Andrew Johns will have another lengthy stint on the sidelines after breaking his jaw.

The ANZAC Test has a lot of influence in rugby league circles. Not so much in the selection of the two nations’ best players, but more in terms of how tipsters everywhere select their weekend tips. Will an NRL team’s best player get injured? Will they have enough energy to back up for another match within 48 hours? Or does representative duty only bring out the best in these elite rugby league players? That’s why the Warriors get the bye this weekend. This is a weekend that highlights one advantage that MasterTips has over most sports tipping software - tipping until kick-off. You have to stick your tips in on Friday with most places, only to find a chief playmaker corks a thigh in the Test match and won’t turn out again for club on Sunday. Tip against them and sure enough he’ll come through fine and play a leading hand in his club team’s victory.

Brisbane is usually forefront in people’s minds in this regard. Providing so many players to both Queensland and Australia over the years, the Broncos are the masters at turning around. I would be a rich man if I had a dollar for every time I’d wrongly backed against them immediately after a rep fixture. But that is part of the club ethos. Play hard. Then turn around and play hard again. The Broncos, who provide four players to the Kangaroos, will take on the Sharks at the end of the round. Will their opponents have their chief playmakers, Brett Kimmorley available? Find out and tip on Sunday morning.

Eels v Tigers
When the draw was formulated for 2005, I’m not sure that anyone would have expected three Tigers to be in ANZAC Day Test teams, yet Benji Marshall, Paul Whatuira and Dene Halatau are present in a youthful Kiwi contingent. And like a junior knock out comp, these three plus Nathan Hindmarsh from the Eels will to back up the next day for the first match of round seven at Parramatta Stadium. The Eels are coming off the back of a convincing win against the Storm. After a 46 point shellacking at the hand of the Broncos, the Eels stood up to be counted and will be hoping to do so again this week as the team starts to gel. Having beaten the Tigers already this year will give them confidence too, but the Cumberland club are yet to win two in a row. Prediction: Eels by 14.

Panthers v Cowboys
Two of the game’s in-form teams clash on Saturday night in a game that has a handful of test players backing up. Luke Priddis goes from strength to strength, being included in the Kangaroo side for the first time. The talented rake should have some left in the tank for Saturday though. Normally an eighty minute player for Penrith, he will likely share the test load with utility Craig Wing. After last weekend’s hammering of the Tigers, Josh Hannay and Chris Sheppard present selection problems for Graham Murray as the pair return from suspension and injury respectively. This game could go either way but home ground advantage could be the key, or Craig Gower’s desire to prove he should have been the Test half. Prediction: Panthers by 8

Sharks v Broncos
As his rivals faltered around him, Brett Kimmorley has played himself into the Kangaroo number seven in the early part of the season. His combination with Adam Dykes has breathed new life into the Sutherland shire, but has the bye removed the wind of momentum from their sails? The Broncos have four players backing up from the Test, but Brisbane has thrived on backing up from the rep scene over the years, doing it tough at times but well mostly. Both sides are show consistency, but if anything happens to Kimmorley in the test, Cronulla’s chances in this one are gone. This is another game that could go either way with the sides sharing the spoils over the last couple of years home and away. Prediction: Broncos by 8

Raiders v Storm
Every club has one player that you don’t want to be without. This year, for Canberra, that player is Jason Smith. His early season form has given every recent retire the thought that they could come back to the NRL. But this weekend, not only will the Raiders be without Smith, but they will also lose hooker Simon Woolford to suspension. The two match ban on both players will give the green machine their first test of depth. Lincoln Withers will be the man to run the show but the question becomes where he will be used. The Storm is coming off consecutive losses and will want to restore winning form to maintain their place amongst the leaders. Prediction: Storm by 26.

Knights v Bulldogs
The Knights looked like a new side on Sunday until the inevitable happened. Andrew Johns went off clutching his face, his jaw broken. A Johns left the field, so did the heart of the Knights, and for the next eight weeks Newcastle will again face that battle of “not being able to win without Joey”. For the Bulldogs staff, this must be music to the ears. The burning of four losses in a row can be soothed by a quick trip up the F3. But with Kurt Gidley leading like last year and Danny Buderus back in the line-up, a Knights win is not out of the question ... just highly unlikely. The Novocastrians’ big advantage is the five Bulldogs that will be backing up from the Test. Newcastle doesn’t have a representative for the first time in almost 15 years. Prediction: Bulldogs by 18.

Sea Eagles v Rabbitohs
While Ben Kennedy is playing Test football, his team mates will be plotting the demise of the South Sydney club. Souths ran into a red hot Panthers last weekend and it won’t get any easier for the red and green army this week as they trek across the bridge to Brookvale for another tough encounter against one the for sides of the competition. There are just not enough plays in the Rabbitohs line-up, where the Sea Eagles have built on rock solid go forward to bring their ever improving backline into play. Prediction: Sea Eagles by 24.

Roosters v Dragons
The traditional ANZAC Day clash is the most contentious match of the round. St George last beat the Roosters in this clash in 2003 but since then the Sydney outfit has taken two close victories. Neither has any real form and both are struggling for consistency. The Roosters victory against the Bulldogs last Friday will start the confidence process but the Dragons love playing the Roosters which will guarantee that this one is played right to the end. The four Roosters backing up are some of the most played players over the past few years. The one Dragons’ player, Jason Ryles, has pulled out with injury worries. Barring further injuries, both sides are at as good as full strength. It may not get to golden point, but it will be very close. Prediction: Roosters by 3.

As is turning out to be the case, almost every game can go either way. The salary cap is working perfectly to bring competitive matches up over all 26 rounds. The Test match just adds some extra complexity to an already congested tipping profile.

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source: MasterTips