Scott Prince will be out to get the Tigers home after being overlooked for the Maroons.

Thankfully for tippers everywhere, neither of the Queensland teams are playing this week. They are the perennial challenge for tipsters around Origin time. Can the Broncos/Cowboys/Roosters win without their stars on board. Well none of those three are lacing on the boots this weekend, but that doesn’t stop speculations about other big impact players. Brett Kimmorley at the Sharks. Billy Slater and Cameron Smith at the Storm. Ben Kennedy and Anthony Watmough at the Sea Eagles. Steven Price at the Warriors. All of these players have a big say in the fortunes of their teams.

But there are up and coming stars ready to step into the breach. Some do so incredibly successfully. Others can’t take the heat. Shane Marteene has been plucked from Souths to pull on the number three at the Dragons this weekend. Greg Inglis will try to emulate Slater like deeds, and from all accounts, he has his own bit of flair. Luke Quigley will try to give the service to the Knights that they are used to getting from Danny Buderus. Plus there is the disappointed factor. All those players who were disappointed to miss their respective state jerseys will be itching to imprint their names in to selectors’ minds in case of injury or a poor performance from an incumbent. And we poor suckers have to keep all of this in mind when risking our hard earned selecting winners. Good luck team.

Eels v Sea Eagles
When these two teams were slated to play each other, plenty of people would have salivated at the prospect of the back row pairings that would meet. Enter Origin and Anthony Watmough, Ben Kennedy (Manly) and Nathan Hindmarsh (Parra) will watch this one from camp. Two of the most underrated full back and halfback pairings face off in what should be a fast flowing and free scoring match. It will be interesting to see if the Sea Eagles get the same sort of go forward without Dally M leader Watmough and big off-season buy Kennedy. Expect Parramatta’s line-up to change with three extra players named on the bench, suggesting injury concerns. Prediction: Eels by 8

Storm v Bulldogs
Will the real Matt Orford please stand up? That’s what Craig Bellamy must be saying with his match winning full back and rake excluded for Origin duty. Add to that the omission of barnstorming centre Matt King and it is a weekend where the talented number seven will need to be in command of his team. The experienced forward pack and the home ground advantage will go a long way towards securing victory for the Storm, but the Bulldogs have been gritty even while plagued with injury. Nate Myles has become the latest forward casualty destined to return midway through the second half of the season. Braith Anasta has been playing like a man destined for the open market Prediction: Storm by 22

Knights v Dragons
Neither of these line-ups looks familiar; one through injury and the other through Origin. St George-Illawarra’s backline is basically the reserve grade squad plus Ben Hornby, but opposite them are the Knights sans Johns, Kurt Gidley, Witt, Cooper and Hall. The Dragons do have a full strength forward pack though which will go a long way to tying up victory at the other end of the F3, but the Newcastle pack are no slouches, missing Danny Buderus most notably. Missing Michael Hagan this week with Maroons mentoring won’t help the Novocastrians’ cause either. Prediction: Dragons by 4.

Rabbitohs v Warriors
Musical chairs at Souths have produced little in the way of form reversal in the last couple of weeks. Ashley Harrison who has been singled out for praise from his coach finds himself on the sidelines for two weeks after a grapple tackle last week. Add to that the injury of Bryan Fletcher and the Bunnies are looking at another pasting this Saturday. New Zealand put plenty of pressure on the Roosters last weekend in a dour match full of big hits. Steven Price is missing but former Kangaroo Richard Villasanti fills the gap. Prediction: Warriors by 28.

Tigers v Raiders
Wests arrested a slide of four straight losses at the Knights last week, but it won’t be so easy against the battering ram Raiders who visit Campbelltown on Sunday. The old head of Jason Smith meets the rising star of Benji Marshall in a mismatch of size. Canberra has been great at making yards up the middle with their hard charging style. With their opponents on the back foot, making yards and breaks gets easier. The Tigers have been inconsistent though, using free flowing backline movements, but with a far lower completion rate and more brittle defence. That said, the Tigers have a good record against the Raiders at Campbelltown not having lost there in the last five years. With Scott Prince overlooked for Queensland, Origin isn’t a factor in this one. Prediction: Raiders by 12.

Panthers v Sharks
The profile of the two Origin exclusions in this match is a contrast. Penrith will be without Luke Rooney. Cronulla will be without Brett Kimmorley. The Sharks’ playmaker has declared that this is his year, and he may well be right. His input into Cronulla’s place on the table is unquestionable. That means, this week it all rests on the shoulders of Adam Dykes and with just the one option the Panthers will have a target. On the other side of the paddock Craig Gower, Trent Waterhouse, Rhys Wesser, Joel Clinton and Luke Priddis may all feel a little cheated at missing representative positions. Expect a strong showing from this group to remind selectors they are there ahead of game two. This should still be a close one all the same, but with a point to prove and coming off a loss to the Dragons, beware the “Black Magic”. Prediction: Panthers by 14.

Just six games this weekend, but with Origin teams in camp and the closeness of the competition, picking up the perfect round is still not the easiest mission to complete.

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source: MasterTips