Manly's resurgence will be tested this weekend in Canberra

Rumours are rife that the board voted 9-0 to remove Paul Langmack from the coaching role until they realised that there was no cash to pay him out. Either way, changing coach isn’t always the best solution and by now, you would hope the Bunnies realise that there is no short term fix. When Paul Dunn came to the helm of the new South Sydney, it was a long term plan that was put in place. Then before a ball was kicked in their second season Dunn was gone and Coach Craig Coleman was punted. Not a long term view. And with the quality of player ready to come on the market, next year will be a buyers market. Player prices are starting to settle and Souths will get another chance to build their stocks to a competitive level. Most administrators realise that huge short term gain isn’t achievable with the talent required and salary cap restricted. Let Langmack work the magic that he is capable of, knowing the culture he is used to.

And wholesale off-season changes don’t seem to be the answer either. Parramatta released twelve players and bought fourteen more. But of those that left, many have all turned their fortunes around. Brett Hodgson, Willie Tonga and Steve Witt are just a couple who have made strong starts with their new clubs. The acquisitions list doesn’t have the same gloss. It makes you wonder if there is a problem with the culture at Parramatta. Consistently well placed in the club championship, first grade have been underachieving. Then again, perhaps the peak period for the Eels was simply mistimed last year. From the same point onwards in 2003, Parramatta took 22 of a possible 30 points. Should they reproduce that run or close to it then the Eels will make the eight easily. There is a lot of season left to come.

Between the Dragons and Broncos high profile masses backing up from origin, this will be an interesting survival of the fittest. The Brisbane big men Civoniceva, Carlaw and Carroll have their second hit out in three days while Shane Webcke will be sidelined by a rib injury. Michael De Vere and Brent Tate also pull on Broncos colours after Wednesday. For the Dragons, Hornby, Kite and Wednesday match winner Shaun Timmins will be turning out. Ben Creagh who earned his first top grade run on spot also played on Wednesday in the NSW v Qld under 19s curtain raiser. The Broncos traditionally struggle during this section of the season. The task gets harder when you look at how St George-Illawarra is travelling at the moment. In round 26 last year Mark Riddell kicked a last minute, match winning goal for an under strength red and whites against a finals bound Broncos. I expect the two points to travel south again. Prediction: Dragons by 8.

The Sharks should eat the Bunnies alive after Souths slumped to the foot of the table again. After an uninspiring performance against the Warriors, the light at the end of the tunnel could be an oncoming train in the land of cerise and myrtle. Brad Watts and Luke MacDougall continue to try hard while Bryan Fletcher has revelled in the captaincy. Cronulla are running beautifully behind the distribution of Brett Kimmorley who now has Origin II to play for. After Manly gave them a huge scare last week the Sutherland club will want to work on protecting a lead. One would expect there to be little difficulty maintaining a buffer this weekend, but the Sharks did lose to Souths the week after beating Manly earlier in the year. Prediction: Sharks by 24.

Refreshed from the bye, the Knights tackle the Storm at EnergyAustralia Stadium. Origin hookers Cameron Smith and Danny Buderus face-off in a match where they have sway of influence. In their last starts the duo were instrumental in their teams’ victories and will need to play a staring role to achieve success for their club again. Matt Orford and Scott Hill have the chance to press for selection in what could be a reworked Blues line-up for origin II after Craig Gower injured his knee. Kurt Gidley and Steve Witt won’t go quietly into the night though, and the Knights have never lost to the Storm in Newcastle. The Storm’s forward pack will go a long way to changing that record though. With Kennedy, Abrahams and Simpson in the stands, the class of the Melbourne forwards is where the game can be won. Prediction: Storm by 10.

Off-field drama plagued the Raiders midweek with two of their senior players embroiled in a “dispute” outside of the Canberra Casino. On-field, the displays haven’t been much better with some push and shove after a try had been scored against Canberra a fortnight ago. Clinton Schifcofske is almost missing more shots at goal than he gets. All in all, the team from the nation’s capital is under the pump. And if Manly can get away to a better start this weekend, the tale of misery could continue for the “Green Machine”. Coming back from 24-6 to almost force another golden point decider, the Sea Eagles have shown what they can do when they open up. The maroon and whites love a fast finish while Canberra has come home poorly all season. Manly’s early defence will have to improve to make sure of victory. Prediction: Sea Eagles by 4.

Once considered the Roosters’ bogie team, New Zealand has shown little resistance to anyone this season. Daniel Anderson was of the opinion that victory over Souths was important no matter how ugly. But ugly is the prospect of playing Sydney in the current scheme of things. The difference between the two teams that met in the 2002 grand final is not great, yet their paths since have been markedly dissimilar. Francis Meli’s cowardly slap on Ashley Harrison personifies the style with which the Warriors have gone about their business this year. Wanting to make an impact, but not quite sure how. No Wing or Minichiello, but expect the Roosters to switch off after accumulating a largish lead. Prediction: Roosters by 22.

Penrith and Canterbury between them have nine names returning from Origin to take part in the clash at Penrith Football Stadium on Sunday afternoon. The positive for the Panthers is that those backing up are mostly in the backs. The negative is the loss of Craig Gower who damaged a medial ligament. The Panthers have ready made replacements though with Campbell and Girdler to provide the impetus from the halves. For the Bulldogs, all four returning Origin reps are forwards. After the ferocity of Wednesday’s clash, Steve Folkes will have his work cut out to maximise the effectiveness of the interchange bench. Mistakes could well decide this game. The true test for the Panthers will be how their stars back up after the mid week grind. But in this professional age and with a five day recovery period, expect the best case. Prediction: Panthers by 12.

To summarise, Wests are on a roll and Parramatta were booed of the park by their home supporters last week. Expect the trend to continue. The Tigers’ cleared an 18-6 deficit five minutes before half-time to go to the rooms at 18-all. Then a late intercept grabbed them a well deserved victory. Benji Marshall’s return and the recent form of Scott Prince and Brett Hodgson have the joint venture in close to top gear. The Eels faithful have been baying for blood after a string of disappointing performances while Dennis Fitzgerald continues to reinforce Brian Smith’s contract stability. And Smith is sticking with size naming regular back rower Dean Widders in the centres and four forwards on the bench. Parramatta’s tradition of late season runs needs to start very soon. But I doubt it will. Prediction: Tigers by 18.

While the Cowboys take a week off to nurse their origin wounds including Matt Bowen’s collar bone, what seems like a straight forward weekend may catch a few by surprise. Keep an eye out as interstate casualties force players to pull out at the last minute. As we know, most teams in the competition are capable of a form reversal or an upset. Good luck with the twelfth week of the NRL.

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source: MasterTips