Round 11 Preview

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Chip and Chase

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Daniel's too slow, and I may not be around a computer tomorrow to reply to his. So I thought I'd get in first with my thoughts on this weeks games.

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It is going to be one of those tough rounds where you have to guess / calculate / allow / compensate for the missing State of Origin players. Obviously it will affect some teams more than others. After getting a reasonable return last week, with only the bloody Warriors letting me down, Im going to try and back up this week.

Eels v Sea Eagles

SOO duties will rob us of 2/3 of our backrow strikepower this week, which is going to be more difficult to cover than the loss of front rowers over the last two weeks. We have the prop situation under control this week, but really need Beaver and Harris to stand up, and will be interested to see how young Stewart handles the rise in grade. Harris has run into a bit of form, so hopefully he can take on Watmoughs hard running role this week. Obviously the Eels are without Coinslot Hindmarsh, but I think they can cover him. We really need to be tight in the ruck and watch the slippery Eels from dummy half. John Morris carved us up last year with his darts, and now they have PJ and Riddell (who will go every time when he is near our line). Marker defence has to be spot on. Hope to see a little more from Monas in attack this week, although couldnt fault his defence last week, which may be handy as they like to run their backrowers a little wide, especially Widders off the bench. Could be worthwhile testing McKinnon and Burt under the highball, but they are probably thinking the same thing about Donald. Parra off the bye may be a slight plus for us. A little nervous about this one as Parra have been playing some good footy and they seem to be coming together as a team. Of course I will be tipping the Sea Eagles, but with less confidence than last week. Manly by 7 (do we have a decent drop goal specialist this year ?? Is Witt any good ??)

Storm v Bulldogs

The Storm blew out the cobwebs from their bye against a lacklustre Souths outfit last week. However they have lost Slater, King and Smith to SOO, which in my opinion is a big loss for them, especially Smith. The Bulldogs are missing Ryan. The Dogs werent that bad against Manly last week, and had ample opportunities to get some points on the board in the second half, except some scrambling defence or poor handling on their part kept them out. The Dogs have a good record against the Storm, even in Melbourne, so Im going to go for them this week. I think they showed enough last week to suggest theyll be too strong for the Storm, especially if a few passes stick and a few bounces go their way.

Knights v Dragons

The Dragons have been devastated by SOO duties, so they look like a PL side this week, and this will certainly be a test of their depth. Can this week be the week the Knights break their duck ? I doubt it with the team they have named. Despite the game being played in front of their home crowd, I think the loss of Buderus really robs the Knights of any spark. There is a good enough mix of experience and youthful exuberance in the Dragons second string pack to get over the top of the Knights, and for some reason the Dragons always stand up this time of the year and win against the odds (although they will more than likely start favourites this week). The Dragons by 14.

Rabbits v Warriors

The poor old Bunnies, it must feel like Groundhog Day out Redfern way. Every season they buy in a couple of has beens, who invariably under perform or get injured, leaving the rest of the lowly paid leftovers as cannon fodder. Fletcher has cashed in his super and is off to England for a holiday next year, so dont expect any effort from him for the rest of the season. They have lost their only shining light in Ashley Harrison, ironically pinged for a grapple tackle against the best exponents of it in the game. Luke McDougall is also facing a lengthy stint on the sideline, which robs them of the only player in their backline who looks capable of scoring a try. The Warriors have been thereabouts for the last 3 rounds, losing in close ones by 2, 4 and 4 points respectively. Im not sure what that means, they are either very competitive, or are incapable of closing out tight games for wins. I dont think they will have any problems this week, despite Steve Price being out. If they dont win this week than they can start thinking about end of season trips. If they get out to an early lead and get some confidence, they may start to play that hot potato style, and if the passes stick than they can rack up 50+ on the South Sydney Turnstiles.

Tigers v Raiders

The Raiders blew what should have been a match winning lead against the Sharks, however poor discipline (or suspect refereeing if you live in Canberra) cost them dearly as the Sharks got weight of possession on the back of a horrendous penalty count. The Raiders did rally to finish strongly but couldnt get over the line. The loss of Woolford this week weakens them somewhat, but they rely so heavily on Smith that it wont effect them too much. They travel all right, having won 3 from 4 away from home this year, and Campbelltown is just up the Hume from them. The Tigers broke their run of losses against the last placed Knights, which was as expected, but difficult to use as a form guide. The Tigers seem to have no problems scoring points, its stopping the opposition from scoring thats their problem. Im not sure about this one, the Raiders seem the most unlikely of teams but the keep performing each week. So on the basis of Smith terrorising Benji Marshall, Im going for the Raiders in a high scoring affair.

Panthers v Sharks

Another tough one. The Sharks hung on against the Raiders, and the Panthers were right in it against the Dragons until last 20 minutes when the score blew out. The Panthers are without Rooney and Ross, but they can cover them without too much problem. They are also at home, but their record there this year hasnt been that impressive. The Sharks lose Kimmorley, which is a big loss, and history suggests they struggle without him on the field. The Panthers really need to win this week to stay in touch, and with guys like Wesser, Campbell, Gower and Priddis you would think they would have enough firepower. I would imagine with Kimmorley out, Peachey will take it upon himself to get more involved in attack. This can only be a good thing from Penrith's perspective, as there will no doubt be more than the occasional brain explosion. I feel Penrith will get their season heading back in the right direction, and guys like Wesser, Lewis, Waterhouse and Clinton may have a point to prove to the SOO selectors. Panthers by 14
 
I wont be doing a round preview this week after this weeks stress
 
Top work Chippy, Monas does the drop goals......He kicks them over the sideline and over the posts.....hehe
 
Cheers mate.
Disagree about the storm dogs prediction, think it will go the other way but like most games this year you just never know.

It was monas that kicked the field goal in his 3rd time lucky attempt against the storm.

Witt kicks the goal line drop out so can probably kick them as well
 

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