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How good is it to have the footy back? Round 1 of the NRL season is done and dusted, with an upset of the highest order and some high-quality football played. Round 2 promises some interesting tussles and to help you work it out, this is The Roar‘s NRL expert tipping.
Round 1 is often anyone’s guess, and the variation across our experts will prove that as we went from a brilliant seven out of eight down to four while the crowd registered six in the first week of action.
The St George Illawarra Dragons surprised everyone in the biggest upset, knocking off the Penrith Panthers while the defending premiers lost the opening game of the season. The Melbourne Storm were clinical and Greg Inglis busted his knee, while Jesse Bromwich will also be out for a few weeks.
Johnathan Thurston and Gavin Cooper pulled off a Cowboys miracle, Jarryd Hayne went down to the Roosters and the Warriors struggled to beat Newcastle before the Eels got the better of Manly.
Round 2 promises some interesting matches that could bring with them upsets, but a Roosters versus Bulldogs match to get things underway should set the tone for an exciting weekend.
Melbourne make the trip to Auckland in a big match against the Warriors while the Broncos and Cowboys clash – and as fans, we are hoping for a repeat of everything from the last few seasons.
Other highlights will see Canberra clash with Cronulla in a battle of last year’s semi-final and the Dragons look to keep their good form going against Parramatta.
The final two Saturday games see four teams without a victory as the Knights face the Gold Coast and Manly welcome the Inglis-less Bunnies to Brookie – sorry – Lottoland.
Don’t forget that on the form below, you can put your own tips in on behalf of The Crowd. We will have the results at 5pm (AEDT), so be sure to have them in before then. Who knows, The Crowd might prove themselves to be better than the experts.
With Mary taking victory last week, she gets us underway for Round 2.
Tips: Roosters, Storm, Cowboys, Knights, Sea Eagles, Raiders, Tigers, Eels
Sydney Roosters vs Canterbury Bulldogs
Roosters. How impressive were they last week, running rings around the Titans on the way to scoring 32 points. I’m expecting them to do the same to the Bulldogs who were brave in defeat against the Storm.
New Zealand Warriors vs Melbourne Storm
Storm. A lot of people are talking about the Warriors – they looked good, but remember it was against last year’s wooden spooners. The Storm will test the Warriors and will be too strong.
Brisbane Broncos vs North Queensland Cowboys
Cowboys. Yeehaa! One of the matches of the round. The Cowboys versus Raiders game was epic last week and I’m predicting the Cowboys to continue their strong start to the season.
Newcastle Knights vs Gold Coast Titans
Knights. I’m tipping the upset here. The Knights were very unlucky to go down to the Warriors and they should bounce back this weekend.
Manly Sea Eagles vs South Sydney Rabbitohs
Sea Eagles. While I don’t think the Bunnies are completely cooked for the season, a win this week without GI and (probably) Adam Reynolds is a bit too much to ask.
Canberra Raiders vs Cronulla Sharks
Raiders. This week is the return of the Viking Clap and the return of the Raiders to the winner’s circle.
Wests Tigers vs Penrith Panthers
Tigers. I’m going to be bold and pick the Tigers here. The Panthers were awful last week and with plenty of off-field noise around them, I’m expecting another standout performance from Teddy Tedesco.
St George Illawarra Dragons vs Parramatta Eels
Eels. Who would have thought this would be another match of the round? The Dragons looked red-hot last week, but I don’t see them doing it two weeks in a row. Eels to get the win at WIN.
Tips: Roosters, Warriors, Broncos, Titans, Rabbitohs, Raiders, Tigers, Dragons
Sydney Roosters vs Canterbury Bulldogs
Roosters. The boys from Bondi look red-hot and while the Doggies could certainly give this game a shake, I think they’ll put on another display of structured attacking ruthlessness. How good does Latrell Mitchell look?
New Zealand Warriors vs Melbourne Storm
Warriors. The Warriors had just enough razzle-dazzle to beat a much improved Knights side last weekend, but they were far from convincing. They take playing against the Storm more seriously than most games and their erratic game style can really unsettle the purple machine. I reckon the Warriors might just win this with big Jesse being out.
Brisbane Broncos vs North Queensland Cowboys
Broncos. This should be a cracker. Both sides displayed great resilience in last week’s victories. I’m going Broncos because of the home ground advantage and the extra two days off.
Newcastle Knights vs Gold Coast Titans
Titans. The Gold Coast got stung against the Roosters and Jarryd Hayne will have a point to prove. The Knights could get up but I’m going Titans.
Manly Sea Eagles vs South Sydney Rabbitohs
Rabbitohs. Oh gee… who wins this? It’s a battle of the depleted sides but, I’ll go with the Souths to bounce back and get their first win of the season.
Canberra Raiders vs Cronulla Sharks
Raiders. The matches don’t get any easier. Whoever wins will do it by 12 or less. Tapine, Priest, Croker and Baptiste are big absentees. Ennis, Barba, Holmes are equivalently big. Both sides were very good in defeat last week and he Sharks have a great recent record in Canberra, but I’m going to go Raiders by a few.
Wests Tigers vs Penrith Panthers
Tigers. Can the Wests Tigers keep it up? Will the Panthers respond? Will Bryce Cartwright make a tackle? The blowtorch is on his belly right now but the Wests Tigers will continue the poor start for Penrith.
St George Illawarra Dragons vs Parramatta Eels
Dragons. Who was that side in white and red last week? I did not recognise them. Can they do it two weeks in a row? I don’t see why not, so Dragons to get up.
Tips: Roosters, Storm, Cowboys, Titans, Sea Eagles, Raiders, Panthers, Eels
Sydney Roosters vs Canterbury Bulldogs
Roosters. Loved the first half from the Roosters against the Titans. They’re already shaping up as major contenders and I can’t see the Bulldogs holding them for 80 minutes.
New Zealand Warriors vs Melbourne Storm
Storm. Don’t want to tip the Warriors or tip against them in this match. Same with the Storm, so I’ll go with the team that is proven when it comes to reliability and consistency.
Brisbane Broncos vs North Queensland Cowboys
Cowboys. Toughest game of the round to pick. The Broncos will be hard to beat at home, but I was bit more convinced by what the Cowboys did in Round 1 so going with the visitors.
Newcastle Knights vs Gold Coast Titans
Titans. It’s a danger game against a Knights side that really put in against the Warriors. I’m relying on the big names – Jarryd Hayne being the main one – playing for 80 minutes to make sure of it.
Manly Sea Eagles vs South Sydney Rabbitohs
Sea Eagles. If Adam Reynolds plays it will help the Rabbitohs go straighter, but I’m banking on Tom Trbojevic having a big impact for the Sea Eagles after the Eels kept him fairly quiet.
Canberra Raiders vs Cronulla Sharks
Raiders. The most impressive losers of the first round and better than several of the winners. They get Jack Wighton and Junior Paulo back and they’re at home. Confident about them.
Wests Tigers vs Penrith Panthers
Panthers. Tricky one. If you think the Panthers are contenders you’ve got to believe they can turn things around quickly from their shocker against the Dragons. I’ll stick with them.
St George Illawarra Dragons vs Parramatta Eels
Eels. Fascinating clash. Are the Dragons we saw against the Panthers the Dragons we’re going to see every week? I don’t know, and in the meantime I’m happy to stick with the Eels.
Tips: Roosters, Storm, Cowboys, Titans, Sea Eagles, Raiders, Tigers, Dragons
Sydney Roosters vs Canterbury Bulldogs
Roosters. The Bulldogs had a tough start to the season against the Storm, but their execution in the second half was horrendous – albeit in horrendous weather. The Roosters are in for a good season and will get the win here.
New Zealand Warriors vs Melbourne Storm
Storm. It’ll be a tough trip across the Tasman without Jesse Bromwich, but the Warriors will take a while to settle into their season – not something you want to do when playing Melbourne.
Brisbane Broncos vs North Queensland Cowboys
Cowboys. No wait, Broncos. Hang on, Cowboys. Yep, definitely Cowboys. Let’s just hope we get a cracker of a match like we have done for the last few seasons.
Newcastle Knights vs Gold Coast Titans
Titans. The Knights aren’t far away from getting their first victory, but the Titans have had a tough week off the field and will be looking forward to running up a score in the Hunter.
Manly Sea Eagles vs South Sydney Rabbitohs
Sea Eagles. The Rabbitohs are a mess and they aren’t going to win anytime soon without Adam Reynolds and Greg Inglis.
Canberra Raiders vs Cronulla Sharks
Raiders. This should be a highly entertaining game but the Sharks aren’t the same team they were last year so it’s difficult to see them pinching the win against the premiership favourites.
Wests Tigers vs Penrith Panthers
Tigers. The Panthers won’t play as badly as they did last week again this season, but they might be a few weeks away from hitting peak form – which is a worry because James Tedesco and Mitchell Moses could run up a score here.
St George Illawarra Dragons vs Parramatta Eels
Dragons. I tipped with my head last week and won’t be making the same mistake again. Enough said.
| Round 2 | Tim | Greg | Mary | Scott | The Crowd |
| ROO V BUL | ROO | ROO | ROO | ROO | ROO |
| WAR V STO | WAR | STO | STO | STO | STO |
| BRO V COW | BRO | COW | COW | COW | COW |
| KNI V TIT | TIT | TIT | KNI | TIT | TIT |
| SEA V RAB | RAB | SEA | SEA | SEA | SEA |
| RAI V SHA | RAI | RAI | RAI | RAI | RAI |
| TIG V PAN | TIG | PAN | TIG | TIG | TIG |
| DRA V EEL | DRA | EEL | EEL | DRA | EEL |
| Last week | 4 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 6 |
Now it’s your turn to try and beat the experts. Using the form below, select your tips for the weekend ahead and we will have the results at 5pm (AEDT) this afternoon.