fortress Brookvale.

Cowboys by 10.

What you need to know:
Kickoff: 7:30pm (AEST)
Venue: Brookvale Oval
TV: Live, Fox Sports
Last meeting: Cowboys defeated Sea Eagles 30-12 (Round 19, 2015)
Head-to-head: 23 played – Sea Eagles 13, Cowboys 10
Sea Eagles last three games: 26-10 versus Knights, 10-22 versus Eels, 34-18 versus Warriors
Cowboys last three games: 32-16 versus Eels, 44-18 versus Rabbitohs, 23-18 versus Panthers

Manly Sea Eagles
1. Brett Stewart, 2. Brayden Wiliame, 3. Jamie Lyon (c), 4. Steve Matai, 5. Tom Trbojevic, 6. Dylan Walker, 7. Daly Cherry-Evans, 8. Darcy Lussick, 9. Apisai Koroisau, 10. Nate Myles, 11. Tom Symonds, 12. Martin Taupau, 13. Jake Trbojevic

Interchange: 14. Lewis Brown, 15. Addin Fonua-Blake, 16. Brenton Lawrence, 17. Siosaia Vave, 19. Matt Parcell

North Queensland Cowboys
1. Lachlan Coote, 2. Kyle Feldt, 3. Justin O’Neill, 4. Kane Linnett, 5. Antonio Winterstein, 6. Michael Morgan, 7. Johnathan Thurston (c), 8. Matthew Scott (c), 9. Jake Granville, 10. James Tamou, 11. Gavin Cooper, 12. Ethan Lowe, 13. Jason Taumalolo

Interchange: 14. Rory Kostjasyn, 15. Patrick Kaufusi, 16. Scott Bolton, 17. Ben Hannant, 18. John Asiata

Daly Cherry-Evans returns to face a challenging rival. (AAP Image/Julian Smith)

New Zealand Warriors versus St George Illawarra Dragons
Sunday, May 1, 12pm (AEST) at Mt Smart Stadium

The New Zealand Warriors have been dealt a harsh blow as the Kiwis will be without Simon Mannering and Tuimoala Lolohea when they clash with the St George Illawarra Dragons.

The Warriors are coming off a shutout in Melbourne after going down to the Storm 42-0 on Anzac Day with pressure mounting on coach Andrew McFadden to deliver despite the star-studded franchise being without Roger Tuivasa-Sheck who is sidelined with an ACL injury for the remainder of the season.

The absence of Tui Lolohea sees David Fusitua move to fullback and Jonathan Wright promoted to the starting side with Jazz Tevaga taking the former Bulldogs and Eels winger’s spot on the bench.

Charlie Gubb starts at lock with Simon Mannering out with a mouth injury bringing Albert Vete onto the bench alongside Shaun Lane who is in line to make his Warriors debut after arriving at the club as a mid-season transfer from the Bulldogs in a trade deal which saw Raymond Faitala-Mariner make way for the young backrower.

Lane takes Ligi Sao’s spot on the bench with James Gavet named as 18th man.

Charlie Gubb has a tough task on his hand with the Kiwi sensation facing off against Jack de Belin who has been in great form for the Red V and Paul McGregor’s most consistent player so far in 2016.

McGregor has made just one change with Euan Aitken returning pushing Will Matthews back to the bench and Taane Milne to 18th man.

With the Dragons having struggled to get points on the board in recent weeks, it looks like they are finally back in the groove after Gareth Widdop helped his side to a win on Anzac Day over the Roosters 20-18.

With the joint venture’s forward pack providing plenty of go forward, the Warriors will be needing a big performance from their forward rotation which features big names including Jacob Lillyman, Ben Matulino and Ryan Hoffman.

The Warriors and Dragons have clashed 23 times with the Red V winning over 80 percent of their meetings with 19 wins to the Warriors’ four.

St George Illawarra won their last meeting in Round 22 last year with a 36-0 victory at Westpac Stadium in Wellington.

Prediction
With no Simon Mannering or Tuimoala Lolohea, the understrength Warriors will find it hard to get past the Red V.

Dragons by 10.

What you need to know
Kickoff: 12pm (AEST)
Venue: Mt Smart Stadium
TV: Live, Fox Sports
Last meeting: Dragons defeated Warriors 36-0 (Round 22, 2015)
Head-to-head: 23 played – Warriors 4, Dragons 19
Warriors last three games: 0-42 versus Storm, 24-20 versus Bulldogs, 18-34 versus Sea Eagles
Dragons last three games: 20-18 versus Roosters, 19-14 versus Titans, 0-26 versus Broncos

New Zealand Warriors
1. David Fusitua, 2. Jonathan Wright, 3. Solomone Kata, 4. Blake Ayshford, 5. Manu Vatuvei, 6. Thomas Leuluai, 7. Shaun Johnson, 8. Jacob Lillyman, 9. Issac Luke, 10. Ben Matulino, 11. Bodene Thompson, 12. Ryan Hoffman (c), 13. Charlie Gubb

Interchange: 14. Jazz Tevaga, 15. Sam Lisone, 16. Albert Vete, 17. Shaun Lane, 18. James Gavet

St George Illawarra Dragons
1. Josh Dugan, 2. Kalifa Faifai Loa, 3. Euan Aitken, 4. Timoteo Lafai, 5. Jason Nightingale, 6. Gareth Widdop (c), 7. Josh McCrone, 8. Leeson Ah Mau, 9. Mitch Rein, 10. Mike Cooper, 11. Tyson Frizell, 12. Joel Thompson, 13. Jack de Belin

Interchange: 14. Russell Packer, 15. Will Matthews, 16. Dunamis Lui, 17. Siliva Havili, 18. Taane Milne

Gold Coast Titans versus Melbourne Storm
Sunday, May 1, 2pm (AEST) at Cbus Super Stadium

The Gold Coast Titans will have a chance to redeem themselves after going down in golden point last week when they host the Melbourne Storm at Robina on Sunday.

The Titans were unable to scratch through against the Bulldogs last week without the guidance of Ashley Taylor as the blue and white dominated the Gold Coast up front with David Klemmer, James Graham and Josh Jackson putting in big performances.

The Titans’ forwards will be faced with a similar situation in Round 9 with the Melbourne Storm possessing a massive forward rotation including the likes of New Zealand internationals Jesse Bromwich, Kevin Proctor and Tohu Harris.

Coach Neil Henry will need an increased effort from his forwards including Ryan James and Chris McQueen who were unable to match it with the ‘Dogs last week while Zeb Taia and Greg Bird thrived.

A win is crucial for the franchise currently celebrating their 10th anniversary as they look to get a win before the representative round having shocked rugby league fans with some good showings over the opening eight rounds of the season.

The Melbourne Storm are coming off a big 42-0 win over the Warriors and will be looking to do even better against the Titans when they welcome back Felise Kaufusi on the bench pushing Ben Hampton to 18th man and adding more size to their pack.

There are concerns as to the health of Marika Koroibete (ankle) and Young Tonumaipea (knee) with the pair unlikely to play despite being named after receiving scans on Tuesday.

They join a host of stars on the sidelines with Billy Slater, William Chambers, Curtis Scott, Jeremy Hawkins and Tony Tumusa all unavailable leaving Cheyse Blair as a potential inclusion with the recruit only just coming back from injury after he joined the club from Manly while Tohu Harris and Ben Hampton may be required to fill in at centre once again.

The injury crisis in Melbourne is unlikely to affect their performance with the Storm’s forward pack the key to winning the game.

The Titans and Storm have met 15 times with Melbourne taking ten of those fixtures.

Their most recent meeting came in Round 2 with Melbourne coming out 34-16 victors while in their only encounter of 2015 during Round 22, the Storm won 36-14.

Prediction
Melbourne win the game in the middle with the likes of Jesse Bromwich and Tohu Harris to dominate up front.

Storm by 10.

What you need to know
Kickoff: 2pm (AEST)
Venue: Cbus Super Stadium
TV: Live, Fox Sports
Last meeting: Storm defeated Titans 34-16 (Round 2, 2016)
Head-to-head: 15 played – Titans 5, Storm 10
Titans last three games: 20-21 versus Bulldogs, 14-19 versus Dragons, 20-25 versus Sharks
Storm last three games: 42-0 versus Warriors, 19-18 versus Wests Tigers, 12-18 versus Bulldogs

Gold Coast Titans
1. William Zillman (c), 2. Anthony Don, 3. Josh Hoffman, 4. Nene Macdonald, 5. David Mead, 6. Tyrone Roberts, 7. Cameron Cullen, 8. David Shillington, 9. Nathan Friend (c), 10. Ryan James, 11. Zeb Taia, 12. Chris McQueen, 13. Greg Bird

Interchange: 14. Luke Douglas, 15. Leivaha Pulu, 16. Agnatius Paasi, 17. Kierran Moseley, 18. Lachlan Burr

Melbourne Storm
1. Cameron Munster, 2. Suliasi Vunivalu, 3. Richard Kennar, 4. Young Tonumaipea, 5. Marika Koroibete, 6. Blake Green, 7. Cooper Cronk, 8. Jesse Bromwich, 9. Cameron Smith (c), 10. Jordan McLean, 11. Kevin Proctor, 12. Tohu Harris, 13. Dale Finucane

Interchange: 14. Kenneath Bromwich, 15. Tim Glasby, 16. Felise Kaufusi, 17. Nelson Asofa-Solomona, 18. Ben Hampton

The Sharks are good, but can they challenge the Broncos? (AAP Image/Craig Golding)

Cronulla Sharks versus Brisbane Broncos
Sunday, May 1, 4pm (AEST) at Southern Cross Group Stadium

The Sharks and Broncos will participate in a top of the table clash with the two sides expected to put on a show in the last game of Round 9.

Both Cronulla and Brisbane sit in the top four having lost only two and one games respectively after eight rounds of football with the two clubs the best teams in their home states.

The Sharks, sitting in equal-second position alongside the Cowboys and Storm, will have the home ground advantage which has so far served them well in 2016 with the club undefeated at Shark Park this year.

The Broncos will be their toughest opposition yet with Cronulla needing to put in their very best performance if they are to beat the competition leaders.

With the likes of Ben Barba, Luke Lewis, Michael Ennis and captain Paul Gallen having so far led the way for the boys from the Shire in 2016, coach Shane Flanagan will be wanting halves pairing James Maloney and Chad Townsend to own the game against Brisbane with Flanagan naming the same 17 that defeated the Panthers 20-18 on Sunday.

After a win over the Rabbitohs which kept Wayne Bennett’s Broncos on top of the table, Brisbane have been forced to make a major change with Andrew McCullough absent through injury and being replaced in the side by Kodi Nikorima with Travis Waddell to make just his second appearance for the Broncos since following Bennett to the club at the start of the 2015 season.

The boys from Red Hill have five Kangaroos players in their lineup with forwards Josh McGuire and Matt Gillett to wear the green and gold with the pair having been two of the best players in their respective positions so far in 2016.

Alex Glenn will be welcomed back into the side in the Kiwi’s return from injury which sees Sam Thaiday move back onto the bench and Herman Ese’ese drop out of the side.

Their most recent meeting came during Round 2 last year with the Broncos prevailing 10-2 to win their 19th game against Cronulla in 33 meetings since 1998 with the Sharks taking 14 fixtures.

Prediction
Brisbane won’t be as strong as they have in recent weeks with the absence of star hooker and workhorse Andrew McCullough however, they will hold on for a win and end the Sharks’ winless streak at home.

Broncos by 6.

What you need to know
Kickoff: 4pm (AEST)
Venue: Southern Cross Group Stadium
TV: Live, Nine Network and Fox Sports
Last meeting: Broncos defeated Sharks 10-2 (Round 2, 2015)
Head-to-head: 33 played – Sharks 14, Broncos 19
Sharks last three games: 20-18 versus Panthers, 40-16 versus Raiders, 25-20 versus Titans
Broncos last three games: 30-8 versus Rabbitohs, 53-0 versus Knights, 26-0 versus Dragons

Cronulla Sharks
1. Ben Barba, 2. Sosaia Feki, 3. Jack Bird, 4. Ricky Leutele, 5. Valentine Holmes, 6. James Maloney, 7. Chad Townsend, 8. Andrew Fifita, 9. Michael Ennis, 10. Sam Tagataese, 11. Jayson Bukuya, 12. Wade Graham, 13. Paul Gallen (c)

Interchange: 14. Gerard Beale, 15. Chris Heighington, 16. Matt Prior, 17. Luke Lewis

Brisbane Broncos
1. Darius Boyd, 2. Corey Oates, 3. Jack Reed, 4. James Roberts, 5. Jordan Kahu, 6. Anthony Milford, 7. Ben Hunt, 8. Josh McGuire, 9. Kodi Nikorima, 10. Adam Blair, 11. Alex Glenn, 12. Matt Gillett, 13. Corey Parker (c)

Interchange: 14. Jarrod Wallace, 15. Sam Thaiday, 16. Joe Ofahengaue, 17. Travis Waddell

Roarers, which game are you most looking forward to in Round 9?

In case you missed it, you can read part one of my Round 9 preview here.