Storm vs Knights

The 13

Storm: Jesse Bromwich, Tohu Harris.

Knights: Danny Levi.

Bench

Storm: Kenny Bromwich, Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Brandon Smith, Jeremy Hawkins.

Knights: Haters.

Doc's Word

Injuries and weird shenanigans have robbed us of seeing Melbourne's gang of kiwi lads taking the field together this season but here we are. Jesse Bromwich and Tohu Harris start, while Kenny Bromwich and Nelson Asofa-Solomona are set to come off an extended bench which should leave Brandon Smith waiting a bit longer to make his NRL debut. The prospect of Kenny's footwork and ball-playing in combination with the brutish impact of Asofa-Solomona has me excited and we could see Kenny play through the middle, or out on an edge.

Eels vs Warriors

The 13

Eels: Brad Takairangi, Kirisome Auva'a, Josh Hoffman, Suaia Matagi, Manu Ma'u.

Warriors: All but Blake Ayshford, Ryan Hoffman.

Bench

Eels: Kenny Edwards, Marata Niukore.

Warriors: All but Jacob Lillyman.

Doc's Word

Last time these two teams played in Auckland, I zoned in on the returns of Suaia Matagi and Manu Ma'u to their former Auckland Vulcans stomping ground. Now they will host the Warriors and we should expect them to be eager to stamp their mark on the contest. Matagi will be the one to watch as he will need to shoulder much of the burden in the opening exchanges with Tim Mannah out injured.

Dragons vs Tigers

The 13

Dragons: Jason Nightingale, Taane Milne, Kalifa Faifai Loa, Russell Packer.

Tigers: Malakai Watene-Zelezniak, Tuimoala Lolohea, Matt McIlwrick, Ava Seumanufagai, Elijah Taylor.

Bench

Dragons: Leeson Ah Mau.

Tigers: Esan Marsters, Michael Chee-Kam.

Doc's Word

Tuimoala Lolohea makes his Tigers debut in the halves and how he operates alongside Jack Littlejohn will make for interesting Saturday evening viewing. Lolohea is fairly similar to Mitchell Moses in that they are both slick runners of the footy and in theory, Lolohea should slot right in on the Tigers right edge. Esan Marsters also got a cheeky nod of approval from Ivan Cleary by getting one of the extended bench spots and while he won't play, it shows that he's close to selection.

Roosters vs Broncos

The 13

Roosters: Joseph Manu, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Sio Siua Taukeiaho.

Broncos: Jordan Kahu, Adam Blair.

Bench

Roosters: Isaac Liu.

Broncos: Alex Glenn, Herman Ese'ese, Kodi Nikorima, Benji Marshall.

Doc's Word

As the Roosters are truckin' along very nicely this season, there's even more reason to tune in and catch Sio Siua Taukeiaho playing. Taukeiaho will start at lock after doing a job on the edge and he's the most slept on #KiwiNRL toko in the league, especially when he's playing through the middle. There's plenty of size in that Roosters pack and that's nothing new for the Broncos but it's Taukeiaho's footwork and speed that will cause headaches for Brisbane's middle men.

Cowboys vs Titans

The 13

Cowboys: Antonio Winterstein, Jason Taumalolo.

Titans: Konrad Hurrell, Leivaha Pulu.

Bench

Cowboys: Kalyn Ponga.

Titans: Paterika Vaivai, Nathaniel Peteru, Eddy Pettybourne.

Doc's Word

Two more #KiwiNRLK tokos will do battle through the middle here with the champion Jason Taumalolo accepting a challenge from Warriors-bound Leivaha Pulu. Pulu has a bit more skill than Taumalolo and loves an offload while Taumalolo is the champion for obvious reasons and much of the Titans' defensive scheme will involve Pulu hunting Taumalolo, limiting his metre-eating.

Sea Eagles vs Raiders

The 13

Sea Eagles: Martin Taupau.

Raiders: Jordan Rapana, Iosia Soliola.

Bench

Sea Eagles: Lewis Brown, Addin Fonua-Blake.

Raiders: Joseph Tapine.

Doc's Word

Addin Fonua-Blake and Joseph Tapine will come off the bench for Manly and Canberra respectively, yet this promises to be another powerful battle between two #KiwiNRL middle forwards. Tapine has chopped and changed between starting and coming off the bench, while Fonua-Blake has played his part in Sea Eagles team that is doing a lot better than many thought they would. 

Bulldogs vs Panthers

The 13

Bulldogs: Haters.

Panthers: Dean Whare, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, Corey Harawira-Naera.

Bench

Bulldogs: Sam Kasiano, Greg Eastwood, Francis Tualau, Renouf To'omaga.

Panthers: Sitaleki Akauola, Peta Hiku, Moses Leota, Te Maire Martin.

Doc's Word

Corey Harawira-Naerea has benefited greatly from James Fisher-Harris' misfortune and continues to enjoy a starting role out on the edge. I suspect Matt Moylan will defend beside Harawira-Naera and if that's the case, the Doggies will throw all sorts of traffic at Moylan which means Harawira-Naera will need to get his bodyguard boots on to protect his skipper.

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