Round 4: Tips.
Eels vs Panthers - You’d think the Eels have to win this one. Jarryd Hayne might play, and if he does, I’m certain the Eels will bounce back this week. Eels in a tough and tight one, 1-12.
Rabbitohs vs Broncos - This one is really tough to pick. The Broncos have been going so well and the Rabbitohs are capable of anything. On their day, the Rabbits are very hard to beat. They would have got some confidence from last week and if they can all stand up and deliver again, I’d say the Rabbits will get away with the win… 13+!
Warriors vs Titans - There is no way the Titans could win this one… which is why you’d think they can. Strangely. I can’t see the Warriors losing at home again though, impossible. All the off-field issues for the Titans might be a factor too, so I’m going to go with what you’d expect - an easy 13+ victory for the Warriors.
Dragons vs Manly - What a game this should be! Another real tough one to pick. I’m so undecided… but because of the injuries and suspensions Manly have, I’m going with a Dragons 1-12 win.
Cowboys vs Sharks - This one should be good too; and quite interesting. It’s a tough trip for the Sharks; but if they can play like they have been (despite the results) they can really challenge the Cowboys. Both teams have shown similar form I’d say, the Sharks have just been unlucky. Purely because it’s up in North QLD, I’d say a Cowboys 1-12 win.
Storm vs Roosters - Gotta be the Storm; they’re just red-hot at the moment and the Roosters won’t be able to match them. I would be very surprised if there was an upset here. Storm 13+.
Bulldogs vs Knights - The Knights better win. Seriously. I refuse to believe the Bulldogs are a real threat this season. The Knights should be desperate for a win and I hope they deliver. Knights 1-12.
Tigers vs Raiders - I’m expecting the Tigers to come out with a near-perfect performance. I don’t care what injuries/suspensions we have; that’s no excuse. You wear that jersey, you put your all into it. No half-hearted, arm-grabbing tackles. Play hard, show everyone we’re not the soft flamboyant team they think we are. Raiders are missing very good players in Dugan and Fensom, so there are absolutely no excuses. Tigers 13+.
Round 2: Gameday.
If I were to guess, this is how the team will run out tonight.
Starting
1. Tom Humble
2. Beau Ryan
3. Blake Ayshford
4. Chris Lawrence
5. Matt Utai
6. Benji Marshall
7. Tim Moltzen
8. Aaron Woods
9. Robbie Farah
11. Adam Blair
14. Liam Fulton
12. Gareth Ellis
13. Chris Heighington
Bench
10. Matt Groat
15. Junior Moors
18. Ben Murdoch-Masila
17. Joel Reddy
It’s going to be a very tough game; the thing I like about ugly wins like last week, there’s absolutely no complacency come next game. Although we won last week, I’m sure the boys and Tim Sheens are not happy with a lot of things we did last week. So, in saying that, I’m expecting them to be fired up and rearing to prove the doubters wrong.
What we HAVE to do this week is go forward; last week was that frustrating sideline-to-sideline play that gets us nowhere. There’s nothing wrong with shifting the ball, we’re great at it and I love watching it, but we need to build a platform before we can do that. Its been said thousands of times, by fans and media. But we still see it sometimes. If we go forward and build a solid platform for Farah and Benji to work with, we can win this one.
I love gameday.
Up the Tigers!
