The tipsters on the NRL.com panel are favouring a Storm-Rabbitohs grand final, but those teams don't have things all their own way.
A Panthers side that has lost just six matches over the last two seasons and a Manly side that looked ultra-impressive last weekend aren't to be discounted.
That the Panthers have only scored two tries over their first two 2021 finals matches doesn't look great, but their defence has been just what is needed to be any chance of taking down Melbourne.
If the Manly and South Sydney attacking units are on song, Friday night's match could go down as one of the best preliminary finals in recent times.
On the NRL.com tipping panel leaderboard, there is sure to be some movement at the top this weekend. While the top three (Alicia Newton, the Lone Scout and Niav Owens) have all taken the Storm, Niav has tipped Manly.
As a result, she will either be in a tie for the lead (first on countback) or out of the running to finish the year in top spot come Saturday night.
If you need help on how each of the remainings teams are looking, Jamie Soward's Power Rankings is the best place to go for an accurate gauge on who's travelling well and who's doing not so well.
Tipping note: Due to the rescheduling of NRLW fixtures, the 2021 NRL Tipping Competition will now NOT include the NRLW fixtures and revert to the same scenario as prior years where the nine matches of the NRL Finals Series count as round 26 and also as a prize month.
So, make sure you tip all the way to grand final day of the NRL season.
