The Wests Tigers will look for consecutive wins for the first time this season when they clash with the Parramatta Eels in their traditional Easter Monday battle at the Olympic Stadium.
Canberra Raiders versus New Zealand Warriors
Saturday, 15 April
Kick-off: 5:30pm at GIO Stadium
The Raiders and Warriors are both coming off last start wins and will be looking to build momentum in this Easter Saturday clash in Canberra. The Raiders took care of business against the undermanned Titans last week with an offensive masterclass.
Click here to see the rest of Nick’s predictions.
The Warriors appear to be buoyed by the inclusion of Kieran Foran and will look to make it three wins on the trot when they travel to Canberra. The nation’s capital has not been a happy hunting ground for the Warriors and if history is any indication, the Raiders should be able to come away with the two points in this clash.
Both sides make no changes for this clash. This game will be won by the team that is able to apply their defensive pressure the best in my eyes. The Warriors have the advantage in the halves, but the combination of Joseph Leilua and Jordan Rapana is the best centre-wing duo in the league.
The Warriors will be gallant in this clash, but they haven’t faced a team of the likes of Canberra away from home yet this season. Prediction: Canberra by 12.
St George Illawarra Dragons versus North Queensland Cowboys
Saturday, 15 April
Kick-off: 7:30pm at WIN Stadium
The top-of-the-table Dragons host the Cowboys in the final game on Easter Saturday. The fact that I have actually typed out ‘the top-of-the-table Dragons’ is baffling me and almost every single NRL pundit.
Even the most diehard Dragons fans wouldn’t have forecasted this 5-0 start to the season. The Dragons are unchanged from the side which soundly defeated the Sea Eagles last weekend.
The same cannot be said for the Cowboys. They have lost their playmaker Johnathan Thurston as well as Shaun Fensom and fullback Lachlan Coote. Ben Hampton moves into the 7 jersey with Blake Leary at hooker. Justin O’Neill returns for the beleaguered Cowboys, with Kalyn Ponga at fullback.
The Cowboys record with Thurston is alarming, but coupled with the loss of Coote and an untried combination of players in the 1, 6, 7 and 9 positions, it is difficult to see the Cowboys being able to defeat the rock solid Dragons in Wollongong. Prediction: Dragons by 8.
Penrith Panthers versus Cronulla Sharks
Sunday, 16 April
Kick-off: 4:00pm at Pepper Stadium
The Penrith Panthers have been disappointing thus far in 2017. Touted as pre-season premiership favourites, they have fallen well short of that mark. Last weekend saw the suspension of three players for an off-field indiscretion and the team felt the impact of that on the field as they fell to South Sydney.
The Cronulla Sharks on the other hand went down to AAMI Park where they had yet to record a victory and grinded out a gritty 11-2 victory over the previously undefeated Storm.
The Panthers make a number of changes for this clash, welcoming back Matt Moylan, Waqa Blake and Peta Hiku. The Sharks have lost recent signing James Segeyaro to a broken arm, with Kurt Capewell coming into the 17.
The Panthers have been patchy at best this season. Their best victory came against the bottom of the table Newcastle Knights. The news of Jack Bird signing for the Broncos from next season might free the young centre from any distraction he may have been feeling towards his contract situation.
The Panthers are yet to string a solid 80 minutes together outside of their thrashing of the Knights. The Sharks are going to be too experienced in the key moments for this young Panthers crew. Prediction: Cronulla to get the chocolates by 6.
Parramatta Eels versus Wests Tigers
Monday, 17 April
Kick-off: 4:00pm at ANZ Stadium
Since their 2-0 start to the season, the Parramatta Eels have struggled mightily. They had ample opportunities last weekend to keep their match with the Warriors close and failed to convert.
The Wests Tigers sprung the biggest surprise of the season last round, beating the Cowboys in Townsville. The Tigers led from start to finish and never truly looked like losing in the second half.
Tepai Moeroa returns to the starting line-up for Frank Pritchard, with Daniel Alvaro joining the bench for the Eels. For the Tigers, they have named an unchanged line-up.
The Eels are sliding and the Tigers will look at this as a perfect opportunity to strike back-to-back wins in 2017.
The Tigers have an admirable forward pack to challenge the Eels and will have to curtail Corey Norman if they are a chance of winning on Monday afternoon. On the back of a big game from James Tedesco, I get the feeling the Tigers will snare a win as underdogs on Easter Monday.
The Eels aren’t as potent in attack and that will cost them in this contest. Prediction: Wests Tigers by 4.
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
What is the point of rugby league? To win, or to not lose? It’s philosophical question as good as any in the game. Since…
The St George Illawarra revival is now prompting a question that was on nobody’s radar heading into the 2024 season - can the Dragons…
Zac Lomax has added further to his Origin case with another strong performance in the Dragons' stunning 30-12 boilover win over the Warriors in…
Who are the hardest working big men in the NRL?
Over the last two weeks while I’ve been watching the footy I’ve been reminded of the career of Nick Kyrgios. He is an incredibly…
For someone who insists he’s a centre, Zac Lomax is a top-quality winger. He is set to cost himself hundreds of thousands of dollars…
