NRL Round 4 Preview
Eels vs Rabbitohs
Match Up - Will Hopoate vs Greg Inglis. We saw last week that Inglis enjoyed showcasing his dominance over his opposite fullback, can Hopoate step up to the plate? The Eels need Hopoate to keep posing a threat as well as link the play between his halves and outside men and I bet the Rabbits will put him under the pump.
Key Man - Anthony Watmough. The Eels struggled defending the middle against the Warriors and the Rabbitohs like to charge straight up the guts. Watmough has to lead the way here and take it upon himself to slow things down.
Keep An Eye On - Darryl Millard makes his comeback into the NRL, he's replacing Dylan Walker who adds plenty of class to the Bunnies.
Verdict - Rabbitohs <12. Too big and their halves will have a big impact on the game.
Wests Tigers vs Bulldogs
Match Up - Robbie Farah vs Michael Lichaa, the master and the apprentice. Lichaa has looked slick for the Doggies and with both forward packs likely to impress, these two lads will be hunting for any opportunity.
Key Man - Trent Hodkinson will need to control the game perfectly and keep the Tigers coming off their try line. He's got plenty of weapons to work with so that won't be too hard but if he can keep the Dogs in the right area of the field, life will be difficult for the Tigers.
Keep An Eye On - Delouise Hoeter gets his NRL debut on the wing for the Tigers, Tonga via Auckland.
Verdict - Tigers <12. The young Tigers halves weren't too impressive last week and I've got them bouncing back.
Knights vs Panthers
Match Up - Dane Gagai vs Jamal Idris. Two centres who are in some great form but have different styles. Idris is all size and power, he'll be tested by the quicker Gagai but these two are both good enough to handle each other.
Key Man - Elijah Taylor will need to be at his energetic best, especially on defence. The Knights boast a big pack who will roll on the back of any quick play the balls, if Taylor can show up and dominate a bunch of tackles then the Panthers should be able to defend anything the Knights throw at them.
Keep An Eye On - Paterika Vaivai gets a run off the bench for the Knights, Samoa via Auckland. He's a bit of a unit and will be a young forward to keep an eye on with the Knights.
Verdict - Panthers >12. I think this one will be a reality check for the Knights with the Panthers having too much attacking firepower.
Sharks vs Titans
Match Up - Paul Gallen vs Greg Bird. Need I say more?
Key Man - Jeff Robson is partnered by Wade Graham in the halves and he's going to have to run the show expertly. He's got some talent around him, he's just got to make the right decisions and direct the team around.
Keep An Eye On - Kane Elgey, a halfback who will be the future halves partner of Daly Cherry-Evans.
Verdict - Sharks <12. If this was on the Gold Coast, I'd back the Titans and I don't imagine this will be the most exciting game but it'll be an absolute grind through the middle.
Dragons vs Sea Eagles
Match Up - Josh Dugan vs Brett Stewart. Two of the best who usually have a great influence on their team's performance.
Key Man - Daly Cherry-Evans backed up his impressive game the week before with a pretty poor effort last week where I don't think he nailed a kick how he would have liked. If he's back at it like a crack addict and can put Manly in the right areas to launch their attack from, it'll be job done, game over.
Keep An Eye On - Euan Aitken is a promising young centre for the Dragons and with Dane Nielsen likely to be out for a while, he'll probably be the long term option
Verdict - Sea Eagles >12. Their forward pack is getting better weekly and with Kieran Foran back, they'll be too good.
Warriors vs Broncos
Match Up - Tuimoala Lolohea vs Jordan Kahu. Two young fullbacks who have shown many positive signs.
Key Man - Manu Vatuvei will have to continue his high involvement as the Broncos will be tough to break down through the middle. Vatuvei's speed and power can get him a quick play the ball and get this pretty big Broncos pack moving backwards.
Keep An Eye On - Matt Allwood gets his first start in the centres for the Warriors and it'll be interesting to see how he goes against Jack Reed. Oh and that battle between Solomone Kata and Justin Hodges (when he's at centre) will be fun as well.
Verdict - Warriors <12. They should be able to hold their own and will have too much skill for the Broncos.
Roosters vs Raiders
Match Up - Josh Papalii vs Sam Moa. Similar build, similar job.
Key Man - The Raiders bench will need to fire up and offer plenty of aggression or else they'll be run over. Frank Paul Nuuausala, Paul Vaghan and Shannon Boyd will play an important role.
Keep An Eye On - Josh Hodgson continues to impress and he could enjoy running the ball from dummy half with this big Roosters pack.
Verdict - Roosters >12. They should roll forward with ease and then have far too many attacking options.
Cowboys vs Storm
Match Up - Jonathan Thurston vs Cooper Cronk. Two of the best who find themselves in opposite situations. Thurston's got to spark his side while Cronk just has to keep doing what he's doing.
Key Man - Lachlan Coote impressed last week and his left boot along with his high involvment will be relied on to relieve some pressure on Thurston.
Keep An Eye On - Regardless of whether the Cowboys win or loose, it'll be how they play that will be interesting. They've looked horrible so far and fans will be keen to see them at least look like an NRL team.
Verdict - Cowboys <12. I reckon they'll turn it around but it sure as hell won't be easy as the Storm are looking good.