Round 5 of the NRL season kicked off in enthralling fashion, with a thrilling game between the Storm and Brocnos on Thursday night being followed up by another between the Bulldogs and Roosters the next day. Unfortunately things went a little downhill thereafter with a number of blowouts, but though the games themselves weren’t all that interesting, some of the storylines they created certainly were. Perhaps most prominent among them surrounds the Rabbitohs, who now find themselves in dead last after another dreadful drubbing, while losses to the Panthers, Broncos and Roosters mean that four of the top five Premiership favourites heading into the season find themselves outside the top seven. Of course, it’s a long season, and while the alarm bells won’t be ringing just yet for a couple of those teams, some others – looking at you, Bunnies – will be keen to turn things around as soon as possible. Take a look at all of their matchups and the rest of the games set to take place in Round 6 below.
Newcastle Knights vs Sydney Roosters
Newcastle Knights vs Sydney Roosters
Round 6 kicks off with what looms as a tight game between the Knights and the Roosters, neither of whom has started the season exactly as they would have liked, but both of whom have had moments where they have shown what they are capable of. For the Knights, last weekend was a good example of the latter. They notched up their second win of the season – the first having come impressively against the Storm – in dominant fashion with a 30-10 win, though the Roosters will pose a substantially more difficult proposition than what the Dragons did. Sydney have lost two in a row after winning three of their first four, and though they have both been tight defeats, going down to a Bulldogs team which had previously won just one game last weekend was a result few people anticipated. That game could hardly have highlighted the gap between their best and their worst better; at half time they were down 26-0 to the lowly Bulldogs, before they scored four tries in 11 minutes to start the second half and fell just short of overrunning them. If they can bring that second half form to Newcastle, they will be tough to beat, but the Knights are generally a quality team on their home deck and a repeat of last week’s first half against the Bulldogs will spell disaster for the visitors. This game could go either way, but the Roosters have been solid this season with the exception of last week’s first half. With an 80-minute effort rather than a 40-minute one, they can notch up their fourth win of the season in a tight game on Thursday night.
| Bookmaker | James’ Tip | Odds |
 | Roosters to win | $2.30 |
 | Roosters +3.5 | $1.91 |
 | Roosters 1-12 | $3.40 |
Predicted Squads
Newcastle Knights: 1. Kalyn Ponga 2. Tom Jenkins 3. Dane Gagai 4. Bradman Best 5. Enari Tuala 6. Jack Cogger 7. Jackson Hastings 8. Jacob Saifiti 9. Jayden Brailey 10. Leo Thompson 11. Kai Pearce-Paul 12. Dylan Lucas 13. Adam Elliott 14. Phoenix Crossland 15. Daniel Saifiti 16. Jack Hetherington 17. Mat Croker
Sydney Roosters: 1. Joey Manu 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Joseph Suaalii 4. Michael Jennings 5. Fetalaiga Pauga 6. Connor Watson 7. Luke Keary 8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 9. Brandon Smith 10. Lindsay Collins 11. Sitili Tupouniua 12. Angus Crichton 13. Victor Radley 14. Zach Dockar-Clay 15. Naufahu Whyte 16. Egan Butcher 17. Terrell May
Melbourne Storm vs Canterbury Bulldogs
Of the group of five teams that entered the season as clearly the most fancied to win this year’s flag, the Storm have been the best performed over the first month or so of the season. They’ve dropped just one of their first four games in what has been a really tough fixture, and arguably that was the game that they would have most expected to win against the Knights. But that defeat came by just two points after wins over the Panthers and Warriors, and they bounced back with a stirring two-point victory last weekend over the Broncos which saw three tries scored in the last seven minutes. This weekend, they get what looks like their first easy kill of the season over a Bulldogs team which had as disappointing a start to the season as anyone in the league. They were completely listless over the first fortnight of the season, but their last three games have been a hell of a lot better. It began with a 32-0 win over the hapless Titans before they were competitive against the Rabbitohs, and last week they knocked off the Roosters with a blistering first half which saw them up 26-0 at the main break. They weren’t able to sustain that level for 80 minutes though and were very nearly overrun, and against the Storm they’ll need to be able to play at their best for the whole game if they’re to be competitive. The Bulldogs have begun to show some decent signs over the past three weeks, but the Storm in Melbourne is arguably the toughest trip in football, and the home side should be able to notch a fourth win of the season relatively comfortably.
| Bookmaker | James’ Tip | Odds |
| Bulldogs +18.5 | $1.90 |
| Storm 7+ | $1.30 |
| Storm/Storm half-time/full-time double | $1.36 |
Predicted Squads
Melbourne Storm: 1. Ryan Papenhuyzen 2. Will Warbrick 3. Reimis Smith 4. Nick Meaney 5. Xavier Coates 6. Cameron Munster 7. Jahrome Hughes 8. Tui Kamikamica 9. Harry Grant 10. Josh King 11. Shawn Blore 12. Eli Katoa 13. Trent Loiero 14. Tyran Wishart 15. Christian Welch 16. Alec MacDonald 17. Joe Chan
Canterbury Bulldogs: 1. Stephen Crichton 2. Blake Wilson 3. Jacob Kiraz 4. Bronson Xerri 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Matt Burton 7. Drew Hutchison 8. Max King 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Sam Hughes 11. Viliame Kikau 12. Josh Curran 13. Jaeman Salmon 14. Toby Sexton 15. Liam Knight 16. Kitione Kautoga 17. Poasa Faamausili
Brisbane Broncos vs The Dolphins
It’s been a topsy turvy start to the season for last year’s Grand Finalists, having traded wins for losses over their first five games of the season. They’ve certainly had their moments – a 38-12 win over the previously undefeated Cowboys was an imposing performance and they very nearly backed it up with a strong win in Melbourne last Thursday night, only to concede two quick tries in the dying minutes and going down by two points. But back on their home turf this weekend, they should be able to continue the trend of following up losses with wins when they host the Dolphins. Wayne Bennett’s chargers are on top of the ladder, having started this year much like they did their debut season in 2023. But impressive though they have been, they’ve benefited from a friendly draw which has seen them play the Dragons, Titans and Tigers over the last three weeks – probably the three worst teams in the league. Granted they can only beat the teams in front of them and they have knocked off all three of those teams by double figure margins, but the Broncos are a whole different kettle of fish. The draw really opens up for the Broncos over the coming weeks with a number of games in a row which they should be winning easily, and they can start their ascent up the ladder with a a solid win this Friday night.
| Bookmaker | James’ Tip | Odds |
| Broncos to win | $1.36 |
| Broncos -9.5 | $1.86 |
| Broncos 13+ | $2.20 |
Predicted Squads
Brisbane Broncos: 1. Tristan Sailor 2. Jesse Arthars 3. Kotoni Staggs 4. Selwyn Cobbo 5. Corey Oates 6. Ezra Mam 7. Jock Madden 8. Corey Jensen 9. Billy Walters 10. Fletcher Baker 11. Jaiyden Hunt 12. Jordan Riki 13. Patrick Carrigan 14. Tyson Smoothy 15. Benjamin Te Kura 16. Kobe Hetherington 17. Xavier Willison
The Dolphins: 1. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow 2. Jamayne Isaako 3. Jake Averillo 4. Tesi Niu 5. Jack Bostock 6. Kodi Nikorima 7. Isaiya Katoa 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Jeremy Marshall-King 10. Tom Flegler 11. Kenny Bromwich 12. Euan Aitken 13. Ray Stone 13. Mason Teague 14. Josh Kerr 15. Jarrod Wallace 16. Mark Nicholls
- The Roosters have long had the wood over the Knights. They’ve won six of the last seven matchups between the two, 12 of their last 14, and harking back to 2012, 16 of their last 19.
- The Titans have lost all four of their games this season by at least 13 points.
- With both teams being pretty average over the past few years, home ground advantage between the Tigers and Dragons has been significant, with the home side winning four of the last five games between the two sides and the sole exception being a two-point win to the visiting Dragons.
Multi of the Week
| Legs | Odds |
| Roosters to win | $2.30 |
| Raiders 13+ | $2.20 |
| Tigers to win | $1.77 |
| Bet $10 for $86.02 with PlayUp | |
New Zealand Warriors vs Manly Sea Eagles
After losing their first two games of the season, the Warriors have turned things around over the past three weeks and their performance against the Rabbitohs last Saturday was their best of the year to date. After conceding the first try in just the fifth minute of the game, they could hardly have been more impressive, not conceding another point for the next 75 minutes while scoring 34 of their own against a team that entered the year viewed as a legitimate Premiership contender. Impressive as that win was, however, it was probably trumped for the best performance of the weekend by the team that they will play this Saturday. The Sea Eagles started the season well but were really disappointing in losing to the Dragons in Round 4, but they couldn’t have bounced back more emphatically. Coming up against the best team in the league after losing to one of the worst, they outplayed the Panthers and ultimately notched up a pretty comfortable 32-18 win in a performance that showcased what this team is capable of when healthy and firing on all cylinders. Those two results make this potentially the game of the weekend. Each coming off their best results of the season, both the Warriors and Sea Eagles are trying to establish themselves as potential top four teams, and a win this weekend would be a good way to do it. After an erratic last two weeks the Sea Eagles need to frank their victory last weekend with another strong performance, but heading over the Pacific to take on the Warriors won’t be an easy task. This should be a real arm wrestle and could easily go down to the wire, but on their home turf, the Warriors can just sneak over the line.
| Bookmaker | James’ Tip | Odds |
| Warriors to win | $1.52 |
| Warriors 1-12 | $2.95 |
| Warriors/Warriors half-time/full-time | $2.10 |
Predicted Squads
New Zealand Warriors: 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 2. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 3. Rocco Berry 4. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 5. Marcelo Montoya 6. Te Maire Martin 7. Shaun Johnson 8. Addin Fonua-Blake 9. Wayde Egan 10. Mitch Barnett 11. Jackson Ford 12. Kurt Capewell 13. Tohu Harris 14. Jazz Tevaga 15. Tom Ale 16. Bunty Afoa 17. Chanel Harris-Tavita
Manly Sea Eagles: 1. Tom Trbojevic 2. Raymond Tuaimalo Vaega 3. Tolu Koula 4. Tommy Talau 5. Jaxson Paulo 6. Luke Brooks 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Taniela Paseka 9. Lachlan Croker 10. Josh Aloiai 11. Haumole Olakau’atu 12. Ben Trbojevic 13. Jake Trbojevic 14. Karl Lawton 15. Corey Waddell 16. Toafofoa Sipley 17. Nathan Brown
Parramatta Eels vs North Queensland Cowboys
It’s been a rough couple of weeks for the Eels since Mitch Moses went down with injury. After a hugely disappointing one-point loss to the Tigers a fortnight ago, they backed it up with an even worse performance last weekend – substantially worse, in fact – failing to give a yelp against the Raiders. They were outplayed from the outset, and though they hung on in a low-scoring first half the floodgates opened in the second and they ultimately went down 41-8 against what is an average team at best. The Cowboys, in contrast, bounced back from a really bad loss to the Broncos with a solid win, and though they weren’t at their absolute best against the Titans they did more than enough to get back on the winners’ list with a 35-22 win. Unfortunately that win came at a cost, with rookie Zac Laybutt suffering a suspected ACL injury, but despite that blow the performance was largely what we have come to expect from a Cowboys team which has scored 24 more points than any other team in the league through the first five weeks of the season. They won’t likely have as easy a time of things in Parramatta this weekend as they did against the Titans, though having said that if the Eels play like they have the past couple of weeks this could be another heavy defeat for them. They’re a better side than they have played over that fortnight though and should be able to put in a more competitive performance certainly than what they dished out last weekend, but given how listless they have looked in the absence of Moses, it’s hard to go past the Cowboys in this one.
| Bookmaker | James’ Tip | Odds |
| Cowboys to win | $1.62 |
| Cowboys -3.5 | $1.85 |
| Cowboys 1-12 | $3.00 |
Predicted Squads
Parramatta Eels: 1. Clint Gutherson 2. Maika Sivo 3. Will Penisini 4. Bailey Simonsson 5. Sean Russell 6. Blaize Talagi 7. Dylan Brown 8. Reagan Campbell-Gillard 9. Joey Lussick 10. Junior Paulo 11. Shaun Lane 12. Ryan Matterson 13. J’maine Hopgood 14. Luca Moretti 15. Wiremu Greig 16. Joe Ofahengaue 17. Brendan Hands
North Queensland Cowboys: 1. Scott Drinkwater 2. Kyle Feldt 3. Valentine Holmes 4. Murray Taulagi 5. Semi Valemei 6. Tom Dearden 7. Chad Townsend 8. Jordan McLean 9. Reece Robson 10. Jason Taumalolo 11. Kulikefu Finefeuiaki 12. Jeremiah Nanai 13. Reuben Cotter 14. Jake Granville 15. Griffin Neame 16. Sam McIntyre 17. Jack Gosiewski
South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Cronulla Sharks
The 2024 season is going from bad to worse for the Rabbitohs. Entering it with legitimate Premiership aspirations, they lost their first three games of the season before getting on the board with a victory against the Bulldogs, albeit far from a convincing one, but they failed to back that up to say the least last weekend. An early try against the Warriors was a promising start, but they didn’t score again after that fifth minute and ended up going down 34-4. There is still plenty of water left to go under the bridge this season, but they have put themselves a long way behind the eight ball and, more significantly than that, aren’t playing at even close to the level that they will need to if they want to put themselves back into contention not just to go deep into the finals, but to make them at all. They need to turn things around as quickly as possible, and get their chance to do so on Saturday night against the Sharks. But Cronulla has been solid this season, winning three of their four games to start the season before enjoying a week off last weekend. They have, however, had a pretty cruisy start to the season with the exception of their opening round clash in New Zealand, and a 32-6 defeat at the hands of the Tigers was a little concerning. They have certainly been better than the Bunnies so far this season that game aside, but just five weeks into 2024 it’s hard to completely write off the Rabbitohs just yet. With the Panthers and Storm to come after this game they could very easily see their papers stamped for the season if they fail to notch up a victory in that three-week period, and this is their best chance to do it. With their backs well and truly up against the wall, they can cause an upset with what will be a huge and much-needed victory.
| Bookmaker | James’ Tip | Odds |
| Rabbitohs to win | $3.00 |
| Rabbitohs +8.5 | $1.91 |
| Rabbitohs 1-12 | $4.00 |
Predicted Squads
South Sydney Rabbitohs: 1. Jye Gray 2. Tyrone Munro 3. Jack Wighton 4. Isaiah Tass 5. Taane Milne 6. Cody Walker 7. Dean Hawkins 8. Tevita Tatola 9. Damien Cook 10. Tom Burgess 11. Keaon Koloamatangi 12. Jacob Host 13. Cam Murray 14. Peter Mamouzelos 15. Tallis Duncan 16. Shaq Mitchell 17. Davvy Moale
Cronulla Sharks: 1. Will Kennedy 2. Sione Katoa 3. Jesse Ramien 4. Siosifa Talakai 5. Ronaldo Mulitalo 6. Braydon Trindall 7. Nicho Hynes 8. Thomas Hazelton 9. Blayke Brailey 10. Oregon Kaufusi 11. Briton Nikora 12. Teig Wilton 13. Cam McInnes 14. Dale Finucane 15. Jack Williams 16. Billy Burns 17. Tukupa-Ke Hau Tapuha
Wests Tigers vs St. George Illawarra Dragons
After battling it out for the Wooden Spoon last year, the Tigers and Dragons were largely expected to find 2024 similarly difficult, and though they may still both end up right down the bottom of the ladder come season’s end, they have both had their moments in the early stages of the season. The Tigers, in particular, have shown some good signs as they enter a new phase under Benji Marshall. Back to back wins against the Sharks and the Eels raised the ceiling of their expectations this year, and they were again competitive last week against a Dolphins side which has started the year well. The Dragons, too, have notched up a couple of victories, though the gap between their best and worst has been alarming. Last week was closer to the latter than the former, with the Dragons failing to back up an impressive win over the Sea Eagles and going down easily to the Knights. That erratic form makes them a little hard to pick, but there is no doubting that the Tigers have been the more impressive team so far this season. On their home turf, they are in a good position to notch up their third win of the season and put them within a game of equalling the number they won throughout the entirety of 2023.
| Bookmaker | James’ Tip | Odds |
| Tigers to win | $1.77 |
| Tigers -1.5 | $1.91 |
| Tigers 1-12 | $3.00 |
Predicted Squads
Wests Tigers: 1. Jahream Bula 2. Charlie Staines 3. Solomona Faataape 4. Justin Olam 5. Junior Tupou 6. Bud Sullivan 7. Aidan Sezer 8. Stefano Utoikamanu 9. Api Koroisau 10. David Klemmer 11. Isaiah Papali’i 12. Alex Seyfarth 13. Fonua Pole 14. Latu Fainu 15. Asu Kepaoa 16. Alex Twal
St. George Illawarra Dragons: 1. Zac Lomax 2. Christian Tuipulotu 3. Moses Suli 4. Jack Bird 5. Mikaele Ravalawa 6. Kyle Flanagan 7. Ben Hunt 8. Francis Molo 9. Jacob Liddle 10. Jack de Belin 11. Luciano Leilua 12. Jaydn Su'A 13. Tom Eisenhuth 14. Jesse Marschke 15. Blake Lawrie 16. Hame Sele 17. Raymond Faitala-Mariner
Canberra Raiders vs Gold Coast Titans
For a team that played finals last year, the Raiders weren’t given a whole lot of respect coming into this season, and they have so far done a pretty good job of exceeding those low expectations set for them. Two consecutive wins to start the season were followed by a couple of losses, but they bounced back in emphatic fashion last Sunday against the Eels, pummelling them from pillar to post en route to a 41-8 victory. Now, they get a great chance to take their record to 4-2 against what is pretty unequivocally the worst team in the league at the moment. The Titans had some reason to be optimistic entering this year, but their hopes of improvement have quickly been dashed with a bunch of woeful performances, compounded by an ACL injury to Tino Fa’asuamaleaui. They have lost all four games they’ve played by an average of over 21 points, and their 13-point loss to the Cowboys last weekend was the closest they have got to an opposition all season. They’ve scored just 40 points across their four games, which is less than half the number every other team in the league has scored with the exception of the Rabbitohs, who are still a long way ahead of them with 72. They simply haven’t looked like scoring all season long, and it’s hard to see them getting out of this hole any time soon. At the moment they are a walking loss, and a big one at that, and on their home turf the Raiders should have no problems notching up a comfortable win to take their record to 4-2.
| Bookmaker | James’ Tip | Odds |
| Raiders to win | $1.30 |
| Raiders -10.5 | $1.91 |
| Raiders 13+ | $2.20 |
Predicted Squads
Canberra Raiders: 1. Jordan Rapana 2. James Schiller 3. Matt Timoko 4. Seb Kris 5. Xavier Savage 6. Ethan Strange 7. Jamal Fogarty 8. Josh Papalii 9. Danny Levi 10. Joseph Tapine 11. Hudson Young 12. Zac Hosking 13. Morgan Smithies 14. Tom Starling 15. Corey Horsburgh 16. Ata Mariota 17. Pasami Saulo
Gold Coast Titans: 1. Jayden Campbell 2. Alofiana Khan-Pereira 3. Brian Kelly 4. Aaron Schoupp 5. Jojo Fifita 6. AJ Brimson 7. Tanah Boyd 8. Moeaki Fotuaika 9. Chris Randall 10. Jaimin Jolliffe 11. David Fifita 12. Beau Fermor 13. Erin Clark 14. Sam Verrills 15. Klese Haas 16. Joe Stimson 17. Josiah Pahulu
