The Raiders have played their way into the NRL top four but with injuries hitting hard they face a tough test against a red-hot Rabbitohs team in Canberra this Saturday night.
It's one of three matches this week featuring all top-eight teams, with the Storm kicking off the first of them against the Wests Tigers on Thursday night and the round ending with Cronulla's clash with an overachieving Manly side on Sunday.
Elsewhere crunch time has come early for the Panthers in a home clash with the Warriors, the Broncos come up against reigning premiers the Roosters in a Friday night blockbuster, and the Dragons and Knights will be looking to break into the top eight when they face off on Sunday.
Before you enter your tips for round nine, see who the NRL.com experts are backing and read Brett Kimmorley's previews.
Round 10 tips and previews
Storm v Wests Tigers, Thursday 7.50pm at AAMI Park
Brett Kimmorley says: Craig Bellamy certainly got the response he wanted from his team last week – after the Sharks loss he questioned whether they were the right players going forward and they responded by thrashing the Eels. They had big performances from Smith, Munster, and Curtis Scott who starred in his return but will obviously be missing now for a number of weeks. Meanwhile for the Tigers we saw a bit of magic from Benji and Robbie as they made light work of Penrith. I think the battle in this game is between the two sixes and the two nines. They're all so important to victory for their club, and whoever gets on top in that battle will win on Thursday night. Storm by 6.
Match: Storm v Wests Tigers
Round 10 -
home Team
Storm
2nd Position
away Team
Wests Tigers
7th Position
Venue: AAMI Park, Melbourne
Panthers v Warriors, Friday 6pm at Panthers Stadium
Brett Kimmorley says: The Warriors have been inconsistent but Tuivasa-Sheck was back to his best last week. He's not a vocal captain but when he plays well they all follow him. It's up to him again to spark the Warriors. We've said for a number of weeks now that the Panthers' season is on the line, but it's round 10 now – Penrith have to start winning. They've got to stop conceding penalties, they've got to compete at about 85% and they've got to give their halves the chance to build a bit of pressure and show how good they are. They're good players but they're just lacking a bit of form and confidence at the moment. Warriors by 4.
Match: Panthers v Warriors
Round 10 -
home Team
Panthers
16th Position
away Team
Warriors
10th Position
Venue: BlueBet Stadium, Penrith
Broncos v Roosters, Friday 7.55pm at Suncorp Stadium
This is a big test for the Broncos. They get James Segayaro who I think will be exciting for them – I think he's a great ball runner and a good ball-player, he'll add a bit of threat out of dummy-half. It took Anthony Seibold about five or six games last year to get South Sydney firing and it's now taken nine games to get the Broncos moving towards their best – but they'll need to be at their best because the Roosters are the benchmark of the competition: great defensively, enormous line speed, strong forwards. They've lost a couple of players but with their ability to win the arm wrestle and with Cronk, Keary and Tedesco in superb form they'll be too good. Roosters by 10.
Match: Broncos v Roosters
Round 10 -
home Team
Broncos
11th Position
away Team
Roosters
3rd Position
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Titans v Bulldogs, Saturday 3pm at Cbus Super Stadium
The Bulldogs are a rebuilding team and with Kieran Foran back, it's time for him to take ownership of this side. They need to be patient with this roster – these kids have to get 30/40 games under their belt and you can't really expect too much of them at the moment. The Titans have been one of the most disappointing sides of 2019. Last week they led at half-time and walked off like they were losing, then in the second half were blown away 16-0. Ash Taylor at some stage has got to take control of the game, he's been around long enough and pressure is starting to mount on him – he's got to show us how good he is. Bulldogs by 2.
Match: Titans v Bulldogs
Round 10 -
home Team
Titans
15th Position
away Team
Bulldogs
14th Position
Venue: Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast
Cowboys v Eels, Saturday 5.30pm at 1300Smiles Stadium
The Cowboys are getting some form back. They've got a great forward pack and have to settle on a new halves combination, but I saw some good signs from them last week. They don't make many bad defensive decisions and will get into that arm wrestle and try to win games by being composed. Parramatta's hot start to the season has cooled down pretty quickly. I thought they were very soft last week, as their coach described them, and when you get labelled soft you tend to bounce back with some individual pride. I'm looking for that from Parramatta in round 10 and I'm tipping the Eels to bounce back in an upset. Eels by 2.
Match: Cowboys v Eels
Round 10 -
home Team
Cowboys
13th Position
away Team
Eels
8th Position
Venue: 1300SMILES Stadium, Townsville
Raiders v Rabbitohs, Saturday 7.35pm at GIO Stadium
The Raiders were flying but unfortunately for Ricky Stuart injuries to Leilua, Rapana, Bateman have coincided with a couple of losses. Meanwhile nobody's really talking up how good the Rabbitohs are going. Damien Cook has certainly found his form. Adam Reynolds and Cody Walker are now in contention for Origin so there's plenty for the South Sydney halves to play for, they'll get on the back of a big forward pack and I think they'll have plenty of time to test a Raiders edge defence that will be coping with new combinations again this week. Rabbitohs by 10.
Match: Raiders v Rabbitohs
Round 10 -
home Team
Raiders
4th Position
away Team
Rabbitohs
1st Position
Venue: GIO Stadium, Canberra
Dragons v Knights Sunday 2pm at Glen Willow Oval, Mudgee
How good is taking the game to regional areas? There should be a large crowd in Mudgee for this one. The Dragons need to get back to their winning ways, as without Corey Norman they've come back to the middle of the field. Newcastle have a big chance to cause an upset here. Ponga, Pearce and Klemmer have been great for the Knights. They've changed their style, they've found some confidence, and big players can usually return to form pretty quickly and that's what the Knights are getting from those three stars. I like what they're offering up at the moment. Knights by 4.
Match: Dragons v Knights
Round 10 -
home Team
Dragons
12th Position
away Team
Knights
6th Position
Venue: Glen Willow Oval, Mudgee
Sharks v Sea Eagles, Sunday 4.05pm at PointsBet Stadium
The young kids at the Sharks are going great. It's a big week for them; they've beaten the Storm and the Titans and they want to keep this roll going. Des Hasler is doing a very good job with Manly this year but that was probably their worst game of the season last week against Brisbane. He'll be asking for them to respond and get into the contest this week. But if the Sharks can get the likes of Bronson Xerri some early ball I think Cronulla can get their third win on the trot. Sharks by 4.
Match: Sharks v Sea Eagles
Round 10 -
home Team
Sharks
9th Position
away Team
Sea Eagles
5th Position
Venue: PointsBet Stadium, Sydney
