And then there was one. Five rounds into the NRL season and we have a single undefeated team left, and it’s been a big week off the field as well. Welcome to The Roar‘s NRL expert tipping for Round 6.
While the competition continues to be a close fought one on the field, this week’s focus is off it.
The struggling Wests Tigers, who lost again to the St George Illawarra Dragons on the weekend have signed Ivan Cleary, effective immediately while the Canterbury Bulldogs put an end to the speculation and rumours, re-signing Des Hasler.
And that was all before Monday was over!
Tuesday brought us more news, with Melbourne’s star half Cooper Cronk announcing 2017 would be his last in the south, with a move to Sydney next season.
The Penrith Panthers then announced Matt Moylan, Waqa Blake and Peta Hiku would be missing from this week’s game against the Rabbitohs for ‘breaking team protocol’.
Wednesday told us Luke Brooks is about to re-sign with the Tigers, while at the same club Mitchell Moses has reportedly asked for a release.
Back on the field and there were upsets galore to kick-off Round 5 with the Bulldogs beating the Broncos and the Sea Eagles getting the better of the Roosters in a thriller.
Order was maintained for the rest of the weekend with Kieran Foran returning, leading the Warriors to victory over the Titans being the other big moment.
Round 6 kicks off with a big match between the Broncos and Roosters with both teams desperate for a win, before the Knights and Bulldogs face off in a game that could either put you to sleep or be a display of two desperate and gritty footy teams.
Other highlights will see the competition’s two surprise packets in the Sea Eagles and Dragons go head-to-head at Brookvale – sorry, Lottoland – while Kieran Foran will play his first game against Parramatta on Sunday. It wraps up with the grand final re-match on Sunday between Melbourne and Cronulla.
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.
Tips: Broncos, Bulldogs, Rabbitohs, Sea Eagles, Raiders, Cowboys, Warriors, Storm
Brisbane Broncos vs Sydney Roosters
Broncos. The Roosters lost their first game of the season last week and will lose again on the road here.
Newcastle Knights vs Canterbury Bulldogs
Bulldogs. Lots of players appear to be suddenly worried about their futures at Belmore, so they could claim a huge win over the Knights. Might get a bit ugly.
Penrith Panthers vs South Sydney Rabbitohs
Rabbitohs. South Sydney are going to love taking on an injury and discipline depleted Panthers side… Seriously Matt Moylan? You’re supposed to be the skipper. Should be close, but Souths to take the two points.
Manly Sea Eagles vs St George Illawarra Dragons
Sea Eagles. Gee the Dragons have made me look like a fool this season. At Brookvale though, it’s tough to tip against an in-form Manly side.
Gold Coast Titans vs Canberra Raiders
Raiders. The Titans have been really unlucky this year. They’ve played excellent footy most games but have been cursed by injury. The Raiders may be improving and they have so much strike power so if they hold the ball, it’s the Raiders to win narrowly.
North Queensland Cowboys vs Wests Tigers
Cowboys. North Queensland will win at home, but the Wests Tigers will have some fight with Ivan Cleary at the helm ensuring this one isn’t a blowout.
New Zealand Warriors vs Parramatta Eels
Warriors. And easily as well. Kieran Foran may be the glue the dysfunctional Warriors need to focus and perform. He sure was last week.
Melbourne Storm vs Cronulla Sharks
Storm. Melbourne will win at home in a tough, no quarter given stoush.
Tips: Roosters, Bulldogs, Rabbitohs, Sea Eagles, Raiders, Cowboys, Eels, Storm
Brisbane Broncos vs Sydney Roosters
Roosters. This tip is fraught with danger because the Broncos are going back home after a loss, but they haven’t had many points in them recently. The Roosters have just got to make sure they push the envelope a bit.
Newcastle Knights vs Canterbury Bulldogs
Bulldogs. Tricky one. The Bulldogs are coming off a determined win in splish-splash conditions against the Broncos, but there’s no guarantee it wasn’t a one-off. The Knights are a threat at home, but I just can’t tip them.
Penrith Panthers vs South Sydney Rabbitohs
Rabbitohs. Huge call by Panthers coach Anthony Griffin to drop Matt Moylan, among others, for disciplinary reasons. Moylan is super-important to them. I’ve got no wrap on the Rabbitohs, but they may just sneak this one.
Manly Sea Eagles vs St George Illawarra Dragons
Sea Eagles. Three straight wins over the Cowboys, Bulldogs and Roosters is form comparable to anything in the NRL right now. The Dragons are showing plenty of life themselves, but I’ve got to go with the Sea Eagles at home.
Gold Coast Titans vs Canberra Raiders
Raiders. Canberra are taking time to find themselves this season, but they’re at the stage now where they’re ready to put back-to-back wins together for the first time. The Titans can’t go for anything close to 80 minutes.
North Queensland Cowboys vs Wests Tigers
Cowboys. They’re a weird mob, the Tigers. When they went in against the Dragons last weekend they must have known Ivan Cleary was close to being named coach, so where was the desire to impress him?
New Zealand Warriors vs Parramatta Eels
Eels. They’re better than their three straight losses suggest and they get a decent chance to show that against a Warriors outfit that drifts in and out of games. Corey Norman is overdue a blinder. Maybe it’ll come here.
Melbourne Storm vs Cronulla Sharks
Storm. The Sharks are capable of winning this, but I got my hands burnt tipping the Panthers in Melbourne last week and I’m not ready to take the risk of tipping a visiting team down there again – whoever they might be.
Tips: Broncos, Knights, Panthers, Sea Eagles, Raiders, Cowboys, Eels, Storm
Brisbane Broncos vs Sydney Roosters
Broncos. I’m really looking forward to this game. Although the Roosters should bounce back after last weekend, the Broncos had a tough start to the season and will want to start turning that around. The Roosters could also be missing Dylan Napa.
Newcastle Knights vs Canterbury Bulldogs
Knights. I love to tip an upset (generally to my detriment). The Knights bounced back strongly last weekend against the Sharks and in front of a Newcastle home crowd, anything is possible.
Penrith Panthers vs South Sydney Rabbitohs
Panthers. The Panthers have been disappointing, but not as disappointing as the Rabbitohs. There aren’t many teams I can see the Bunnies beating in the comp at the moment, so Penrith should win by plenty.
Manly Sea Eagles vs St George Illawarra Dragons
Sea Eagles. Who would have picked this to be one of the games of the round 4 weeks ago? The Dragons will be missing Josh Dugan for this game and I just feel like they are due for a loss.
Gold Coast Titans vs Canberra Raiders
Raiders. My prediction for this game is that the Titans will be brave – just not brave enough to beat the in-form Raiders.
North Queensland Cowboys vs Wests Tigers
Cowboys. The only question is, by how many?
New Zealand Warriors vs Parramatta Eels
Eels. I’m tipping the Eels here, just because the thought of losing 4 on the trot frightens me. The Warriors will be tough to beat if they play like they did in the second half last week. The Warriors can always be depended on for inconsistency, so I’m backing the Eels.
Melbourne Storm vs Cronulla Sharks
The Sharks were very disappointing against the Knights last week and I don’t see them being able to compete with the competitions best side at the moment.
Tips: Roosters, Knights, Rabbitohs, Dragons, Raiders, Cowboys, Eels, Storm
Brisbane Broncos vs Sydney Roosters
Roosters. This is an important game. Both need the win for their own separate reasons, but I just don’t think the Broncos have enough points in them to challenge a Roosters side who only lost their first match last weekend.
Newcastle Knights vs Canterbury Bulldogs
Knights. The Bulldogs might have picked up a win against the Broncos last week, but the Knights are fighting hard and if they can get a good start, they will go on to pick up the win after a spirited effort against Cronulla.
Penrith Panthers vs South Sydney Rabbitohs
Rabbitohs. Just stop and think about this for a moment. No Matt Moylan, Waqa Blake, Peta Hiku, Bryce Cartwright or Tyrone Peachey. That’s a lot of talent to have out and while the Rabbitohs are under strength as well, so this is a risk, but I’m going to tip Souths.
Manly Sea Eagles vs St George Illawarra Dragons
Dragons. I backed Manly last week, but not this time around. Dragons at Brookvale without Josh Dugan – seems daunting right? Their forwards have been the catalyst behind the form that sees them in second place and holding the best-attacking record in the competition though, so I’ll go with my heart and back them.
Gold Coast Titans vs Canberra Raiders
Raiders. If the Raiders are going to be premiership contenders, then they can’t afford to lose here. I feel sorry for the Titans, because they are a pleasure to watch – they just fight and fight and fight. There is a never say die attitude in them, but the Raiders should have too much in attack here.
North Queensland Cowboys vs Wests Tigers
Cowboys. I’m not even sure this one needs explaining. The Cowboys are looking solid and with both JT’s on the park, they could rack up a cricket score against a Tigers side who have looked woeful at best.
New Zealand Warriors vs Parramatta Eels
Eels. The Warriors won a game, but it came on the back of a last-minute try against an injury-ravaged Titans. While Kieran Foran was good in his return, they are still unconvincing and the Eels, who have been up and down should leave Auckland with two competition points.
Melbourne Storm vs Cronulla Sharks
Storm. Tough game to pick this – the Storm are due for their first loss of the season, but they haven’t shown any sign of weakness yet, where as Cronulla almost let Newcastle come from behind and beat them last week. Hard to tip against the Storm at home.
| Round 6 | Tim | Greg | Mary | Scott | The Crowd |
| BRO V ROO | BRO | ROO | BRO | ROO | BRO |
| KNI V BUL | BUL | BUL | KNI | KNI | BUL |
| PAN V RAB | RAB | RAB | PAN | RAB | RAB |
| SEA V DRA | SEA | SEA | SEA | DRA | SEA |
| TIT V RAI | RAI | RAI | RAI | RAI | RAI |
| COW V TIG | COW | COW | COW | COW | COW |
| WAR V EEL | WAR | EEL | EEL | EEL | WAR |
| STO V SHA | STO | STO | STO | STO | STO |
| Last week | 5 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 6 |
| Total | 19 | 26 | 24 | 22 | 27 |
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 4pm (AEDT) this afternoon.
Scott Pryde
Expert
THE RESULTS ARE IN! Probably the closest round so far, with three games under the 60% mark. Broncos (57.4%) Bulldogs (72.8%) Rabbitohs (58.3%) Sea Eagles (80.9 %) Raiders (91.9%) Cowboys (96.2%) Warriors (57.4%) Storm (88.1%)
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Guest
I have sneaky feeling that the Panthers will get up against the Rabbitohs. Haven't been convinced at all by Souths this season and I think the dropping of 3 important players by the Panthers for disciplinary reasons might send the right message to the rest of the team
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Guest
If I was in a tipping comp I'd be putting in The Crowd's tips - looking pretty good at the moment in top position and I think they finished second last year
Glenn
Guest
Really the Knights should have won that, it was only the Knight's winger hoping the ball went out when a Sharkie slipped under him and grounded ball. Hope coach has dropped him for that mistake.
steveng
Roar Rookie
MAX, Reno has to, last weeks effort was very ordinary and if he wants his SOO spot then he has to pull allot of exceptional tricks out of his rabbit hat. This game will be closer than everybody thinks as the Rabbitohs are a very hot and cold side. In 2017 and so far, they haven't continued on like they played from round 23 in the 2016 comp, when they just missed out on beating the Storm and convincingly beat the Warriors, Sharks, Knights and the Bulldogs. For some reason none of the players have that mongrel in them (like other good sides do) or give it an 80min go, they looked lost last week against the Cowboys. Hopefully, this game is a resurrection (as the panthers have a few missing) for the Rabbits to start having a real go and be competitive in the 2017 comp.
Zedman
Roar Rookie
A few years ago Gus said every team loses at least one game in the first six rounds so the Sharks are specials. Broncs---Milfs time to shine. Dogs-----Klemmer and Reynolds will lead. Panthers-----Home ground. Dragons-----First of the tough games. Raiders-----Too much of everything. Cows-----Tigers morale has to be shot. Warriors-----Eels are struggling a bit for mine. Sharks-----Gus said. The Cowboys are the only certainity for mine.
Joe
Roar Rookie
I've got all those except I think the Eels will get over the Warriors. The Eels haven't been too bad even in their losses and Warriors only wins are over the Knights and a injury ravaged Titans in the final minutes. I think the Eels will get their round 1 and 2 mojo back and beat a much improved Warriors. Roosters, Manly and Storm are 50/50 and I wouldn't be surprised if the other team won especially Broncos at home with their defence. I went Roosters because I think James Roberts defensive frailties are going to be exposed by the red hot left side combo of the Roosters.
Con Scortis
Roar Guru
Sometimes Farah is "missing" even when he's on the ground.
Tim Gore
Expert
MAX picks and sticks Scott. He is on Team Pork as I am on Team MAX. This is the weekend the comeback starts!
The Barry
Roar Guru
Sounds like you're making excuses already? GI's a big loss but Souths are getting used to life without him. Gray's good but has he even played this season? Hunt's ordinary and the longer Cook plays the better. Panthers have McKendry, Cartwright, Peachey, Fisher-Harris, Mansour, Moylan, Blake, Hiku out. All top 17 players at full strength. There'll never be a better time to play the Panthers.
Penrith Punter
Roar Guru
I also really like Parramatta this week. I have in no way been convinced by the Warriors. 2 last minute victories over the struggling Knights and injury-ravaged Titans do them no favours in that regard. Also the fact they are yet to concede under 22 points makes me really worry for them in the long term. No way you make the Top 8 if you keep that up.
Penrith Punter
Roar Guru
Penrith are missing 8 first graders. So it is certainly not an even contest in that regards. And 4 of those players are missing for the first time this week, so that makes it even tougher with combinations to gel. Granted people have forgotten Souths' injuries but they are no where near as bad as who Penrith are missing this week.
kk
Roar Pro
I reckon Adam will give the back three of Penrith a night to remember and thank that other Panther trio for making it so.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Thanks for that Max! You really want to tip with Tim? Well, be my guest. He is having a wonderful season. Five games with 'no worries' this round... That's a sign of confidence if i've ever seen one.
bearfax
Guest
Roosters, Bulldogs, Panthers, Sea Eagles, Raiders, Cowboys, Warriors and Storm. Roosters will be seething at losing last week. They'll come out fighting. Bulldogs are on their way back. Penrith have had a slow start but that team is full of potential stars. Sea Eagles will be wanting to create a fortress again at Brookie, Raiders have started slow but look the goods. Cowboys will romp home, but they arent playing as well as I expected. Warriors at home with that half combination suggests a rise up the ladder to me. Storm will win at home, but I think the Sharks will test them.
kk
Roar Pro
No Worries Canterbury, Manly, Raiders, Cowboys, Storm Some Concern Warriors. Foran Factor and HGA should see them fall in. Really Tough Souths. Scored 13675/13500 indicating a close one. Adam Reynolds will star. If ever the Panthers needed Josh Mansour !!! Broncos. Scored 14225/14175. Remember to breath. Who recovered best? No Napa! This is one game the emotionally drained Broncos fans will get over the line by engaging in the power of prayer. When I crossed checked with the Experts postings and list I advised Mrs MAX that our selections were exactly the same as the respected analyst Tim Gore. She replied "That's good . Tim needs an 8 from 8" Scott, many thanks for your weekly round up.
3_Hats SSTID 2014
Roar Rookie
The Rabbitohs have 4 out also mate. Our fullback, GI Both of our centres, Gray and Hunt I don't expect Farah to play on Friday! ALL in all an even contest as far as players missing.
Alex Green
Roar Guru
Agree, might even change to Storm close to kick off haha.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Haha, I don't mind Thursday Night Footy honestly.
Scott Pryde
Expert
It's damn hard to tip against Melbourne given how clinical they have been though Alex.