NRL Round 24 Preview

Bulldogs vs Tigers

Matchup - James Graham vs Aaron Woods. Two props who are pretty good at pissing you off, but they have skill in abundance as well.

Key Man - Tony Williams, without Sam Kasiano the T-Rex will have to add some spice to the Doggies attack.

Keep An Eye On - This Jy Hitchcox bloke on the wing for the Tigers, also Kurtis Rowe getting another go at fullback with Mitchell Moses slipping in to 6. The young guns live in full effect.

Verdict - Bulldogs <12. I think they've got too much big game experience and knowledge for the Tigers.

Eels vs Sea Eagles

Matchup - There's some big names in the mix here but I'll go with Issac De Gois vs Matt Ballin. Two work horse dummy halves who play the 80 and keep everything moving in a positive direction. De Gois has low key been a great buy for the Eels.

Key Man - Daly Cherry-Evans. This is DCE's stage, can he outplay Jarryd Hayne?

Keep An Eye On - Without Glenn Stewart, Jamie Buhrer has been at the forefront of the weekly grind and he's been showing why he's already played Origin.

Verdict - Sea Eagles <12. If they can handle the Eels' power then they should be all good.

Broncos vs Knights

Matchup - Sam Thaiday vs Jeremy Smith. Rough, tough and rugged.

Key Man - Jarrod Mullen, the Knights have had some success with Mullen having a limited influence on the game. He's just done his job and if he can step up to another level, expect the Knights to win.

Keep An Eye On - Lachlan Maranta at fullback ... I wouldn't be putting him there, but I ain't no coach.

Verdict - Knights <12. At Suncorp, I still think the Knights can pull something out of their backsides.

Rabbitohs vs Cowboys

Matchup - Sam Burgess vs Ashton Sims. I have a feeling something might pop off between these two.

Key Man - Luke Keary. He's a brave little nugget and his eagerness to run the ball does wonders for the Bunnies. If he can get this big group of Cowboys forwards moving around, watch out.

Keep An Eye On - Tautau Moga and Mathew Wright swapping between centre and wing. Versatility.

Verdict - Rabbitohs? Who knows.

Warriors vs Roosters

Matchup - Shaun Johnson vs Mitchell Pearce. Two lads who control their team's destiny to an extent. Great ball runners who will need to control the game as well.

Key Man - Suaia Matagi, off the bench I'm picturing him charging on to the ball and offering the Warriors plenty of power against a rather large Roosters' pack.

Keep An Eye On - Mitchell Aubusson at dummy half, this guy does everything.

Verdict - Warriors <12. Complete bias.

Sharks vs Raiders

Matchup - Fa'amanu Brown vs Anthony Milford. Two young lads with a fair amount of potential who will be relied upon to offer direction and spice.

Key Man - Paul Gallen dominating the middle.

Keep An Eye On - Jack Wighton at fullback, he's played every where this season. We'll see how he goes at the back.

Verdict - Sharks <12. Two battling teams, home advantage takes the cake.

Dragons vs Titans

Matchup - Trent Merrin vs Nate Myles ... and Greg Bird. Merrin holds the key through the middle for the Dragons and Myles and Bird will be out to make life miserable for him.

Key Man - Benji Marshall will offer a bit of spice (word of the day) with some unstructured attack and I think unstructured attack is the key to breaking down the Titans defence.

Keep An Eye On - Peter Mata'utia ... the forgotten one.

Verdict - Dragons <12. I like how they look and if they can hold their own against a tough GC pack, she'll be overs.

Panthers vs Storm

Matchup - Matt Moylan vs Billy Slater. Can Moylan step up against the best?

Key Man - Jamie Soward has been the mantis recently but the Storm will have plans in place to limit his impact. Sowie will have to ramp it up to guide the Panthers to victory.

Keep An Eye On - Dallin Watene-Zelezniak gave us a glimpse of what he can do last week...

Verdict - Storm <12. The threat now comes from anywhere with the Storm.