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Preston’s previews: NRL Round 19

14th July, 2016
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Will the Sharks take home their first ever title?(AAP Image/Matt Bedford)
Roar Guru
14th July, 2016
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With the Origin series wrapped up, the NRL hits the business end of the season as teams press for a finals berth.

Round 19 features six mouth-watering matches for you pundits, let’s check them out.

Last week’s tips – 3/4, running tip total 86/130

Dragons versus Titans
Both teams should be fresh having come off the bye in Round 18.

The Dragons were awful in their last showing as Manly trounced them 36-6 at Brookvale. Tim Lafai has been axed after a number of poor performances meaning Kurt Mann gets a reprieve in the centres.

Benji Marshall will miss what should have been a milestone match with Josh McCrone likely to fill the void.

The Titans welcome back inspirational rookie Ash Taylor at halfback, David Mead slots into fullback and club captain Nathan Friend returns via the bench. It’s a strong side that has been named by the Gold Coast, look for a big game from Greg Bird as a ‘salute’ of sorts to origin selectors.

These two sides have historically been evenly matched sharing the spoils four a piece in their last eight clashes.

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Tip: Titans 1-12

Manly versus Warriors
Manly and the Warriors fortunes have been identical over the past fortnight, both teams enjoyed wins in Round 17 and a bye in Round 18.

Manly stormed past the Dragons at fortress Brookvale 36-6 in Round 17 but this ‘home’ game is a different proposition given it is being played in Perth. They will also miss the services of Dylan Walker who felt the need to share his love for Amii Stewart and ‘knock, knock, knock on wood’ like it was the disco era.

The Warriors enjoyed a last up victory against the Titans and for this match they welcome back Manu Vatuvei and Ryan Hoffman – two huge inclusions for this game.

With Manly presently injuring an outside backs crisis the forward battle will be the determinant for a victory in this game and with that being the case you would expect the Warriors big pack to over power the Sea Eagles.

Tip: Warriors 1-12

Souths versus Broncos
It has been a turbulent week for South Sydney sacking high profile players Paul Carter and Kirisome Auva’a for off-field indiscretions. Now they have lost Greg Inglis for three weeks to suspension. As if that weren’t troubling enough, Souths on-field performance in recent times has mimicked that of the ill discipline off the field.

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The Broncos have been dreadful over the past two months and its no coincidence this slump has coincided with Origin. With the series now over it will be Wayne Bennett’s mission to rejuvenate and focus his troops on the run home. The return of Jordan Kahu on the wing will help matters greatly.

Broncos: 13+

Knights versus Storm
The world’s longest season continues for the embattled Newcastle club and this one could well be a record breaker for all the wrong reasons.

The Knights have however named arguably their strongest outfit of the season with Jarrod Mullen, Robbie Rochow and Mickey Paea back in the fold. There is genuine experience returning to the line up and their home form has been encouraging in 2016.

The Storm will be on a mission in this game, primarily Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk will be smarting from a spiteful last minute origin loss for Queensland – expect the pair of them to play like men possessed.

Tip: Storm 13+

Panthers versus Eels
The big question in this match is whether Matt Moylan will remain at fullback or transition to the front line following his successful five eighth debut in Origin 3.

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With Zak Hardaker now in the side they have a genuine top-class fullback alternative and with Bryce Cartwright struggling in the position, particularly defensively the time is right to make a move for the future.

The Eels horror season continues with their best player of 2016 – Corey Norman – now unavailable for this match following his off-field issues. Quite simply that means the Eels will struggle for both cohesion and points in this contest.

Tip: Panthers 1-12

Roosters versus Sharks
The Roosters have shown tremendous improvement in recent weeks pushing both the Dogs and the Eels to the final whistle. On paper this is a strong squad and the only real change is the inclusion of Ryan Matterson at five eighth at the expense of Jackson Hastings. Don’t be surprised if they give the Sharks a fright in this contest.

On the subject of the Sharks they are well placed to push their winning run to 14 consecutive matches. They have been in superb form, so much so that their last loss was way back in Round 3 against Manly.

For this game they welcome back their five strong Origin contingent and quite simply have too much attacking potency across the park to let the victory slip from their grasp.

Tip: Sharks 13+

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