The Roar’s NRL expert tips and predictions: Round 16

The last of the bye rounds have arrived, and the NRL is almost through the most chaotic part of the season. We have just about all survived, and the earth hasn’t exploded. So that’s good news. This is The Roar’s NRL expert tipping panel for Round 16.

Of course, just maybe, I shouldn’t have counted the chickens before they hatched to speak. We have one more painful week to get through, then a week of players backing up from a Wednesday night decider before the run to the finals can truly get underway.

But, just because this is still classed as silly season, it doesn’t mean there aren’t some monumentally huge matches about to hit the screen, with teams already starting to fight for their season, and others battling and scrapping for every important competition point as the race for the eight starts to get very serious.

One of those teams who are fighting for their season are the Dragons. They come into Thursday night’s round opener against the Storm as a massive underdog with a stack of players missing though, so even at home, it’ll be a struggle.

Friday brings us the Tigers and Roosters, and if there is a better game to play the Roosters in than pre-Origin, I’m yet to hear of it.

The Knights then play the Warriors on Saturday in a game which is just about impossible to tip. You can’t pick the Auckland-based club, but the Knights are missing big names.

Then there is Cronulla and Brisbane to close out the round on Sunday, with the forecast looking wet and wild in the Shire.

A quick recap on last week as well – The Crowd and myself ran out at the top of the charts with five, only missing the Tigers, Eels and Bulldogs upsets. Stuart and The Barry had four, also tipping the Warriors over the Panthers, while AJ only had three.

It means that The Crowd still lead overall, now by three points to Barry. I’m one point further back, with Stuart on 66, then it’s another three points back to our defending (but not for long) champion AJ, who has some serious ground to make up.

And given AJ’s phoning it in effort this week, maybe it’s not all that hard to see why he is running last… Right? That’s how this works? Isn’t it?

I guess that doesn’t explain why I’ve finished last two years on the trot though.

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 6pm (AEST) on Thursday afternoon.

AJ Mithen

Tips: Dragons, Tigers, Knights, Sharks

How good is a split round with no Origin players present. If the NRL is going to just dial it in this week, then so am I…

Dragons over Storm, Tigers over Roosters, Knights over Warriors, Sharks over Broncos. Goodbye!

Stuart McLennan

Tips: Storm, Roosters, Knights, Sharks

Round 16 looks simple. Only four matches with four clear favourites. However, it is never that simple and Origin stars will be missing.

Both the Dragons and the Storm have been weakened by state representation but Melbourne look stronger in up front in the engine room. I am going for Melbourne.

The Wests Tigers have won their last two games but both wins have been ugly and they have limped rather than coasted to victory. Despite losing Tedesco and Cordner to the Blues the Roosters look to still have plenty of depth and talent. Roosters.

The Knights will be without a couple of big men in the middle but their form has been excellent recently and I am backing them at home against the patchy Warriors. Newcastle.

The Sharks weren’t up to scratch against the Bulldogs last week but the Broncos were worse and lose a few to the Maroons. The Sharks should take the biscuits in Woolooware.

The Barry

Tips: Storm, Roosters, Knights, Sharks

Dragons v Storm is a rivalry that stretches back to the 1999 grand final. (Scott here: Yeah, how dare you mention that game. Robbed I tell you. We. Woz. Robbed.)

This time though with no Addo-Carr, Finucane, Munster, Chambers, Welch, Kaufusi, Vaughan, Frizell, Sims, Norman, Hunt, Graham, Widdop and Lomax it’s looking more like a reserve grade clash. On the positive side Sandor Earl is back – hopefully his on-field carries are more successful than his off-field efforts.

I’m tipping the Storm because they have Cameron Smith and some of the players coming in have a bit more quality about them than the Dragons.

2019 is going from bad to worse for Angus Crichton. He started the year as an incumbent Blues player and is now on the bench for the Roosters behind Mitchell Aubusson and Nat Butcher. I guess he’ll just have to cry himself to sleep on his massive pile of money. Good to see Luke Keary back, although Taukeiaho has ruined my Super Coach bye planning. Roosters to win.

How fired up will David Klemmer be if he misses Origin 2, it could be a bloodbath in Newcastle. It’s not the first time I’ve said this but you wouldn’t be a Warriors forward for quids. On the injury return front, Aiden Guerra has been named on the extended bench for the Knights. I really didn’t think we’d be seeing him again this season after his horrific ankle injury earlier in the year. Knights.

When I was a kid I used to love lying on the carpet, shuffling all my footy cards and dealing them out to see what teams I could make. Apparently, that’s still how John Morris selects his backline on team list Tuesdays.

Speaking of backlines, Herbie Farnworth, Katoni Staggs, Gehamat Shibasaki, Xavier Coates. When you think of great Broncos three-quarter lines it’s not quite up there with Carne, Hancock, Renouf and Johns but here we are.

Jake Turpin is playing six and an Anthony Milford injury seems to be the only things that’s saving Darius Boyd from the chop. When I saw Milford hadn’t been named I initially thought it might be a bit of maroon origin subterfuge, but apparently it’s just a knee injury.

Sharks with too much experience and will be stinging after last week’s loss to the mighty Bulldogs.

Scott Pryde

Tips: Storm, Roosters, Knights, Sharks

I thought I hated the impact of Origin on the NRL, but this week, I confirmed it.

I will quite literally be doing cartwheels if the Dragons manage to beat the Storm. There will, however, be no video of this, so you’ll just have to take my word for it.

The Dragons team on paper is a mess between Origin, injury and suspension. No Ben Hunt, Corey Norman, James Graham, Paul Vaughan, Tyson Frizell or Tariq Sims. That’s six state and international calibre players taken out of a team with very little depth. All due respect, but when Darren Nicholls, a 30-year-old with one NRL game and Jeremy Latimore are in your starting side, well, you know things are going to go badly.

Melbourne have their own problems, but they also have Cameron Smith to guide a pretty solid ship under the greatest coach in the game. I’ll just be fairly happy if it doesn’t end up like a certain day in 2000 when the Red V got plastered 70-10 on the MCG.

Anyway, moving on from my own anger at the world, and onto other teams, where I’m sure there is plenty of anger.

As I said in my opening, I’m not sure there is a better week to play the Roosters, however, I can’t see them losing to the Tigers, who are just flat out inconsistent, although they did scrap and grind their way past the Rabbitohs last week.

The Warriors are in the “why would anyone ever tip them. Ever,” category, and so I’ll take the Knights, even without David Klemmer and Kalyn Ponga. They are on a run, and looking in really good touch right across the park. Expect Mitchell Pearce to step up again.

The final game in Cronulla. Wet, windy, Cronulla. The Sharks don’t lose in those conditions. Particularly when they are taking on a shambolic Brisbane team.

My only real passing interest in this match is the debut of Xavier Coates, who is an absolute gun and will be one of the best wingers in the game in the years to come.

Be sure to get your tips in on the form below by 6pm (AEST) on Thursday, and we will have the results in the table and comments section below.

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