Round 9 Preview

After losing coach Jason Demetriou, the Rabbitohs’ week could go from bad to worse, with a major demolition expected from the Panthers – who will receive back forward Moses Leota.

Whenever the Panthers are on song, winger Brian To’o manages to find himself on the scoresheet and this week is set to be no different.

Continuing the theme of easy victories, the Raiders are still without most of their star players, which has created a young spine contingent of Ethan Strange and Kaeo Weeks, who struggled last weekend to get anything going in attack.

Eyeing a return to the State of Origin arena, fullback Tom ‘Turbo” Trbojevic should be watched closely during the match due to his ability to find the tryline with ease.

While the game is played in the Brisbane Broncos’ favour at Suncorp Stadium, and they are considered the outsiders, the Sydney Roosters are coming off a dominant victory over the Dragons and have been in fine-form.

The Broncos and Roosters will go at each other since the opening kick-off, and while the winner may be hard to predict, the scoreline will easily surpass the 42.5 points mark.

Since making his return to the field after a four-year ban, centre Bronson Xerri has been one of the standouts in the Bulldogs backline.

Although they are coming off a big loss to the Broncos and are considered heavy outsiders, the Wests Tigers have shown glimpses of brilliance and shouldn’t be counted out against a Bulldogs team that has had their own struggles.

The Titans may have earned their first two points last weekend, but the Melbourne Storm are too powerful for them and showcased their talents against Souths last weekend.

The Storm quartet of Ryan Papenhuyzen, Cameron Munster, Jahrome Hughes and Harry Grant were all on show last weekend and back to their brilliant best – expect this to be continued.

Entering his fourth NRL game this season, fullback Trai Fuller has been a revelation for the Dolphins in the absence of Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow. One of the top performers last weekend, Fuller is an easy bet to cross the line for a try.

One of the more dominant clubs to begin the season, the Cowboys have recently taken a backwards step and could be upset by their inner-state rivals, The Dolphins.

The Knights may have taken home the two points last weekend, but they showed signs of struggle against the Dolphins. On the other hand, the Warriors will be looking to emerge victorious after a disappointing loss against the Titans.

Considered the favourites of the match, the New Zealand Warriors will be eager to dominate in both halves before finishing with the win.

Sitting at the top of the NRL ladder, the Sharks are coming straight off a 40-0 win over the Raiders, whilst the Dragons were humiliated on Anzac Day by the Sydney Roosters.

The duo of Ronaldo Mulitalo and Sione Katoa are in career-best form to begin the season and have been standouts on the wing for the Cronulla Sharks. Playing off Daniel Atkinson and Nicho Hynes (who are in the halves), the wingers are expected to cross the line due to the club’s brilliant attack.