NRL Round 10 Preview
'Alright lads, I'll go 6. Sammy, you go 7. Sweet?'
Dragons vs Raiders
Match Up: Gareth Widdop vs Blake Austin. Widdop has largely been absent this season and you'd only notice him when he makes a poor play, hence the Dragons have struggled, while Austin has been absent for much of the season through injury. Both are crucial to their team's attack, but for slightly different reasons as Widdop can add a classy touch to any play as Austin is all-action running the footy.
Key Man: The Raiders are now able to settle on their best spine and you'd have to assume that this will only be good for Jack Wighton. He's a back lad out the back who makes plenty of metres, if he can showcase his play-making ability against the Dragons then the Raiders will be a team with many attacking weapons.
Keep An Eye On: Josh Hodgson's form. After starting the season as the best player in the league, the key question for Hodgson and the Raiders is whether Hodgson can continue that good work throughout the middle stage of the season.
Verdict: Dragons <12. Toss up here, two fairly similar teams but I've got the Dragons bouncing back after a slow start.
Eels vs Rabbitohs
Match Up: Lost amongst the Greg Inglis move from fullback to the halves has been Brad Takairangi's move from centre to the halves for the Eels. Takairangi is listed to start alongside Corey Norman, which means we'll have two huge No.6's on either team who prefer to run the footy but also have plenty of skill to add their own spice into their team's attack.
Key Man: Inglis' move to the halves is actually quite a smart move from coach Michael Maguire as he can now fit in his full contingent of outside backs. This means that Alex Johnston starts at fullback, a low key crucial move for the Bunnies as Johnston has been talked about as their long-term fullback and we'll get a great opportunity to see what he offers here.
Keep An Eye On: The Eels, obviously. Will they show up with intent and purpose? Or will all their talk be swept aside by #CBF?
Verdict: Rabbitohs <12. Influenced by the Nathan Peats saga, he's a loss but it's also another distraction for the Eels.
Panthers vs Warriors
Match Up: Matt Moylan vs Tuimoala Lolohea. Two of the best young players in the NRL and they are both fullbacks who are capable of sliding into the halves with ease thanks to their skill and ability. They are slightly different though with Moylan more silky with his touches while Lolohea is dynamic; silky vs dynamic.
Key Man: Bryce Cartwright went nuts during the City vs Country game, showing off all his tricks out on the right edge for City. That's generally how the Panthers play and they love an offload or unpredictable kick etc so expect Cartwright to lead the charge in that regard, plus Cartwright is hunting for a New South Wales jersey.
Keep An Eye On: I've been very impressed by the Panthers' young forwards, the blokes through the middle; Reagan Campbell-Gillard, Leilani Latu and James Fisher-Harris. These kids are ruthless, but offer much more than strong carries as well.
Verdict: Panthers <12. Nearing full-strength, watch out for Penrith.
Storm vs Cowboys
Match Up: Blake Green vs Michael Morgan. Two very different halves, who both do a great job for their respective teams. Green is solely responsible for running the Storm's left edge as he runs through a variety of plays while everything with Morgan starts thanks to his running game.
Key Man: After a low key effort in the Anzac Test, Jason Taumalolo will slot back into his role with the Cowboys where he'll be taking caries before/after the Kangaroos front-rowers. Taumalolo's carries through the middle, the metres he gains and the speed of these plays will put the Storm on the back foot which is crucial in putting points on the Storm's defence.
Keep An Eye On: Kaufusi brothers up against each other. Felise starts on the edge for the Storm while Patrick will come off the bench for the Cowboys, keep tabs on these two as they have quickly demanded NRL selection.
Verdict: Cowboys <12. Storm are slightly weakened, that's all it takes.
Sea Eagles vs Broncos
Match Up: Nate Myles vs Josh McGuire. Manly signed a representative prop when they signed Myles but I'm yet to really see Myles at his best with Manly and he'll come up against McGuire who is basically now a younger, better and more eager prop.
Key Man: With no Adam Blair, Corey Parker will need to take on greater responsibility through the middle of the field. With all due respect to Jarrod Wallace (who replaces Blair), he won't make the repeat efforts nor will he offer the passing ability of Blair which is okay, Parker just needs to fill that void with an epic display.
Keep An Eye On: Despite Myles' lack of ruthlessness, Manly can now roll out a fairly strong forward pack that is low key exactly what their backline needs. Myles, Lussick, Brown, Taupau, Trbojevic with Leary, Fonua-Blake, Lawrence and Vave off the bench ... it's not amazing but it is good enough to compete with the NRL's best.
Oh and watch out for Jai Arrow, apparently he goes good, real good.
Verdict: Sea Eagles <12. Upset alert with Manly near full-strength, at home and up against a weary Broncos team.
Knights vs Sharks
Match Up: Mata'utia brothers vs Jack Bird/Gerard Beale. Sione and Pat will line up as the Knights' centres and the more game time they get at centre the better as they tend to get shifted around a fair bit, up against Bird who is combing well with Valentine Holmes and the strange Beale ... who is keeping Ricky Leutele on the bench and just got a run with the Kiwis?
Key Man: The problem for the Knights here is that their forward pack could be over-run by Paul Gallen himself. If Gallen is in the mood for a 20 carries x 200m sort of game, then the Knights are in trouble and if Gallen's not in the mood then Andrew Fifita might be.
Keep An Eye On: Brock Lamb starting in the halves for Newcastle will be interesting and points to a general reason to watch the Knights as there's plenty of youth that will settle into their NRL careers.
Verdict: Sharks >12. 2easy.
Wests Tigers vs Bulldogs
Match Up: Luke Brooks vs Moses Mbye. Two left-footed halfbacks who love to run the footy as well, but they haven't really been able to consistently dominate footy games which has seen their respective teams struggle this season. There's actually a bigger story here as Brooks and Mbye are young halves who haven't quite lived up to the hype many people created for them.
Key Man: Aaron Woods is back in action and he's back in the Tigers team right when they need him - against the Doggies. We can't forget that Woods is the Tigers' skipper and everything that Woods does inspires his young team, he'll have them frothing for the battle against the Doggies.
Keep An Eye On: Can the Tigers pose a threat without James Tedesco? Justin Hunt starts at fullback and he's no Tedesco while there's also two former Warriors on either team's bench with Elijah Taylor named on an extended bench for the Tigers and Raymond Faitala-Mariner is more likely to play, named on the Doggies' bench.
Verdict: Bulldogs <12. This will probably be their impressive win, before suffering a loss next week.
Titans vs Roosters
Match Up: Ryan James vs Dylan Napa. Two props who you'd have to imagine will face off against each other in the Origin arena at some stage and they'll be lining up to whack each other with every opportunity come Monday night.
Key Man: Boyd Cordner was one of the Roosters' better players in his comeback game for the Roosters and he offers a highly physical presence on the Roosters' left edge. Cordner has great mobility for a bloke of his size and he'll gunning to impress Blues coach Laurie Daley.
Keep An Eye On: Ryan Matterson was super classy for City last Sunday as a centre, he'll come off the bench for the Chooks and it will be interesting to see what role he plays. Maybe off the bench to cover Jake Friend?
Verdict: Roosters <12. The Roosters are coming back around.