Bulldogs vs Sea Eagles

Match Up: Will Hopoate vs Tom Trbojevic. Yet another NRL battle between two exceptional fullbacks who spark most of their team's attack. This will be a good gauge to see where Trbojevic is at, facing off against the more experience Hopoate in a game that Manly simply must win if they are to hold on to any hope of making the Finals. 

Key Man: Jamie Lyon slots back into the halves with Daly Cherry-Evans, meaning that Lyon will take on most of the play-making down their right edge. Lyon can switch things up with Dylan Walker who will play right centre as well so watch out for that, but it's Lyon's touches of quality that will be crucial in keeping the Doggies pegged down their end of the field.

Keep An Eye On: It's got to the point when you've simply gotta awake from your slumber whenever Sam Kasiano enters the arena as he's a near-certainty to do something crazy. Kasiano only plays around 25 minutes a game, however he's got plenty of impact and don't judge the Bulldogs until after Kasiano has been on the field for a few sets.

Verdict: Bulldogs <12. Big stage and the Doggies are nearing their peak.

Broncos vs Eels

Match Up: Matt Gillett vs Manu Ma'u. If Ma'u lines up on the left edge, he'll come up against Gillett and this will be an interesting stylistic match up as Ma'u oozes aggression while Gillett relies more on his speed and footwork. Both are physical though and Gillett will keep Ma'u on his toes at all times, if Ma'u lines up on the right then he'll be up against Sam Thaiday which will be equally as interesting.

Key Man: Ben Hunt simply needs to stand up at this stage of the season. He's been in a season-long slump and many have questioned his future in Brisbane, so if ever there was a time to roll through your best footy, it starts on a Friday night at Suncorp. 

Keep An Eye On: I think we'll also be treated to James Roberts vs Michael Jennings, so don't blink.

Verdict: Broncos <12. Surely.

Tigers vs Titans

Match Up: Mitchell Moses vs Jarryd Hayne. Last week I had Moses in a battle against Michael Morgan, this week he's up against Hayne and judging on Hayne's first game back last week, this will be highly entertaining. Moses has more tricks up his sleeve, yet Hayne is a gun so who knows how it will play out but I know that Hayne will likely run at Moses, a lot.

Key Man: Greg Bird will be charged with killing the buzz of the Tigers, niggling them and slowing them down. Last week the Tigers earned a victory on the back of enthusiasm and you can almost guarantee that Bird will be having none of that, also look for Bird to play close to 80 minutes as the Titans need his effort through the middle.

Keep An Eye On: Jordan Rankin slipping into dummy half for the Tigers and any positional changes on the fly for the Titans with Hayne starting in the halves. 

Verdict: Titans <12. Hayne's had a week and they'll grind away ... possibly game of the round though.

Warriors vs Rabbitohs

Match Up: Jazz Tevaga vs Damien Cook. Assuming that Tevaga will start, he'll line up against another young hooker in Cook with both Tevaga and Cook sitting a few notches below the game's best dummy halves. Both will focus on their distribution and getting the ball to the right pair of hands at the right time, don't sleep on who has the greater influence when running the footy though.

Key Man: Ben Matulino's impact off the bench is such that if the Warriors can maintain parity for the opening 20 minutes - if not dominate - then they should be able to blow the Rabbitohs away with Matulino's injection. His metres are handy, but it's more about the speed at which he can play-the-ball after making those 10m as this gets the Warriors rollin'.

Keep An Eye On: How will Blake Ayshford feature this week?

Verdict: Warriors >12. Too strong up the guts.

Dragons vs Sharks

Match Up: Tyson Frizell vs Wade Graham. Not only will Frizell be lacing up in a local derby against his former club, he's going to be lacing up against the homie Graham and these two will have one heck of a battle. Frizell is all-power, he'll hit the ball hard and look to get an offload out if he can while we know that Graham has all the skills in the book and he'll try to establish a physical battle with Frizell before laying it on for those around him.

Key Man: Michael Ennis is back and we've simply gotta assume that he's gonna make Cronulla that much better than they were last week. Much of this won't be measurable by stats and a basic look; it's the control that Ennis has which makes him so effective for Cronulla.

Keep An Eye On: Luciano Leilua is on an extended bench, I'd suggest that at this stage of the season, the Dragons need him in their 17.

Verdict: Sharks >12. The local derby aspect should keep this close, Cronulla should be too clinical though.

Knights vs Panthers

Match Up: Trent Hodkinson vs Nathan Cleary. Yup, another interesting halfback match up for Cleary and another experienced halfback in Hodkinson who could be made to look average by Cleary's wizardry. Obviously Hodkinson could put cleary in the shade and with Jarrod Mullen by his side, Newcastle aren't as bad as their standing suggests but anyone who has watched Cleary recently knows that he'll probably put on a clinic.

Key Man: Penrith have the attacking firepower to trouble many teams, however Trent Merrin's work through the middle is what their whole game is based around. Merrin will come up against a young, eager and aggressive forward pack who will look to throw their weight around, meaning that Merrin will have to once again lead this Penrith side through the trenches.

Keep An Eye On: If it's not Sitaleki Akauola adding some power off the bench, then it's Chris Grevsmuhl and that's what has given Penrith an extra gear in recent weeks as they've added that second wave of impact off their bench.

Verdict: Penrith >12. Meh.

Roosters vs Cowboys

Match Up: Boyd Cordner vs Ethan Lowe. Despite the Roosters struggling to get results, Cordner has been one of the best forwards in the NRL over the past month or so and how Lowe goes about limiting his effectiveness will be very interesting.

Key Man: Mitchell Pearce returns and he could be the icing on the cake that the Chooks need, as they've been playing alright without a ruthless touch. Pearce has been mentioned as being in the mix for a Kangaroos spot later this year and with the Roosters struggling, he's gotta show that he can lead this team around the park and set the tone when there's not much to play for.

Keep An Eye On: Ray Thompson slots into dummy half for Jake Granville and with Patrick Kaufusi coming on to the bench for Ben Hannant, the Cowboys are flexing their depth.

Verdict: Cowboys <12. They need a win here to get them in the mood for Finals footy.

Raiders vs Storm

Match Up: Josh Hodgson vs Cameron Smith. I've got these two as the two best hookers in the NRL at the moment and this is going to be a battle for the rugby league nerds as we're going to be treated to a show of dummy half excellence. They run, however they aren't dynamic runners they are craftier and their wizardry comes in the form of play-making as they can set other blokes up like halfbacks as well as kicking like halfbacks as well. Smith will play 80 minutes and Hodgson will like slot into lock with Adam Clydsdale coming on at hooker.

Key Man: Tohu Harris has been in exceptional form recently and this week he'll line up against the infamous right edge of the Canberra Raiders. Expect the Storm to pump their left edge, mainly through Harris to keep Joseph Leilua busy defensively so he makes more tackles than he usually does. It starts with Harris' running ability though and he's got the size/footwork to ensure that the Raiders' right edge will be in for a long Monday night.

Keep An Eye On: This is what I consider to be the best Storm squad for 2016 with Nelson Asofa-Solomona back on their bench. Barring injury, this will be the group to take them into the Finals and how they perform in Canberra on a shitty Monday night will tell us a lot about their Premiership credentials.

Verdict: Storm <12. I'm taking the Storm showing off their Premiership credentials.