2014 NRL season: Round 21 preview

With six rounds remaining before the finals, each match in Round 21 will prove crucial to your team’s chances of either making the final eight or avoiding the wooden spoon.

There are a number of teams on the cusp of the top eight, with each team between 7th (Cowboys) and 12th (Eels) all with nine wins and nine losses for the season.

This is where percentage will come into play – and those with their for-and-against in the red will have to make it up if they are to remain in contention for the finals.

This includes last year’s bottom three – the Dragons, Wests Tigers and Eels. All three teams have shown vast improvement from twelve months ago but their poor percentage will count against them as they chase a finals berth.

Here is the full round in preview.

Sea Eagles versus Broncos
The ladder-leading Sea Eagles have had it tough off the field in recent weeks, with a number of senior players wanting out of the club, but it hasn’t had any effect on the field.

They were impressive in defeating the New Zealand Warriors across the ditch, in the process skipping four premiership points clear of the second-placed South Sydney Rabbitohs in the battle for the minor premiership.

This Friday night, to kick off the round, they face a Brisbane Broncos side which have been inconsistent all season and are fighting to return to September this year after missing the finals for only the second time since 1991 last season.

The Broncos thrashed the Sea Eagles 36-10 at Suncorp Stadium when they met in Round 12, a performance that should inspire them as they look for their first victory at Brookvale Oval since 2010.

Prediction: Sea Eagles by 16

Bulldogs versus Panthers
The match of the round pits not only two top-four teams, but also two serious premiership contenders.

Well, the Panthers were premiership contenders until Peter Wallace suffered a season-ending injury against the Sharks in Bathurst last weekend, seeing their premiership odds balloon out to more than $20.

That will conspire against them as they face a desperate Bulldogs side hoping to put behind two disappointing losses to the Tigers and Cowboys behind them.

Expect both teams to go at each other in this finals rehearsal.

Prediction: Bulldogs by 20 points.

Sharks versus Eels
After four straight losses, Parramatta appeared to resurrect their fading finals hopes by defeating the Titans on the Gold Coast last weekend, but they need continue this momentum.

The Sharks currently sit last on the ladder on percentage but despite their troubles this year you can never count them out. The club has won three of their last five matches, including upsetting the Panthers in Bathurst last weekend.

A win for the Sharks will see them increase their chances of avoiding their first piece of woodwork since 1969, while a win for the Eels will keep their finals hopes alive.

Prediction: Eels by 18 points.

Cowboys versus Titans
After two consecutive successful weeks away from home, defeating the Sharks and Bulldogs in Sydney, the Cowboys return home to face a Titans side in crisis.

Those two consecutive victories see the Cowboys enter the eight for the first time since Round 10. By contrast, the Titans have slipped to 13th after leading the competition at Round 6, winning six of their first eight games.

Their fall down the ladder has been attributed to a long injury toll, which, despite its seriousness, has not been used as an excuse for their poor season. It has also been reported that a review of the entire club’s operations could cost John Cartwright his job at season’s end.

Against the Cowboys, who are well placed to contend for a finals berth, there will be no mercy.

Prediction: Cowboys by 20 points.

Roosters versus Dragons
The Sydney Roosters’ premiership defence took another turn for the worse when two disallowed first-half tries went against them in a narrow loss to the Newcastle Knights last Friday night.

That, and a collapse from a seemingly unlosable position against the Sharks in Round 17, could potentially cost them the double chance in September.

Since taking over from the sacked Steve Price two months ago, Paul McGregor has led the Red V to five wins out of their last seven matches, keeping them in the finals race. They still have to make up their negative for-and-against, and hope their other finals contenders stumble.

Prediction: Roosters by 6 points.

Raiders versus Warriors
The Canberra Raiders have suffered a disappointing first season under Ricky Stuart and will miss the finals in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1985-86. They are also fighting to avoid their first wooden spoon since their inaugural season in 1982.

This Sunday they welcome the New Zealand Warriors to the nation’s capital, where the Kiwis haven’t won since 2001.

The Warriors, by contrast, have improved remarkably since Andrew McFadden took over from Matthew Elliott after Round 5, such that the club appointed him head coach until 2017.

The club has won seven of their last eleven matches to storm into finals contention, but their first back-to-back losses since Round 7 see them ninth on the ladder.

To keep their chances of featuring in September alive, they will have to buck that aforementioned hoodoo, and playing in conditions similar to what they are regularly accustomed to at home will help.

Still, I believe in hoodoos, and the Raiders should lift for this one.

Prediction: Raiders by 6 points.

Rabbitohs versus Knights
The South Sydney Rabbitohs have put two disappointing losses to the Titans and Cowboys behind them with away victories over the Eels and Raiders. Currently sitting second on the ladder, the club can go a long way towards securing a coveted top-two finish, and two finals at ANZ Stadium, with a victory over the Newcastle Knights.

The major obstacle, however, is that this game has been sold to Barlow Park in Cairns, which will mark the fourth (and final) time this season the Bunnies will travel to Queensland.

The Knights enter this match on a high after stunning defending premiers the Sydney Roosters at home last week, and will also be keen to ensure they finish off the Wayne Bennett era on a high.

However, the Knights should find the Rabbitohs way too good.

Prediction: Rabbitohs by 12 points.

Tigers versus Storm
After the abysmal effort against the Dragons last weekend, the odds of Mick Potter remaining at the Wests Tigers beyond this season are ballooning out.

That, and the continuing feud between the coach and Robbie Farah in the aftermath of the defeat is taking the focus off the club’s aim to reach the finals, which they must do if Potter is to remain at the club.

Their task won’t get any easier when they welcome the Melbourne Storm to Campbelltown Stadium to wrap up Round 21.

Any fears about the Storm’s decline as a premiership force have been exaggerated, but the risk remains that they could miss the finals (apart from 2010, when they were forced to play for nothing after breaching the salary cap) for the first time since 2002.

A win for Craig Bellamy’s men will go a long way towards them securing their place in September. A top-four finish is still achievable, but they would have to win all six of their remaining matches to keep those hopes alive.

Prediction: Storm by 12 points.