Leilani Latu and Suaia Matagi could be the most brutal play-making combo in the NRL.

Broncos vs Raiders

Match Up: Sam Thaiday vs Junior Paulo. Thaiday shifts into the middle to accommodate Alex Glenn and Matt Gillett, plus I reckon Wayne Bennett has noted the damage caused by Paulo through the middle. Thaiday and Paulo will go at it in the first 20 minutes, it will then be interesting to see if Thaiday's experience sees him sustain his impact or if Paulo can really stamp his authority on Thaiday and this Broncos pack.

Key Man: Ben Hunt has largely been M.I.A. this season and especially through the Broncos slump that they are currently in. He will need to keep the Broncos in the right areas of the field, especially as we can expect the Raiders to put a whole lot of pressure on former Canberra star Anthony Milford. The Broncos aren't the same team when Hunt isn't offering control of the highest level, plus keep an eye on his running game which has also been absent.

Keep An Eye On: Zac Santo slots in at fullback for Jack Wighton who is out suspended, just as Wighton had put a strong game up last week. Santo has come down to Canberra from Townsville with good judges saying how talented he is, now he gets an opportunity and this also points to the Raiders having solid depth, possibly the sort of depth needed to push deep into the finals.

Verdict: Broncos <12. I like the Raiders here, I just can't see Brisbane suffering another defeat.

Tigers vs Rabbitohs

Match Up: Robbie Farah vs Cameron McInnes. First and foremost, we have no idea if Farah will actually start as Tigers coach Jason Taylor is playing some extremely weird selection games with the Tigers. If Farah does start, he will face off against McInnes who is a young hooker and an impressive young hooker at that. McInnes loves to run the footy, mixing it up with the big boppers through the middle and I'll take a keen interest in who is more dominant, if it's McInnes then it doesn't look so good for Farah.

Key Man: Greg Inglis has played in the halves for a few weeks now and I don't think it's a coinkidink that his move there has coincided with some hot Rabbitohs form. While Inglis is a dominant force, what's crucial to this Rabbitohs team is the balance he offers as he can still slide out to centre or do some fullback stuff with Cody Walker spending a play in the halves. This gives the Rabbitohs a few different looks and makes them very tough to stop.

Keep An Eye On: Siosifa Talakai looks like a force on the edge for the Bunnies while Mitchell Moses and Luke Brooks have recently taken up their contract option with the Tigers, hopefully that will allow them to settle and focus on their footy antics.

Verdict: Tigers <12. The Tigers always get up to face the Bunnies, they've got their spine in tact and a low key strong forward pack.

Knights vs Warriors

Match Up: Pauli Pauli vs Bodene Thompson. With the Knights playing an expansive, attacking style of footy, Pauli has enjoyed a more prominent role as he's a big lad out on the edge that gets them going forward or offers a bit of skill with an offload. He plays on the Knights' left edge and will line up against Thompson who plays on the Warriors' right edge. Thompson gives up a size advantage but has the footwork and speed to trouble Pauli.

Key Man: Simon Mannering has to be eager to do more than tackle and run. It sounds so simple but the Warriors are at their worst when Mannering isn't pushing an offload or running to the line and firing a pass out the back to Shaun Johnson/Tui Lolohea/Thomas Leuluai.

Keep An Eye On: This is an interesting stylistic match up with the Knights capable of scoring points from anywhere and the Warriors coming off a win in which they had some fun. Neither team is overly impressive without the footy though and with both teams offering plenty on attack, the team who can slow their opponents down through the middle will get the bickies.

Verdict: Warriors <12. I can't see the Knights slowing the Warriors down, especially with the Warriors coming out of their own territory via big outside backs.

Eels vs Titans

Match Up: Corey Norman vs Ashley Taylor. Norman has been a slick operator all season but must now play a lone hand in the play-making duties as the Eels don't have a fullback or hooker who can genuinely offer assistance. He'll come up against Taylor, who has been impressive in recent weeks and this will ensure that the Eels put plenty of pressure on him. I've got Taylor winning this little match up battle in another classy display.

Key Man: Ryan James was monumental last week and the battle for any young player is in stacking up those sorts of performances week after week. James has been playing at a similar level all season though and if he shows up with the intent to bully the Eels forwards, then I don't think there's a whole lot of resistance in the middle for Parramatta - not with Junior Paulo now in Canberra.

Keep An Eye On: We're still waiting for a Konrad Hurrell sighting and we may have to keep waiting as Josh Hoffman and Nathan Davis are doing a nice job in the centres for Gold Coast.

Verdict: Titans >12. This is a nice barometer game for the Titans as they could show their potential, or what is holding them back.

Roosters vs Storm

Match Up: There's a fair few epic battles that will go down in this game but I've settled on Latrell Mitchell vs Cameron Munster. Mitchell is a talented young player but he's in the shade of Munster who enjoys his time out of the spotlight in Melbourne and has to be close to James Tedesco in terms of young fullback influence. Mitchell is big, strong and quick while Munster is more subtle with better footwork and more skill.

Key Man: Again, key blokes across the park here but up against a huge Roosters forward pack I've gone with Jordan McLean. He's been rather solid this season and we can expect Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Jesse Bromwich to cancel each other out, leaving McLean up against some of the NRL's more ruthless big boppers. Can McLean genuinely kick it and keep the Storm rolling forward through the opening bonanza?

Keep An Eye On: Suddenly the Roosters need Jackson Hastings after dropping him, which gives Hastings an opportunity to show what he can do at this level. This has huge implications in a wider context as Hastings could be viewed as surplus to requirements if he doesn't take this opportunity. If he does take it with open arms, then the Chooks have some interesting selection decisions.

Verdict: Storm <12. We've seen that the Storm have found another gear, but can they deal with the Roosters forward pack? I believe so.

Sea Eagles vs Panthers

Match Up: Dylan Walker vs Bryce Cartwright. Walker slots back into the halves and needs to prove his worth against Cartwright, who is also moving into the halves from an edge. The both have an x-factor to their games which will keep things funky and don't expect them to worry themselves with basic halves duties, these two will offer plenty of excitement.

Key Man: Matt Moylan is the Panthers skipper and is now their senior play-maker as Peter Wallace will be locked in at dummy half. Moylan has all the skills required to offer slick touches when called upon, but we'll need to see Moylan's full arsenal if the Panthers are to score enough points to beat Manly as they'll definitely leak a few points.

Keep An Eye On: Suaia Matagi and Leilani Latu will be interesting to watch with both starting in the middle of the park. They have already struck up a nice combination with each other and are both able to offer some punch with their running as well as putting someone else into a hole with a nice pass.

Verdict: Panthers >12. This Panthers side is all-attack and I'm struggling to see how Manly will stop them.

Dragons vs Bulldogs

Match Up: Euan Aitken vs Kerrod Holland. Hopefully we'll see these two line up opposite each other as they are both young centres with a fair bit of talent. I prefer Aitken and he's been doing a great job with consistent game time for the Dragons, I'm interested in how Holland deals with Aitken and also how Holland intends to get the wood over Aitken as the Dragons centre is strong defensively.

Key Man: Mitch Rein loves to scoot out of dummy half and against the Doggies he'll need to run as often as possible. The Dragons could struggle with their go-forward against a strong Bulldogs pack, Rein will help ease the pressure with his running game and this will enable the likes of Benji Marshall and Gareth Widdop a wee bit more time and space to run their plays.

Keep An Eye On: There's interesting battles out in the centres but I'd also keep an eye on the Tyson Frizell vs Raymond Faitala-Mariner and Joel Thompson vs Josh Jackson. Frizell is better than Faitala-Mariner while Jackson's better than Thompson, but it'll be fun to watch when either team hits their edges.

Verdict: Dragons <12. Difficult to go past the Bulldogs advantage in the forwards but the Dragons have a settled team now and it will show.

Sharks vs Cowboys

Match Up: Paul Gallen vs Jason Taumalolo. Does this need explaining?

Key Man: Michael Morgan slots back in the halves, replacing Ray Thompson who did a great job over the recent Origin period. Morgan will be a nightmare for James Maloney/Chad Townsed to defend and expect Morgan to run the footy as often as possible, especially when he's receiving a pass from Jonathan Thurston.

Keep An Eye On: We know Andrew Fifita is a genuine freak in the middle for the Sharks but this is an interesting game for Fifita as he'll face off against the best middle-trio (Taumalolo/Scott/Tamou) in the NRL. Fifita's mobility will be a problem for the Cowboys, especially when he's going on his funky runs across the field and I'm intrigued as to how the Cowboys will look to limit Fifita's influece ... put a shot on a few times?

Also, John Asiata has settled back into this Cowboys team and is doing a wonderful job off the bench with his footwork, but more importantly it's his passing ability that stands out. With Asiata in great form, the Cowboys have the same rotations as last year and that's not good for the rest of the NRL.

Verdict: Cowboys <12. Absorb the middle threat and their class will show.