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With the season proper all wrapped up we are now treated to a delicious finals series.
Home teams will certainly have the advantage in the opening week, and two teams are guaranteed to be exiting the competition.
Season tips total – 131/192, last week’s tips – 7/8
Broncos vs Titans
The last all Queensland finals derby was the 2015 grand final, and it was a cracker!
With a near-capacity crowd expected at Suncorp Stadium, the Titans face a daunting task.
Jarryd Hayne will need to produce some of his 2009 form for the Gold Coast to make it to week two of the finals. By the same token, Hayne is perhaps the biggest hindrance at the club right now.
Since he joined the side, the Titans seem to have lost a great deal of cohesion. He’s a tremendous player, but, something just isn’t clicking.
Anthony Milford is the key for the Broncos, if he fires, they will win.
Tip: Broncos 13+
Raiders vs Sharks
A shoe-in for the most entertaining match of the round.
The loser will live to fight another day but winning this game provides a golden pathway to the preliminary finals.
Canberra have strike weapons across the park. Huge forwards, huge backs and all of them with plenty of skill. Attempting to contain them is simply not an option.
If the Sharks are to claim an unlikely victory, they need to play some fast, fresh, ad-lib footy and bring players such as Ben Barba and Valentine Holmes into the game.
Tip: Raiders 1-12
Storm vs Cowboys
The Cowboys face the very real prospect of suffering three defeats to the Storm in 2016.
They were beaten by a solitary point in Round 8 at Suncorp Stadium before enduring a rare loss at 1300 Smiles Stadium in Round 21.
A trip to the NRL graveyard, AAMI Park, is a nightmare proposition.
It is imperative that the Cowboys chance their arm in this fixture in an attempt to put the Storm off their game plan which consists of tight structure and miserly defence.
The best way to do that is for Johnathan Thurston to feed his backline early ball on the back of Jason Taumalolo cracking holes in the Storm’s line akin to the egg shells he is so fond of. Couldn’t resist.
Tip: Storm 1-12
Panthers vs Dogs
This finals fixture presents perhaps the biggest contrast in team styles.
Penrith play a creative brand a football, with offloads and expansive ball moment key features of their game.
The Dogs’ fortunes are very much dictated by the performance of their pack. If they can’t dominate their opposition forwards, the Dogs simply can’t win as they lack explosive backs who can break the game wide open.
The return of Sam Kasiano will aid the Dogs immensely but Penrith are in red hot form.
Tip: Panthers 1-12
What do you think Roarers? Let me know your predictions in the comments!
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