Sydney Roosters vs South Sydney Rabbitohs
The games greatest rivalry is reignited on Thursday night with the Sydney Roosters hosting fierce-rivals South Sydney Rabbitohs at Allianz Stadium.
The Roosters will be looking to build on their impressive performance against the Sharks after recording a 28-10 victory. Although conceding 30 points against the Warriors in Round 4, they have not conceded over 12-points in their other four fixtures.
The Rabbitohs have battled valiantly over the course of their first five games, and almost recorded a remarkable come-from-behind victory against the Dragons.
They have posted the most running metres of any team this season, but will be relying heavily on their forward pack to carry the workload of Sam Burgess and Cameron Murray who have been ruled out due to suspension and injury respectively.
The Roosters will be searching for their 100th victory against the Rabbitohs, while have also won their past three fixtures against their cross-town rivals.
Head-to-head: Played 216, Rabbitohs 112 wins, Roosters 99 wins, 5 draws
Matches at venue: Played 37, Roosters 24 wins, Rabbitohs 13 wins
Best Bet: Roosters -8 $1.90
Melbourne Storm vs Newcastle Knights
The Storm have been renowned for laying a strong platform early in the competition in recent years, but after an inconsistent start to their campaign they have posted just two wins.
Another lacklustre performance in New Zealand saw them go down the Tigers for the second time this year, with Bellamy making a big change to his line-up with Brodie Croft dropped and Ryley Jacks named to start at halfback.
Meanwhile, the Knights posted their third win of the season with a gutsy 15-10 victory over the Broncos. Mitchell Pearce and Kalyn Ponga have formed a lethal combination in the early rounds and have laid-on 8 of the Knights 13 tries this season.
In a huge blow for the Knights, Mitch Barnett will miss the clash after accepting a one-match suspension.
It’s hard to see the Storm losing three consecutive matches, and will take confidence in knowing they have won 16 of their past 21 fixtures against the Novacastrians, including 8 of their past 10 at AAMI Park.
Head-to-head: Played 38; Storm 23 wins, Knights 15 wins
Matches at venue: Played 10; Storm 8 wins, Knights 2 wins
Best Bet: Knights +10.5 $1.90
St. George Illawarra Dragons vs Cronulla Sharks
The Dragons have proven to be unstoppable in their first five games as they remain undefeated to start the 2018 season.
The last time these two teams met was in Round 2 which saw the Dragons fight back form a 14-0 half-time deficit to post a strong victory.
Their committed defensive efforts have been the cornerstone of their early success, but continue to prove dominant with the ball-in-hand as they average 30 points per game this season- the most of any side.
The Sharks will be looking to restore some pride after their tough loss the Roosters on Friday, and will welcome the return of prized recruit Josh Dugan to their starting line-up.
They will have to overcome a horrid history at WIN Stadium, with the 2016 premiers winning just six of their 20 matches in Wollongong.
Head-to-head: Played 41; Dragons 21 wins, Sharks 19 wins, 1 draw
Matches at venue: Played 6; Dragons 5 wins, Sharks 1 win
Best Bet: Total Points Under 36.5 $1.84
New Zealand Warriors vs Brisbane Broncos
The Warriors join the Dragons as the only other side to remain unbeaten in the competition so far, and will be looking to capitalise on another home-ground advantage when they face a struggling Broncos outfit on Saturday.
They proved too strong for the Cowboys last weekend, with the attacking prowess of Shaun Johnson, Blake Green and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck helping them score more than 20-points in all of their games so far.
The Broncos will be looking to defy the odds after another poor performance against the Knights, and have struggled significantly in attack this season and average just 13 points per game.
While Milford looked to be back to his scintillating best but it wasn’t enough to guide the Broncos to victory, and will have to overcome a Warriors side who have won 12 of their past 16 matches at Mt Smart Stadium.
Head-to-head: Played 39; Broncos 22 wins, Warriors 17 wins
Matches at venue: Played 20; Warriors 12 wins, Broncos 8 wins
Best Bet: Warriors -5.5 $1.90
North Queensland Cowboys vs Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
The Cowboys and Bulldogs find themselves in similar territory with both sides just recording one win to start their season, with this fixture proving crucial to each team building momentum for the season ahead.
The Cowboys have recorded four consecutive losses following their Round 1 victory over the Sharks, and have leaked 109 points across those four games.
Pressure is mounting on Morgan and Thurston to executive their attacking structures soon enough, but will be relying on Jason Taumalolo and Matt Scott to give them significant go-forward if they are a chance of clicking into the gear.
They will welcome the return of Lachlan Coote at fullback, which will see Ben Hampton move to centre and avid Bowen dropping out of the side.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs will be desperate to avenge their poor performance against the Raiders, but can take confidence in knowing they have won 12 of their past 17 games at 1300SMILES Stadium.
Head-to-head: Played 36; Bulldogs 21 wins, Cowboys 15 wins
Matches at venue: Played 17; Bulldogs 12 wins, Cowboys 5 wins
Best Bet: Cowboys 1-12 $1.90
Canberra Raiders vs Parramatta Eels
The Raiders will be brimming with confidence following their comfortable 26-10 victory over the Bulldogs last Thursday, but will face a desperate Eels outfit looking for their first win of the season.
While their defence has been struggling throughout the opening five rounds, the Raiders have proven to be unstoppable in attack and average nearly four tries per game.
They boast a remarkable home record against the Eels, who have not won in the Nations capital since Round 17, 2006.
The Eels are in unfamiliar territory with many suggesting them to be genuine premiership heavyweights prior to the season starting, but now are in need of a victory this weekend if they are any chance of a finals appearance.
The last team to make the finals after an 0-5 start was the Broncos in 1999.
Head-to-head: Played 55; Eels 29 wins, Raiders 26 wins
Matches at venue: Played 20; Raiders 16 wins, Eels 4 wins
Best Bet: Raiders -4 $1.90
Penrith Panthers vs Gold Coast Titans
The Panthers have recorded back-to-back victories without star playmaker Nathan Cleary and have proven to be a genuine force in the competition so far.
They will be full of confidence in their home-ground advantage, having won eight of their past ten games at Panthers Stadium, but will need to clean up their ill-discipline as they are the most penalised team in the competition.
The Titans have shocked most pundits with their impressive start to the season, and are coming off a 32-20 victory over the Eagles on Sunday.
Although their have leaked 136 points already this season, the likes of Ashley Taylor and Kane Elgey have been instrumental in their success so far and their performance will prove crucial against an in-form Panthers outfit.
Although the past three fixtures have bene decided by 8-points or less, eleven of the 17 matches played between these two sids have been decided by 13-points or more.
Head-to-head: Played 16; Panthers 10 wins, Titans 6 wins
Matches at venue: Played 7; Panthers 4 wins, Titans 3 wins
Best Bet: Titans -7.5 $1.90
Manly Sea-Eagles vs Wests Tigers
The Eagles have had an inconsistent start to their season despite two resounding wins over the Raiders and Eels, but now face an in-form Tigers outfit coming off a nail-biting victory over the reigning premiers.
They welcome back dynamic fullback Tom Trbojevic after missing last week with injury, while Jack Gosiewski has been rewarded for some starring performances in the Intrust Super Premiership after been named to start in the back-row.
Manly have won 15 of their 5 matches played between the two sides since 2003.
The Tigers have set the defensive benchmark in 2018, having conceded 10-points or less in four of their five fixtures.
Josh Reynolds has been named to start from the bench in his first game for the Tigers while Tui Lolohea has been dropped from the side with Corey Thompson named at fullback.
Head-to-head: Played 25; Sea Eagles 15 wins, Wests Tigers 10 wins
Matches at venue: Played 9; Sea Eagles 8 wins, Wests Tigers 1 wins
Best Bet: Eagles 1-12 $1.90
