"G, tell your mate Chad Townsend that he's all shit"

Rabbitohs vs Dragons

Match Up: Alex Johnston vs Josh Dugan. Johnston has only recently made the permanent move back to fullback and he'll come up against Dugan, who is arguably the best running fullback in the NRL. They're both gun runners, one quick and nimble the other big and strong but whoever has the greater influence with their passing could turn this game in their team's favour.

Key Man: Mike Cooper will pack down at lock, opposite to fellow Englishman Sam Burgess and with no Jack de Belin or Joel Thompson, the Dragons will need Cooper to lead the way in terms of physicality and aggression.

Keep An Eye On: Nathan Brown has been consistently solid this season and is an unsung hero of the Bunnies' forward pack, plus watch out for Jack Gosiewski coming off the bench for them as well.

Verdict: Rabbitohs <12. Too big up front.

Cowboys vs Broncos

Match Up: Jonathan Thurston vs Ben Hunt. This match up interests me as I want to see who controls the game better for their respective team. Both halfbacks are partnered with running halves/razzle dazzle halves leaving Thurston and Hunt with much of the responsibility to steer their team around the park. In what should be a tight game, it could come down to field position and it will be interesting to see if Hunt can hang with Thurston's kicking game.

Key Man: Jason Taumalolo is the difference between the two forward packs and his work around the ruck area, with the footy tucked under his wing will be crucial. There'll be metres through the middle, but it will also draw defenders in to the middle which could open some space for their edge-threats.

Keep An Eye On: Patrick Kaufusi continues to make a great impression early in his career, don't sleep on the Broncos returning to a full-strength team.

Verdict: Cowboys <12. Up in Townsville, so yeah.

Tigers vs Knights

Match Up: Luke Brooks vs Trent Hodkinson. Brooks has reached a bit of a plateau in his career while things aren't exactly going too well for Hodkinson and this match up could reveal who's in a worse spot.

Key Man: If Aaron Woods is near his best, he could get the Tigers rolling forward and dominating the middle of the park by himself.

Keep An Eye On: Elijah Taylor gets another start, so look out for how he helps the Tigers defensively through the middle and Josh Aloiai is slid out to an edge.

Verdict: Tigers >12. Won't be as hefty as last week.

Warriors vs Raiders

Match Up: Issac Luke vs Josh Hodgson. The Raiders hooker has been in incredible form to start the season while Luke hasn't quite had the same impact, but is building nicely towards his best work. Both are crisp passers while Luke has the advantage with his running game and Hodgson is a far better kicker.

Key Man: We are yet to really see a complete performance from Johnson this season and as he spends more time alongside Thomas Leuluai, you'd have to think that we are getting closer to that. Johnson has to run the footy, as is always the case but we also need to see his kicking game shine against the Raiders who have a few kicking masters themselves.

Keep An Eye On: Jeff Lima's return gives the Raiders forward pack a rugged edge and Mathew Allwood finally gets a start for the Warriors.

Verdict: Warriors <12. Up and down, this is the up.

Sharks vs Sea Eagles

Match Up: Chad Townsend vs Daly Cherry-Evans. With the Sharks flying high, there's been a lot of talk about Townsend and how well he's been playing. There's also been plenty of talk about Cherry-Evans and how he's settling into this new wave at Manly, so this battle between the two halfbacks will not only be crucial to their team's performance but also very interesting as we see who is really capable of stepping up.

Key Man: This is a game designed for Michael Ennis, but in those sorts of games you need Ben Barba's spark to really stack the points up. Barba's unpredictability and speed gives the Sharks a heavy dose of x-factor and with Barba firing, Manly will also need to contemplate guys like Jack Bird and Valentine Holmes.

Keep An Eye On: Ricky Leutele starts on the bench, with Gerard Beale starting at centre which is pretty odd once again but this sort of rotation is clearly working for the Sharks.

Verdict: Sharks <12. They're good and could be even better with players playing for Origin spots.

Panthers vs Titans

Match Up: At some stage the likes of Leilani Latu, Suaia Matagi, James Fisher-Harris, Leivaha Pulu, Agnatius Paasi and Nathan Peats will enter this game off the bench and they will only take this game up a notch. Look out for who has the biggest impact on the game and with bench can spark their team into life.

Key Man: Matt Moylan has been mentioned as a possible NSW fullback, perhaps the most likely NSW fullback and he hasn't had to really stamp his mark on recent games. Expect Moylan to get his hands on plenty of footy and really make the most of his combination with the veteran halves.

Keep An Eye On: Offloads, there'll be plenty.

Verdict: Panthers <12. I'm slightly worried about the niggly/rugged nature of the Titans forward pack but if the Panthers forwards can match that, they've got the class to get the win.

Bulldogs vs Roosters

Match Up: Can't really go past the battle between the forwards from either team as they both have beastly forward packs who are the focal point of their team's style of play. The recent returns of Sio Siua Taukeiaho and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves give the Chooks a boost while Des Hasler has recently switched things up a wee bit with his forward pack as well with David Klemmer starting at lock, Raymond Faitala-Mariner on the bench etc.

Key Man: Jackson Hastings has welcomed Mitchell Pearce back into the Roosters halves, which has eased the pressure on him. What interests me about Hastings here is that there's going to be a whole lot of niggle and hype from both teams, while Hastings appears to be a very calm character ... with all the skills. If Hastings can simply roll through his bag of tricks while the big boys go at it, the Roosters will go close.

Keep An Eye On: What can Englishman Joe Burgess do with consistent game time on the wing?

Verdict: Roosters <12. Toss up.

Eels vs Storm

Match Up: Out on the edges we'll be treated to Manu Ma'u/Beau Scott vs Kevin Proctor/Kenny Bromwich which ticks all the boxes in terms of match ups that get me fizzing. Ma'u and Scott are next level aggressors, hard-nuts if you will while Proctor tends to do most of his work running great lines and the young Bromwich has speed/footwork combo that can trouble even the best defenders ... like Ma'u and Scott.

Key Men: Jordan McLean and Dale Finucane will be tasked with following up Jesse Bromwich's work through the middle, especially at the start of this game when the intensity will be peaking. McLean has been low key great this season and Finucane is the hard working lock that goes under the radar, both are young and fit the Craig Bellamy mould perfectly.

Keep An Eye On: I've loved the work of Nelson Asofa-Solomona recently, so it's only right that I highlight him. When he comes on, against this Eels pack of ruthlessness, watch out.

Verdict: Storm <12. This will be as big a challenge for the Storm as last week's game against the Cowboys.