The Roar’s NRL expert tips and predictions Round 24: Pressure mounts as time runs out to make the finals cut

Hey Roarers!

Send-offs, sin bins, angry coaches, trainers told to leave the field, questionable tries, head-scratching calls and a winger who scored four tries and still walked away with a loss. I think we are all still trying to get our heads around everything that unfolded in the last round.

The Roosters kept their slim finals chances alive with a 26-16 win over the Sea Eagles on Thursday night. It was a clunky old game with a million stoppages and penalties, along with a crazy send-off when Nathan Brown was marched for his first tackle of the match.

The Warriors held onto their Top 4 spot with a 28-18 win over the Titans on Friday night. We saw our second send-off in as many matches with Gold Coast forward Moeaki Fotuaika told to hit the showers early for contact with the head of DWZ. But on a good note – what about Jayden Campbell’s runaway intercept try?!

Then it was over to Penrith where the premiers made light work of the Storm with a 26-6 win. Jarome Luai was placed on report for a shoulder charge on NAS but unlike Storm trainer Ryan Hinchliffe was allowed to stay on the field.

Even without Adam Reynolds and Valentine Holmes, the highly anticipated local derby between the Cowboys and the Broncos didn’t disappoint. Big Brother ran away 30-14 winners and showed us all once again they mean business this season.

The Knights pushed their way into the Top 8 with a close 30-28 win against the Dolphins over in Perth. The game ended on a sour note when the Dolphins’ Herman Ese’ese was penalised for holding a player down in the scrum, denying his side a chance to win the match with great field position.  Just don’t ask Wayne Bennett to comment on it.

Up, Up Cronulla! You can beat a Top 8 team! The Sharks were too good for an underwhelming Rabbitohs with a 26-16 win in the second match in the Perth doubleheader. Tom Burgess was sin-binned for a dangerous tackle, and I don’t want to keep questioning if Latrell is as amazing as others say he is, but………

Hooley Dooley, this game had everything! Zac Lomax managed to stay on the field after a terrible tackle on Andrew Davey, the Dragons were denied a try that had their coach seeing Red, Ravalawa crossed four times, and after a huge scare from the opposition the Eels managed to sneak home by the skin of their teeth with a 26-20 win on Sunday. 

And in the final match of the round (don’t talk about the forward passes)  the Raiders held on for a 22-18 win against the Tigers in Canberra. How are you holding up Tigers fans?

Mary was on fire this week tipping seven, with Mike just behind on six. AJ, Paul and Stuart all tipped five, you legends in the Crowd tipped four, and I was brought crashing back down to Earth tipping just three. But hey, one of them was the Knights.

We have a new leader people! Mike is now out in front on 107, with Stuart down to second on 106. Mary is in third on 104, Paul is fourth on 102, with last year’s champion AJ in fifth on 97. The Crowd is in sixth on 95 – and you all know where I am on 92.

OK, onto Round 24 – four to go!

Tonight we make our way to 4 Pines Park to see the 11th-placed Sea Eagles host the table-leading Panthers at 8pm. Let’s see what DCE and the boys can do against this juggernaut of a team.

Friday night footy kicks off at 6pm when the 6th-placed Sharks take on the 13th-placed Titans at PointsBet Stadium. When it comes to these two sides, who knows what will happen?

Then at 8pm it’s up to The Gabba for more googlies and bouncers as the 2nd-placed Broncos and the 9th-placed Eels battle it out. Can Parra squeeze back into the Top 8?

We continue north up to Barlow Park in Cairns for the start of Super Saturday when the 8th-placed Rabbitohs take on the 16th-placed Dragons. The Red V almost caused an upset last week, and the Bunnies have lost three of their past ten matches – this one could be interesting.

Then it’s off to FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton, to see the last-placed Tigers take on the Warriors sitting nicely in third at 5:30pm.

We make our way back to Allianz Stadium for the 12th-placed Roosters and the 14th-placed Dolphins at 7.35pm. Both teams are desperate for the win to keep their finals hope alive.

Sunday footy kicks off in Melbourne as the 4th placed Storm host the 5th placed Raiders at 2pm. The Storm were taught a lesson against the Panthers last week and the Green Machine were lucky against the Tigers, both teams will need to lift here for the win.

Then, to finish the round, the 15th-placed Bulldogs make their way up the F3 to McDonald Jones Stadium to take on the 7th-placed Knights at 4:05pm. Will it be another 66-point thrashing?

The Cowboys get the week off and will no doubt be watching every game with their fingers crossed hoping the results go their way.

If you want to go up against the experts, remember to get your tips in by 5pm tonight to be counted in The Crowd’s tips.

Happy tipping everyone!

Stuart Thomas

Panthers, Sharks, Broncos, Rabbitohs, Warriors, Roosters, Storm, Knights

I’d be surprised if the Panthers drop a match at this stage of the season, they look very good right now and remain clear favourites for the title.

Cronulla desperately need a win against the Titans in the Shire on Friday night and should do so with style as they continue to hang around, despite obvious limitations.

Brisbane look the winners when the Gabba hosts the Broncos and Eels in a potential Friday night blockbuster. Parramatta is in with a chance and needs the win but will that be enough to knock off the consistent Broncos?

The Rabbitohs suffered an important loss to the Sharks last week and need to rebound. The Dragons in Cairns should be an easy kill.

The Tigers are at ‘home’ in Hamilton against the Warriors, and Andrew Webster’s men will simply power past the worst team in the NRL.

The Roosters appear to be improving and the Dolphins continue to slide down the ladder. It should be an easy day at the office for the Chooks at Allianz.

This is the time of year that the Melbourne Storm puts the pedal to the metal and ramps things up. That spells problems for the plucky Raiders on the road.

And the Knights will continue their recent golden run with another win against a Bulldogs team off the bye and hoping to lodge a few wins before the season is out.

(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Mary Konstantopoulos

Penrith, Sharks, Broncos, Rabbitohs, Warriors, Roosters, Storm, Knights

It’s not so much about whether the Penrith Panthers will beat the Manly Sea Eagles on Thursday night (they will). It’s more about which team can stop the Penrith juggernaut this year. I see this as a fairly easy win for Penrith, especially against a Manly side whose forward pack is so depleted by injury.

The Sharks finally blew off the cobwebs last week with a big win over Souths. Given the challenges with their draw over the next few weeks, this is a must-win game against the Titans. I am tipping the Sharks, but the Titans are one of the wackiest teams in the competition and you can never entirely rule them out. A big boost for the Sharks will also be the return of Ronaldo Mulitalo on the wing.

As a rabid Eels supporter, I would love to tip the Eels this week, but given the outs that the Eels still have (and to be honest the way they have played in recent weeks), the Broncos will win this one. I’m particularly concerned about the Eels edge defence which has been especially challenged over the last month.

The Rabbitohs will get their season back on track with a win over the Dragons.

The Warriors will beat the Wests Tigers in front of a packed house in Hamilton.

The Roosters will beat the Dolphins and I’m tipping the Storm to beat the Raiders. The Storm seem to be a bit of a bogey team for the Canberra Raiders, but the Storm don’t lost two in a row and with the return of Jahrome Hughes, Xavier Coates and Reimis Smith, the Storm have the edge in this game.

The Knights will continue their run with a win over the Bulldogs.

(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

Paul Suttor

Panthers, Sharks, Broncos, Rabbitohs, Warriors, Roosters, Storm, Knights

Manly have been unimpressive the past couple of weeks since their upset at Shark Park. Panthers by 18
Cronulla showed signs of life in thumping the Bunnies last week while the Titans are one loss away from season over even with Tino back. Sharks by 10
Brisbane have Adam Reynolds back and Parra are still not at full strength. Broncos by 14
Souths are becoming flat-track bullies, the Dragons won’t be a pushover but the favourites should prevail. Rabbitohs by 4
The Tigers will win a game before the season’s out but it’s unlikely to be this one in Waikato. Warriors by 12
The Roosters should be out for revenge after their opening-round boilover against the Dolphins. Oh yeah, and be keeping their finals hopes alive. Roosters by 2
Canberra give Melbourne the heebie jeebies for some reason but the home side will win this one. Storm by 16
Newcastle are looking more and more likely to make the eight and even though the Dogs are rested after a bye and are finally close to a healthy roster, the Novocastians should get up. Knights by 7

(Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images)

Mike Meehall Wood

Panthers, Sharks, Eels, Rabbitohs, Warriors, Roosters, Storm, Knights

Your new leader in the tipping race, no less, taking over just ahead of Finals…get your gloating in early, I say. 

It doesn’t matter anymore for my Beaches boys, so I shall be taking the Panthers all the way.

The Sharks looked great last week and need to back it up.

The Titans have been in better form than usual, but that doesn’t say much. Cronulla to win.

The Bronx are good, the Eels are…well, not bad, but nowhere near as good as Brisbane. Bronx by a few.

The Bunnies have, have, have to win. They will against a demoralised Dragons.

The Tigers are rubbish and have turned this into a Warriors home game. Wahs by a million.

The Chooks are a finals smokie (win all four and they make it…you heard it here first) and will get the victory here.

Canberra always do well in Melbourne, but I can’t tip against the Storm at home. The NRL’s strangest trend stops here and Melbourne will win.

The Knights are on a roll, the Dogs are on the beach. Dom Young to score a hat trick and Newcastle to keep up their Finals chase.

(Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

AJ Mithen

Panthers, Sharks, Broncos, Rabbitohs, Warriors, Roosters, Raiders, Knights

Only a month to go and I continue my inevitable rise to the top. Your winners this week are…

Penrith, who will destroy Manly by whatever margin they feel like. Cronulla, who are in rarefied air after bneating a top eight team last week and will put the Titans to sleep for 2023.

Brisbane will make it unconvincing against the Eels who are really showing some mediocrity around decent play.

South Sydney must beat the bothersome Dragons but it’s no sure thing.

The Warriors will secure a top-four spot by beating Wests Tigers, who again are no pushover but who’ve sold this home game to New Zealand.

The Roosters will beat the Dolphins and Newcastle might well repeat their 66-0 blotting of Canterbury from Round 18.

And your presumptive champions, the people’s team, the Canberra Raiders will head to their home away from home and lay a casual 56 on the hapless Melbourne, their sixth win in a row at the bubble dome.

(Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

Danielle Smith

Panthers, Titans, Broncos, Rabbitohs, Warriors, Rabbitohs, Dolphins, Knights, Storm

Sorry Manly fans, this one might get ugly.

Tino is back! Titans for the win.

Broncos will cruise past the Eels, with Carrigan to get another meat pie now that he’s got the hang of it.

This one is an absolute coin flip…………hmmmmmmm……….Rabbitohs. But even the head on the coin just told me it isn’t confident.

The Warriors are just on fire, I’m absolutely loving their footy this season. They will get the win and secure a well-deserved home semi-final.

Don’t ask me why, but I think the Dolphins will get the job done here.

The Storm will bounce back from last round and rip apart the Raiders. They are lucky to be in the Top 8.

Newcastle won’t put 66 on the Bulldogs this time – they will put 80! As always, I’m tipping my Knights.

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