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It is officially a logjam on The Roar’s NRL expert tipping panel, and Round 23 could prove crucial in tipping fortunes, as well as those out on the park for some big teams fighting for their future in the season.
Much like the Storm in the NRL, The Crowd are running away with the tipping title for 2019, however, following that, it’s a compact field, a little like the back end of the top eight in the main competition.
My shocking week of just four tips (hint, don’t tip your own team when they suck) has left me level on 99 with Stuart and The Barry, who got five and six out of eight respectively.
Meanwhile, our very own Gold Coast Titans, AJ, actually had a cracking week with seven, moving to just seven tips behind the rest of the panel.
As I mentioned, Round 23 brings us another couple of huge matches, and none more so than the Raiders and Sea Eagles. With the sides separated by just two competition points and fighting for a spot in the top four, Sunday afternoon in Canberra looks like it’ll be exciting in a potential “four-point swing” game.
The Tigers and Knights have both all but had their finals hopes extinguished, but will still look to keep mathematical chances alive when they clash on Saturday, while the Sharks and Warriors in the 3pm game will also be a belter.
Brisbane play the Rabbitohs in the Friday night primetime game with Wayne Bennett’s side looking to regain some form and the men from Brisvegas looking to keep their finals campaign rolling, while the Panthers and Eels need wins against the Cowboys and Bulldogs respectively in the opening two games of the weekend.
Elsewhere, it could be reasonably expected that the Roosters will run riot over the Dragons in the late Saturday game, and that the Storm, at home and fuming after last week, could post a cricket score on the battling Titans.
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 evening.
Tips: Eels, Cowboys, Rabbitohs, Sharks, Knights, Roosters, Storm, Raiders
I’m back baby! After a season of messing about I thought I’d just remind you all what it takes to be the best. The smart move is to copy these winners here.
Parramatta will edge the Bulldogs who keep fighting into the year yet again. Can they carry it to 2020 this time? Who knows.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
The Cowboys and Penrith should be called off because it’s not going to be pretty, two teams playing horrid football right now. Cowboys barely.
Souths will beat Brisbane because Wayne is the master at this gee-up.
The Warriors are half a sniff against the unpredictable Sharks, but I’m not stupid enough to tip them. Cronulla to win.
Newcastle will top Wests and keep their season barely alive.
The Roosters will manage the Dragons in a sneaky close one.
On Sunday, Melbourne will score 76 against a Titans team who have given up on rugby league in 2019.
And finally, my beautiful Raiders will put 48 on Manly, securing a top-four berth and driving at a home final in week one.
Tips: Eels, Panthers, Rabbitohs, Sharks, Tigers, Roosters, Storm, Raiders
Like my Wests Tigers, the upsets went pear-shaped last week and I’m headed for a mediocre tipping season. Feels familiar.
The real contenders are standing up at the right end of the season and I still see it as as a three-way battle between the boys in purple, green and the tricolours.
Moses and the Eels are firing and despite the Bulldogs good recent form it will be a Parramatta win.
I’m giving the Panthers another go up in Townsville because they will be more desperate.
If Wayne can’t get the Rabbitohs pumped at Suncorp he never will. Expect South Sydney to regain some form this week.
(Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
The Sharks are still struggling but are in the eight by the skin of their teeth. Shaun Johnson will be up for a big one against the Warriors in the Shire.
I am tipping the Tigers against my better judgement because it is a last desperate shot at finals for 2019. Josh Reynolds will be looking to prove Madge wrong while Nathan Brown will want to do the same with Knights management.
Look for the Roosters to show no mercy against the luckless Dragons and rack up a big score.
Ditto the Storm over the hapless Titans.
The last game of the round looks the most exciting contest with the Sea Eagles looking to prove they are good enough to mix it with the big boys. Raiders to freeze Manly out and send them home with regrets.
Tips: Eels, Panthers, Broncos, Sharks, Tigers, Roosters, Storm, Raiders
Canterbury vs Parra clashes are one of the highlights of the season for me. This could be a good one with the Eels up to their necks (do Eels have necks or are they all neck? That’s going to keep me up at night) in a top-four battle and the Dogs the slimmest of mathematical chances of making the eight. Not tipping the Dogs seems to be working for me so I’m doing it again.
The Cowboys are in my ‘don’t tip’ list and with JT13 potentially missing I just can’t go there. After a midseason surge, the Panthers seem to be doing their best to miss the eight but I think they’ve got more to play for here.
I’ve been predicting Souths to come good for a while now, but they’re in a bit of strife. Clunky in attack, ill-disciplined. It will be a huge effort by Bennett to get them right in the next three weeks. Broncos in this one.
Gee – there’s a lot of teams struggling for consistency at the moment. Sharks too good for the Warriors?
Speaking of which, Tigers to beat the Knights?
Mary McGregor must have photos of someone in the shower… It’s the only explanation as to how he’s still got a job. Roosters by 30+.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
As if an away game against the Storm wasn’t bad enough, the Titans are facing them off the back of a loss. Storm are at the Winx-like odds of $1.06. That could come in before kick-off.
Who would have thought at the start of the season that the Round 23 game between the Raiders and the Sea Eagles would be a top-four clash? Great stuff from both teams. Big game for Manly. A loss could see them drop to sixth if Parra and Souths win. Raiders
Tips: Eels, Panthers, Broncos, Sharks, Knights, Roosters, Storm, Raiders
There are some really tough games to tip this weekend. They, however, are not the Storm or Roosters. It pains me to say it, but the tri-colours will run riot over the Dragons, and if they don’t, well, they aren’t going anywhere in September, because plainly, the Dragons are not very good.
If the Dragons are not very good though, the Titans are just flat out bad. Melbourne, coming off a loss, could run up some sort of record on the Gold Coast.
Speaking of Melbourne losses, and it was the Raiders who handed that one out to them last weekend. They are absolutely rolling, and I expect their clash with Manly to be one of the games of the season.
Who thought we would have been saying that before a ball was kicked in anger back in February. Well, clearly not this writer with plenty of egg on the face. Manly and Canberra in the bottom four. Yeah. Right.
Anyway, I’m going to take the big, mean, Green Machine. They are on fire, and at home, I expect them to just scrape past Manly.
The rest of the weekends games could all really go either way. Parramatta are looking good, but I’m waiting for the youthful Canterbury team to have an off week. It’ll happen, but their run of form has been impressive without an attack to speak about. I’d tip their doors might get blown off this weekend though.
Penrith will beat the Cowboys, who couldn’t put an attacking play on to save themselves at the moment. They have scored very few points in the last two weeks, because, to score points, you need to hold onto the footy. Jake Clifford being a front rower doesn’t count either.
I haven’t been impressed by Souths at all in recent weeks. That’s not to say the Broncos have been good, but they might get the better of Souths at home.
The Sharks to beat the Warriors seems like a fairly safe tip given how important the game will be to Cronulla, and I’m taking Newcastle to continue their roll on as they try their utmost to send Nathan Brown out a winner.
(Photo by Ashley Feder/Getty Images)
Be sure to leave your tips on the form below by 6pm (AEST) on Thursday evening and we will publish results before the opening game of the round.
| Round 23 | AJ | Stuart | The Barry | Scott | Crowd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EEL v BUL | EEL | EEL | EEL | EEL | EEL |
| COW v PAN | COW | PAN | PAN | PAN | PAN |
| BRO v RAB | RAB | RAB | BRO | BRO | RAB |
| SHA v WAR | SHA | SHA | SHA | SHA | SHA |
| TIG v KNI | KNI | TIG | TIG | KNI | KNI |
| DRA v ROO | ROO | ROO | ROO | ROO | ROO |
| STO v TIT | STO | STO | STO | STO | STO |
| RAI v SEA | RAI | RAI | RAI | RAI | RAI |
| Last week | 7 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 6 |
| Total | 92 | 99 | 99 | 99 | 109 |
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