Gold Coast Titans vs North Queensland Cowboys

Thursday June 2 | Cbus Super Stadium | 7.50pm AEST

The Titans’ disappointing season continues with only three wins from their past 12 outings, including last week’s second half capitulation when losing to the Broncos. After playing spectacular footy in the first half, the Titans stopped to a halt as the Broncos competed a stunning comeback. It’s clear the Titans are capable of playing the level of footy that is competitive against most sides, but they can rarely produce it for 80 minutes. The Cowboys winning streak came to an end last week with a 22-0 loss to the Panthers. They still sit in third spot on the ladder and there were enough positive signs to suggest they should breeze past the Titans and get back to their winning ways, despite having six named for Origin. The Cowboys also triumphed 30-4 over the Titans from back in Round 7 and it’ll again be their defence which should come to the fore.

Suggested bet: 2u Cowboys -4.5 at $1.90

Penrith Panthers vs Canterbury Bulldogs

Friday June 3 | BlueBet Stadium | 7.55pm AEST

The Panthers high-flying season reaches its biggest test with six of their stars called up for Origin duty. They face the Bulldogs who surprisingly have Josh Addo-Carr in the line-up, and he’ll be looking to prove a point after being snubbed for Origin. But the reality is this is still a top versus bottom clash – and the Bulldogs come off another defeat to the Dragons in front of their home fans. The Panthers have also won the last four meetings by 20+ points.

Suggested bet: 1u Panthers -10.5 at $1.90

Manly Sea Eagles vs New Zealand Warriors

Saturday June 4 | 4 Pines Park | 7.35pm AEST

Manly is ripe for picking as it sits on the precipice of missing the top eight. They were pretty average last week losing to the Storm and were never even close to being in the fight. It appears the loss of Tom Trbojevic for the rest of the season will take a serious toll. It gets tougher for Manly with some key players missing due to Origin, while the Warriors welcome back some key personnel. The numbers are against the Warriors, with Manly winning the last two meetings by six points or less. Sydney has also won its last six matches on a nine-day turnaround. But is a different scenario though and the Warriors should be competitive.

Suggested bet: 1u Warriors +4.5 at $1.90

Canberra Raiders vs Sydney Roosters

Sunday June 5 | GIO Stadium | 4.05pm AEST

Tricky clash here with the Roosters losing a bevy is stars to Origin duty just as they were finding their mojo. The Roosters have looked back to their best in the past four weeks, losing only to Penrith in that period. It’s a similar story for the Raiders, who were valiant in losing to the Eels last week, which denied them four straight wins. The Raiders also have some gun players unavailable due to Origin. Whilst I’d love to side with Canberra, the loss of Josh Papalii and Jack Wighton is hard to replace and the Roosters have won this clash the last two times by big margins.

No suggested bet