By CASEY O’CONNOR
WITH the focus on Origin Three and much talk around Robbie Farah’s or whether Michael Ennis would fill the Blue’s hooking role, there were only four games in Round 17. Out of those games has come some interesting results. We have seen teams return to form and others struggle due to injury and Origin, and we have learned a little more about each of the teams. The Cowboys who have a well-earned bye this weekend banished any doubts of their ability to make it to the grand final with a gutsy win over the Dragons. The Sea Eagles finally dragged themselves off the bottom of the cage to get their season moving in the right direction, but despite the win over the Sharks, I remain unconvinced they will be an influence at the end of the season. The Panthers still have some impressive talent in the casualty ward, but had enough firepower to impress on Friday night and you get the sense we can expect them to surge in a similar manner to 2014. If you are a Panthers fan, the back end of the season is sure to be an exciting one. The Bunnies on the other hand look to be a shadow of the side that took all before them last season. They have a week off in Round 18, but need to do a lot of work when GI returns to regain their momentum.
On Monday night, the Eels slipped past the Tigers after a sensational performance from Semi Radradra. He became the first player in 60 years to score multiple tries in five consecutive games. The win shoots the Eels off the bottom of the ladder and up to 12th while the Tigers take up the cellar dwellers spot.
And on to round 18 – we are truly into the business end of the season and trying to predict the outcome of games this weekend is once again fraught with difficulties. Until after the “Decider” on Wednesday night, we will not know whether coaches will choose to rest or play their Origin players. With the build up to Origin and the high stakes, I am predicting there will be some players knocking on the Judiciary door post game.
On Friday night, we head to Canberra in what is predicted to be very cold and possibly wet conditions. Just perfect for a game of football. The Raiders received a reality check at their last outing in New Zealand, but having enjoyed the bye last weekend are well placed to add another win here against the Knights. After their promising season start, the Knights now find themselves in a battle at the bottom of the ladder. They suffered a narrow loss to the Sharks in Round 15 and are probably closer to a win than many think however in the conditions I think the Raiders will put them to the sword.
The Panthers win over the Bunnies was impressive and they return to Pepper Stadium again on Saturday night to host the Roosters. The Roosters are on a roll, unbeaten since round 13 and will be fighting to hold on to third spot on the ladder.
If the tri-colours are genuine favourites for the 2015 premiership, they need to win the tough games and this will be one of them. In the head-to-head starts since 1998, these sides are 15 wins apiece. It is not surprising that the Panthers have the better record at this stadium. This will be the first time these two sides have played this season and if the Roosters Origin contingent come through Wednesday night unscathed, I think they will scrape home here, but by a narrow margin.
The game of the round looks to be the clash of the Bulldogs and Broncos on Saturday night at ANZ. Here are another two teams who face off for the first time in 2015. Looking at the stats the Broncos have performed the better in the past when these sides meet. The Broncos are riding high at the top of the table leading the field with 26 points. They are there because they have grafted out some tough wins this season and face another here against the big Bulldog pack. The Doggies made a triumphant return to their spiritual home Belmore in round 16 where they had a big win over the Storm. They are a big unit but will need more than size and emotion to beat the Broncos. Watch for ins and outs later in the week before making your tipping selections but on paper I will stick with the Broncos who continue to impress.
The Warriors host Melbourne on Sunday at Mt Smart Stadium where the teams will play for the Michael Moore Trophy. The Warriors have again been the unpredictable side in 2015, but have done enough to be just inside the eight and menacing. Melbourne has been out of sorts since thrashing Penrith in round 13. They have an uphill battle without Slater for the remainder of the season but the return of Cooper Cronk is a big plus. It is difficult to imagine the strain Cameron Smith has been under prior to Origin and this game. If he sits this game out and has a quiet moment, no-one would be surprised. The Warriors are searching for their point of difference at the back end of the season, and it may come from the strike power in their backline. No easy task to pick a winner here but I am leaning towards the Warriors.
The Sharks and Dragons go head to head at Remondis on Sunday afternoon. Cronulla will be hoping to avenge the 42-6 shellacking they copped from the Dragons in Round 12. While the Sharks have been playing reasonably good football and sit on the fringe of the top eight, they need more consistency if they are to make the cut this season. They were impressive in patches against Manly in round 17 but at other times lost their way. The Dragons faced a challenge to field a team in the last round due to Origin duties and injuries, and will be a different side this week. I think they can return to the winner’s circle here.
In the final game of the round, the Titans host Manly at Cbus stadium on Monday night. It will be interesting to see what crowd numbers a Monday night game pulls on the Coast and what the reception will be like for gold medal back flipper Daley Cherry Evans.
Manly bounced back to form momentarily last Sunday at Brookvale and have hit a high point in their season reaching number 14 on the ladder. There is no doubt Manly were more impressive last weekend against the Sharks.
It is likely the Titans will welcome back some troops from the casualty ward this week, but the court proceedings that have embroiled some Titians players comes up for mention again later this week, and you have to wonder whether that will be a distraction.
If Manly can reproduce the form they showed at Brookvale, I think they will win here however a place in the top eight at the end of the fixtures is still drawing a long bow.
I hope when you read this, the Maroons are celebrating a fairytale finish for Justin Hodges after 13 years of service to State of Origin. Whichever way the Origin cookie has crumbled, I know we will have seen another exciting page written in Origin history. Casey’s tips
Raiders
Roosters
Broncos
Warriors
Dragons
Sea Eagles
