NRL Round 27

By Stephen Gallagher

THURSDAY: Broncos V Storm – Suncorp Stadium – 21.50NZT

Tough going for the Broncos here as their season is officially over, and they get a near full-strength Storm knocking on their door to knock them off at home on a lowly Thursday evening.

Vibes are low at Red Hill. This is a season that has been a negative one.

Melbourne wants a strong win to go into the finals where they’re more than likely taking on Cronulla.

They will be taking all those 1%ers seriously, and will want to write the Broncos off early.

TIP: Storm 13+

FRIDAY: Tigers V Eels – Campbelltown Sports Stadium – 20.00NZT

SSSSSSSSSSSSSPPPPPPPPPPPPPOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWLLLLLLLLLLLLLL  BABYYYYYYYYYYYY

Tigers up against it against a red-hot Eels side. This has Grand Final Fever written all over it!

Can the Tigers avoid a third straight spoon? CAN YOU FEEL THE TENSION!? 

I can’t wait to be in attendance for this historic, sold out event.

TIP: Eels 1-12 (Sorry, Tigers fans)

 

Rabbitohs V Roosters – Accor Stadium – 22.00NZT

I was feeling good about this Roosters outfit leading into the finals, but after losing their halfback and their hooker to serious long-term injuries – they have taken a backseat in a three-horse race to win the comp.

And as for the Rabbitohs, they too are missing a couple of players which only makes this hill even bigger to climb.

I still think the desire and the will is there for the Roosters. It will take some reshuffling, but Robinson knows what it takes to win, and their roster is still very strong.

Rabbitohs, better luck next year.

TIP: Roosters 1-12

 

SATURDAY: Dragons V Raiders – Netstrata Jubilee Stadium – 17.00NZT

What an odd predicament for either side to be in.

The last fixture of the regular season needs to be a draw for any of these teams to make the eight!

But with the likelihood of that being slim to none, it’s really a playoff for ninth place.

Dragons have fumbled the bag in a big way, who had a box seat in the finals but now have realistically had a poor season.

Raiders have left their run too late. The Raiders DNA they’ve shown the last two weeks was sadly few and far between in 2024.

Think this should still be a good, competitive game.

TIP: Raiders 1-12

 

Bulldogs V Cowboys – Accor Stadium – 19.30NZT

The Bulldogs copped a blip on the radar last week with a bad loss, but this is finals footy for them and they need to get up for it.

Cowboys sacked their assistant coach this week, but I don’t see that hampering their build up too much.

There’s nothing quite like finals footy to make or break a side before finals footy actually rolls around. There’s a lot riding on this for both sides.

The Bulldogs, already having overachieved this year, will be looking to get some momentum back and send the Cowboys packing back to Townsville with a loss.

TIP: Bulldogs 1-12

 

Panthers V Titans – Penrith Path – 21.35NZT

Well, after looking like finishing 4th, the Panthers will now finish 2nd with a win over the Titans, who, well, have been really poor over the last month when they did have a slight opportunity to make finals.

Yes, Des Hasler coaches this side, so I don’t expect it to be a walkover for Ivan Cleary’s men, but if the Panthers want to get four Premierships in a row, they need to win and win well.

Titans will chuck it around, have some fun, enjoy the footy, and even niggle Penrith, but the Panthers should still get the win comfortably.

TIP: Panthers 13+

 

SUNDAY: Sea Eagles V Sharks – 4 Pines Park – 16.00NZT

ANOTHER GAME WITH BIG FINALS IMPLICATIONS! HOW GOOD!

Sorry, lots of Caps Lock in my preview this week.

Manly are sans Turbo but only for one week. This is still a Manly side who are getting into some solid form with the finals around the corner.

Cronulla will be very upset with the way they let that game slip last week. That feels very much like them at the moment, which isn’t good enough. And we know that with Craig Fitzgibbon as coach, they have not won a finals game yet.

I love what Manly are doing. They’ve got a good recipe for success. I find it hard to tip against them, especially at home.

TIP: Sea Eagles 1-12

 

Knights V Dolphins – McDonald Jones Stadium – 18.05NZT

Well, then – the winner will play finals football in 2024 – the loser sucks and won’t. So lots to play for.

Newcastle’s barnstorming run, not quite on the level of last season, but once again puts them in the box seat for finals football and Adam O’Brien keeps his job again.

For Wayne Bennett, last game potentially coaching the Dolphins. A masterclass victory last weekend over the Broncos…There’s still life in this Redcliffe side.

But I just hope that that win last week wasn’t all their cards played. Knights will be expecting something similar from Redcliffe.

This has the makings of a high scoring, hardcore attacking game. To the victor goes the spoils.

TIP: Knights 1-12

BYE: Wahs

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