The Roar's NRL expert tips and predictions: Round 22

Well, wasn’t last week fun? The less said about results, probably the better. Round 22 has a few crucial matches as we head towards the finals though, and The Roar‘s NRL expert tipping panel are here to tell you all about them.

Round 21 was full of surprises. It mightn’t have looked that difficult on the surface, but after the first two matches – which saw Penrith and Cronulla win – it was anything but to the script.

Parramatta beat Brisbane, the Knights won only their third match of the season, the Tigers kept the wooden spoon at bay and the Raiders put on a show against South Sydney.

The Roosters and Storm were the other teams to pick up a victory, with Greg leading all tippers on four. The Crowd, Mary and myself had three for the week and ah – Tim had his second doughnut of the season.

In the grand scheme of things though, the experts are running out of time to catch The Crowd. Greg is leading the charge on 97, still five behind The Crowd on 102. Mary and myself are tied on 90, while Tim is looking destined for the spoon on 83 after winning two years in a row.

The Bulldogs, with their non-existent attack open Round 22 against out of nowhere top four dark horses the Eels, before retro round heads to the SCG – at 6pm on a Friday for the Dragons and the Rabbitohs. Just let that sink in.

Sydney Cricket Ground for NRL at 6pm on a Friday night? Seriously? Brains at NRL HQ? Anywhere? Nope? Okay, moving on.

The Cowboys then host the Storm in a blockbuster, before the Knights host the Warriors in a not-so-blockbuster. The South East Queensland derby between the Titans and Broncos on a Saturday night also breaks tradition while the Sharks and the Raiders face off in a match that will probably sink the green machine’s season – finally.

Sunday afternoon – or when the Dragons and Rabbitohs should be playing – has Manly facing the Roosters in a game that will be making the silver tails a little bit more than nervous as the Dragons and Panthers slowly catch them on the ladder before Penrith take on the Tigers, with the men from the foot of the mountains desperate.

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 (AEST), so be sure to have them in before then. Who knows, The Crowd might prove themselves to be better than the experts.

It’s Mary to lead us off this week.

Mary Konstantopoulos

Tips: Eels, Dragons, Storm, Knights, Broncos, Sharks, Roosters, Panthers

Canterbury Bulldogs vs Parramatta Eels
Eels. I’m tipping the Eels, but only just. While the Eels may have been the better team against the Broncos, they tend to struggle against teams below them on the ladder. The Eels only managed to beat the Bulldogs by one last time these two teams met and I’m expecting another tight contest. The only thing that gives me confidence is how dismal the Bulldogs attack has been in recent weeks.

St George Illawarra Dragons vs South Sydney Rabbitohs
Dragons. We’ve been speaking in recent weeks about teams fighting to keep their top 8 hopes alive. This week, my focus is squarely on the Dragons. After a disappointing loss to the Knights on the weekend, this really is a must win game. And let’s be honest, if the Dragons can’t beat the Bunnies (with an injured Crichton and Burgess) they don’t really deserve to be playing finals anyway.

(AAP Image/Darren Pateman)

North Queensland Cowboys vs Melbourne Storm
Storm. The Cowboys are good, but the Storm are better and didn’t they put on a masterclass against the Sea Eagles last week. I don’t see anyone beating the Storm this year and the Cowboys are no different this weekend.

Newcastle Knights vs New Zealand Warriors
Knights. Call me crazy, but I’m tipping the Knights for a double this weekend. The Warriors are really struggling without Shaun Johnson and as we know they also struggle away from home. Tip for the Knights (because I have an interest in getting my tips right) – kick the ball to Ken Maumalo…

Gold Coast Titans vs Brisbane Broncos
Broncos. If the Titans play the way they did against the Tigers this could get ugly and get ugly really quickly. The Broncos will be disappointed with a loss against the Eels and will look to bounce back this week. McCullough is a huge loss, but Ben Hunt has plenty of experience in the hooker role so I’m not too concerned.

Cronulla Sharks vs Canberra Raiders
Sharks. This could be a danger game for the Sharks because the Raiders season is on life support. But we all know the Sharks haven’t been playing their best football. Could this be the week that the Sharks step up a gear? If so, watch out Raiders.

Manly Sea Eagles vs Sydney Roosters
Roosters. The Sea Eagles are in trouble and if results go against them this weekend, they could fall out of the eight. It’s a tough run home for the Sea Eagles who have had over 90 points put on them in the last 2 weeks. The Roosters have been in fine form and I expect them to get the win this weekend.

Penrith Panthers vs Wests Tigers
Panthers. I expect Penrith to get the job done here, but it won’t be pretty. For a team looking to make the eight, they need to up their game should they want to make any impact on the finals at all.

Greg Prichard

Tips: Eels, Dragons, Storm, Knights, Broncos, Sharks, Roosters, Panthers

Canterbury Bulldogs vs Parramatta Eels
Eels. They’re on a roll, while the Bulldogs keep getting rolled. The Bulldogs could well lift because this is traditionally a fierce rivalry, but at the end of the day they’ve hardly got any points in them.

St George Illawarra Dragons vs South Sydney Rabbitohs
Dragons. Hard to trust either team, but at least the Dragons have still got something to play for in terms of the finals. The Rabbitohs will lose interest if the Dragons start fast and get on top.

North Queensland Cowboys vs Melbourne Storm
Storm. Tricky one, because the Cowboys will rev up at home in a bid to stay in the race for a top-four spot, but with Cameron Smith right on top of his game it’s hard to tip against the Storm.

Newcastle Knights vs New Zealand Warriors
Knights. It’s always hard to predict what the Warriors will do, but no-one is picking up the slack with Shaun Johnson out. The Knights are at least having a go and they’ll push hard for a win at home.

Gold Coast Titans vs Brisbane Broncos
Broncos. The worry is the Titans might pull a big game out of their backsides against their southern Queensland rivals, but they were awful against the Tigers last week. How could you tip them?

(AAP Image/Dave Hunt)

Cronulla Sharks vs Canberra Raiders
Sharks. They’ll be much harder to beat for the Raiders than the hapless Rabbitohs were last week. The Sharks just need to be disciplined and patient, because the Raiders will make mistakes.

Manly Sea Eagles vs Sydney Roosters
Roosters. The Sea Eagles have been clobbered in each of their last two games and will likely produce a rearguard action at home, but they still might not improve enough to beat the Roosters.

Penrith Panthers vs Wests Tigers
Panthers. Potential banana-skin game for them if they don’t begin well, but surely they will. Opportunity for them to play finals if they keep winning, while the Tigers are well out of the running.

Tim Gore

Tips: Bulldogs, Dragons, Storm, Knights, Broncos, Sharks, Roosters, Panthers

Canterbury Bulldogs vs Parramatta Eels
Bulldogs. Why? Because they’ve gotta win one eventually – they really do. And Parramatta got out of jail last week.

(AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)

St George Illawarra Dragons vs South Sydney Rabbitohs
Dragons. Good lord the Rabbitohs were poor last week and the Dragons will be steaming after that tough loss in Newcastle.

North Queensland Cowboys vs Melbourne Storm
Storm. Hard not to tip them right now. I’m not sure how they can be beat.

Newcastle Knights vs New Zealand Warriors
Knights. The Warriors are appalling and I can’t quite believe I tipped them last week against Cronulla. I’m an idiot.

Gold Coast Titans vs Brisbane Broncos
Broncos. The Titans were dreadful last week and now have nothing to play for. The Broncos, on the other hand – well, they do.

Cronulla Sharks vs Canberra Raiders
Sharks. If I tip the Raiders they’ll lose. So, with that being said, I’m tipping the Sharks. Carn the Green Machine!

Manly Sea Eagles vs Sydney Roosters
Roosters. Manly have dropped their bundle and I’m not sure they know where it is. They’ve conceded 92 points in two weeks. They’ll improve but not enough.

Penrith Panthers vs Wests Tigers
Panthers. Ivan will really want to beat his old club, but his son is too good.

Scott Pryde

Tips: Eels, Dragons, Storm, Knights, Broncos, Sharks, Sea Eagles, Panthers

Canterbury Bulldogs vs Parramatta Eels
Eels. I’ve got Parramatta sneaking into the top four with a soft run home, so this is a must-win contest if that’s going to happen. Of course, the Bulldogs attack by this point is about ready to show up on the History Channel, so it’s a pretty safe tip if you ask me.

St George Illawarra Dragons vs South Sydney Rabbitohs
Dragons. Last week was painful. The Dragons lost to the Knights – but they won’t lose to the Rabbitohs. They’ll probably get the easy end of the referee stick after Paul McGregor’s outburst – not that they should need them against a struggling Souths outfit.

North Queensland Cowboys vs Melbourne Storm
Storm. I’m torn about this game, which should be a ripper. The Cowboys have been playing well without Johnathan Thurston, but it might finally catch up with them against the world-beating Storm.

Newcastle Knights vs New Zealand Warriors
Knights. I’m not tipping the Warriors again this season, and if they win four straight, good on them. But I won’t tip them. Newcastle to win two straight for the first time in forever? I had to check – since Round 24, 2015. So, that’s 45 games of football.

Gold Coast Titans vs Brisbane Broncos
Broncos. If Jarryd Hayne plays well, I can see the Titans getting up – but with nothing to play for apart from state bragging rights, that’s a damn big if. Ashley Taylor’s form has been good as well, but the Broncos halves are rolling and their forwards should get the better of this one.

Cronulla Sharks vs Canberra Raiders
Sharks. It’s a goodbye to the Green Machine’s season in this one. They have been inconsistent all year and while the Sharks haven’t been a great deal better, they just find ways to get it done.

Manly Sea Eagles vs Sydney Roosters
Sea Eagles. Manly are starting to enter the danger zone. Their top eight spot, after looking so certain a month ago is coming into question. They should be able to bounce back and shut those questions down after conceding 92 points in the last fortnight against the Dragons and Storm.

(AAP Image/Paul Miller)

Penrith Panthers vs Wests Tigers
Panthers. This is a no-brainer. The Panthers have everything to play for, Nathan Cleary is in form and the Tigers have absolutely nothing to play for.

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 (AEST) this afternoon.