The Roar's NRL expert tips and predictions: Round 3

They say Round 1 is the hardest to predict, but that’s not the case after a tough Round 2 for half of The Roar’s NRL expert tipping panel.

Defending champion AJ and myself were only able to muster four tips apiece last weekend. It means AJ stays at the bottom of the pack with some ground to make up on eight.

The Barry is equal with AJ after picking up five last week (and it could have been six, but for his blind faith to Canterbury), while I’m sitting one ahead on nine.

The big winner on our panel is Stuart, who picked up six last week and goes to 11 for the season, while The Crowd got seven in a round dominated by the favourites to go to 12 and take the outright lead.

Round 3 kicks off with the Broncos hosting the Dragons in a re-match of that intense (and wonderful), semi-final last year, before the Raiders host the Knights and the Eels take on the Roosters.

Saturday sees the Warriors make another trek to Australia, this time to play the struggling Sea Eagles, before the Sharks trek north to play the Cowboys in tough Townsville conditions, although the injury to Jason Taumalolo might make the task easier.

Penrith round out Saturday facing a mammoth task against the Storm, before the Bulldogs continue searching for their first win of the season against the Tigers in the free-to-air Sunday game.

(AAP Image/Brendon Thorne)

The round closes with the Rabbitohs hosting the Titans in a match which has the potential to get incredibly one-sided.

Don’t forget to join in with your tips at the bottom of the article to try and beat the experts in 2019 as The Crowd and try your luck in our Roar NRL tipping comp. Crowd tips will close at approximately 5:30pm (AEDT) on Thursday afternoon.

AJ Mithen

Tips: Broncos, Raiders, Roosters, Warriors, Sharks, Panthers, Tigers, Rabbitohs
That’s it, no more ‘fun’ tipping. As reigning champion, I have some ground to make up and I will begin the climb back to glory this week.

Here’s what’s coming:

Brisbane will beat St George Illawarra but it’ll be a tighter contest than people may think. The Dragons aren’t that bad.

My beautiful Raiders will get the Knights in a pearler of a game but believe it or not, the match of the round is Parramatta and the Roosters. I’m on the Roosters, barely, cos they’ll love a challenge.

New Zealand should get Manly. If they don’t, there are some serious questions to ask about how serious the Warriors are about doing well things this year.

No Taumalolo is brutal for the Cowboys but they’ll give the Sharks a run for their money up North. Sharks to win behind their pack.

I’ll take Penrith for the regional upset against a very gritty Storm outfit. Melbourne are revelling in the NRL’s ‘lax refereeing policy’ by lying all over the tackled player like they’re farewelling a loved one at the airport.

Wests Tigers should go 3-0 for the second straight year. Bulldogs showed a little bit against Parramatta but fell off a cliff and didn’t try to fight back. Not good.

Finally, the Bunnies will get the Titans in a run-of-the-mill outing.

Stuart McLennan

Tips: Broncos, Raiders, Roosters, Warriors, Cowboys, Storm, Tigers, Rabbitohs
A slight improvement in the tipping stakes on the weekend with six but some work to do still.

I don’t see a standout match of the round so let’s just go with order of appearance.

Anthony Seibold seems to have the halves working a bit better at the Broncos while the Dragons will welcome Korbin Sims back. Can’t see the Dragons causing an upset at Suncorp. Brisbane by a fair margin.

(AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)

Both the Raiders and Knights were last start losers without either playing badly. Ricky won’t let the Green Machine lose another one at home but it is likely to be close. Raiders.

The Roosters welcome back the spine stars as Cronk and Friend make a return giving them a much stronger look. Parramatta have started well but the streak will come to an end against the premiers. Easts to win.

With Tommy Turbo making a return, Manly would have been a good chance to upset the Warriors if the game was at Brookvale. The Warriors were a bit out of sorts at Campbelltown but will be improved in Christchurch. Warriors.

This is the toughest game to pick. The Sharks were winners at their last start but still look to be finding their feet. Cowboys were good at home in Round 1 and should be all smiles at the end of the game in Townsville.

The Storm are in beastmode while Penrith still requires work despite grabbing a win in Newcastle. Can’t go past the Storm to win.

Grandpa Farah was impressive last week for Wests Tigers while the Bulldogs have rung the changes after back-to-back wins. I am tipping Canterbury to push Madge’s boys at Campbelltown but the Tigers will have too much class. Wests Tigers but not by a landslide.

I can’t see anything but a big win for the Rabbitohs this week. They continue to impress while the Titans are a step below the field at present. Rabbitohs by plenty.

The Barry

Tips: Broncos, Raiders, Roosters, Sea Eagles, Sharks, Storm, Rabbitohs, Bulldogs
In the semis last year, the Dragons pulled off arguably the biggest upset of the season when they knocked the Broncos out with a 48-18 ambush that not even Scott Pryde saw coming. It will be an even bigger boilover if they win this week. Broncos.

The Knights and Raiders both have a win each but neither has been super impressive. Coin flip. Home ground advantage leans me towards the Raiders.

I’ve liked how the Eels have gone about their business, but let’s be honest: wins against an out-of-sorts Penrith and a clueless Canterbury make it tough to get a real line on them. While Easts haven’t been great, their first half against Manly gave the feeling they’re building into their season. A win for the Eels would give them real top eight credibility, but I’m tipping the Roosters.

Tommy Turbo is back and all of a sudden Manly look so much stronger. I’m completely unconvinced by the Warriors and think they’ll struggle this year. Sea Eagles to get the upset win.

(Photo by Robert Prezioso/Getty Images)

The Cowboys are one of a couple of teams to shuffle their line-up this week. Clifford definitely deserves his opportunity but I’m not sure about Martin at fullback. Despite them bringing in a player of McGuire’s quality to replace JT13, I have question marks about their pack. Sharks to win.

In just a couple of seasons, the Panthers have lost forwards Trent Merrin, Corey Harawira-Naera, Bryce Cartwright, Tim Browne and Leilani Latu. With Issah Yeo and Villame Kikau out, the Panthers pack is starting to look a bit skinny. For Melbourne, it’s business as usual. No one keeps on keeping on like the Storm.

Even allowing for a poor first half last week, Souths have been the form team of the competition. Way too strong for the Titans.

Which brings us to the Bulldogs. Blind optimism wasn’t enough in Round 1. Bounce back factor couldn’t get them home in Round 2. Will Dean Pay wielding the axe like a homicidal maniac be enough in round three? Let’s hope so cause I’m tripling down on the Dogs.

Scott Pryde

Tips: Dragons, Knights, Roosters, Sea Eagles, Cowboys, Storm, Tigers, Rabbitohs
I took some outsiders last week and it backfired badly, so I might as well start by explaining why I’ve tipped my Dragons. The positive signs have been there across the first two weeks of the season, even if not consistently. They hammered Brisbane last time up there, and will play with their backs to the wall once again.

With Korbin Sims and Ben Hunt taking on their own club, an upset might be the order of the day.

(AAP Image/Craig Golding)

Another upset I’m taking this week is the Sea Eagles over the Warriors. I’m not convinced one iota at either end of the park by the Warriors, and Tom Trbojevic could make all the difference to the Manly performance.

Newcastle in Canberra is a game which could go either way. The Raiders weren’t horrendous against the Storm last week, and nor were the Knights in their loss to Penrith.

Newcastle’s attack still needs to improve, but it should be able to do that against a Canberra defensive line with some flaws in it.

Cronulla make the trip to Townsville in what’s going to be a tough slog in difficult conditions. I’ll take the Cowboys because they are at home, and because their pack is still strong even without Jason Taumalolo.

The rest of the games seem fairly self-explanatory to me.

Parra haven’t played anyone of note yet, and the Roosters need to kick their season into gear, so should be somewhere near their best at Homebush.

The Storm beating the Panthers seems like a mere formality. They have been excellent so far, and look like a team who will be in the top four and challenging for the grand final again.

The Bulldogs have been the competition’s worst team so far this year, so beating the Tigers seems a stretch, while the round should conclude with an easy win for the Rabbitohs as they take on a struggling Gold Coast Titans outfit at home. Why that game is being played at Homebush in front of what will be a sparse Sunday evening crowd is beyond me.

Be sure to get your tips in on the form below by 5:30pm (AEDT) on Thursday, and we will have the results in the table and comments section below.

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