Round 3: Previews and Predictions

Melbourne Storm v Brisbane Broncos Thursday Night, AAMI Park It's not often the biggest headline in the NRL comes from south of the NSW border but when Billy The Kid returns, it's sure to make news around the NRL. Billy Slater will run out in the people jersey for the first time in over a year as the Storm take on a Broncos side still hurting from their one-point loss to Jonathon Thurston's Cowboys last week. The Storm go into the match undefeated after strong wet weather wins in New Zealand and Belmore to start the season. However, with Slater back, Cameron Munster will slot into the five-eighth role, pairing with Cooper Cronk in the halves. Suliasi Vunivalu and new recruit Josh Addo-Carr have been fantastic for the Storm to begin the season - both offensively and defensively - and will be looking to continue that under the AAMI Park lights. Typically, the Broncos forward pack consisting of Sam Thaiday, Josh McGuire, Matt Gillett and co have been strong to start the season and will look to target the Storm's depleted frontline as they aim to win back to back games at AAMI Park following a 26-16 win down south in Round 25 last season. The Broncos will be up for the fight after last week's stinging loss against a Storm side buzzing with Slater's return and the opportunity to begin the season 3-0. The Broncos must start fast if they want to cause an upset as the Storm are one of the best front-runners in the competition. Storm by 8 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs v New Zealand Warriors Friday Night, Forsyth Barr Stadium A home game for the Bulldogs in New Zealand? Against the Warriors? Sure, why not. The Bulldogs will be searching for their first win of the 2017 campaign without two of their back three as Will Hopoate and Kerrod Holland face at least a month on the sideline with injuries. The Dogs have shown glimpses of their best form in the opening two rounds but haven't been able to put 80 minutes of solid football together, something coach Des Hasler will want to see. Meanwhile, the Warriors will welcome back veteran Manu Vatuvei while Jacob Lilyman and Bodene Thompson will bring some much-needed experience to their frontline. The Warriors often have no trouble putting points on the board with the lethal Shaun Johnson leading their attack, however, it's their control of possession and defence that can be a worry at times for Stephen Kearney's men. The Warriors have also lost star fullback Roger Tuivasa-Sheck for the match but Tui Lolohea is an able replacement. The Bulldogs have shown us their defence in round one and offence in round two. Will this be the week they can piece the two together? Maybe, but with the potent Warriors' frontline and Shaun Johnson controlling things for the 'away' side, it's hard to see the Bulldogs coming away with the points. Warriors by 6 Gold Coast Titans v Parramatta Eels Friday Night, Cbus Super Stadium The winless Titans take on an undefeated Parramatta side looking to consolidate their spot at the top of the NRL ladder. Both sides go into the match losing key playmakers, with Jarryd Hayne out for the Titans and Corey Norman missing for the Eels. The Titans have debutant Tyler Cornish donning the No.1 jersey this week and despite their winless start, they have shown their competitiveness to grind out games so far this season. With their last league win coming against the Eels back in Round 20 last season, they will be hoping they can make it two on the trot against the men in gold. Needless to say, Corey Norman plays a big part in the Parramatta attack and has been a big reason why the Eels have one of the most potent offences in the league thus far. Michael Jennings and Semi Radradra will no doubt cause headaches for the Gold Coast defence and are a major part of why the Eels have 11 line breaks - second only to Souths. Gold Coast must start fast to ensure the Eels - who have the highest usage rate of any team in the competition - don't take control of the game. The loss of Norman is big for the Eels and gives the Titans a sniff, however, if the Eels complete their sets at a high rate like they have so far this season, they should come away with the points. Eels by 10 Newcastle Knights v South Sydney Rabbitohs Saturday Afternoon, McDonald Jones Stadium For the first time since round six last season, Newcastle head into a game with a W as the final letter in their form guide. The win last week over the Titans will surely have the players wanting more and they seek for back to back wins. Meanwhile, Souths are also coming off a morale-boosting win of their own after losing their captain in round one. The Knights have pieced together a team comprising of rookies, role players and league veterans and it has come together nicely for Nathan Brown's men. Unsurprisingly, they have gone into this weekend with an unchanged lineup. The Rabbitohs were excellent last week against Manly, particularly late in the game and will be looking to continue that momentum into this week. They have won their past two matches in Newcastle and Adam Reynolds will be hoping to build on his strong performance in his season debut last week. Robbie Farah and Damien Cook also seem to be working well together as a tandem. [caption id="attachment_25896" align="alignnone" width="1024"] SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 03: Robbie Farah of the Rabbitohs walks from the field after defeat in the round one NRL match between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Wests Tigers at ANZ Stadium on March 3, 2017 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)[/caption] The Rabbitohs on paper are a much better side but as we all know, games are not won on paper. That being said, in Robbie Farah's 250th NRL game, the Bunnies playmakers will be out to put on a show. The Knights will no doubt be up for the contest however the Rabbitohs offence should prove too strong. Rabbitohs by 10 Penrith Panthers v Sydney Roosters Saturday Night, Pepper Stadium While most teams started their season in round one, Penrith tried a different approach and began last week. A 42-10 loss in round one was turned upside down last week with a 36-2 win that reaffirmed punters of their premiership hopes. This week, they face the 2-0 Roosters who have been led superbly by new recruit Luke Keary. Back to back best on ground performances by Keary have the Roosters looking like a shadow of their 2016 self. A big battle of the forward packs entices fans in arguably the game of the round. The Roosters have the equal best offence in the league while the Panthers conceded just two points last week against a side who scored 34 points in week one. If the Panthers can find that balance again, they will be hard to stop at home. Panthers by 4 North Queensland Cowboys v Manly Sea Eagles Saturday Night, 1300 Smiles Stadium Johnathan Thurston has the Cowboys rolling at 2-0 despite not playing their best football to start their 2017 campaign. But as all good sides do, they find a way. This week, they will be without three key and experienced players in Antonio Winterstein, Lachlan Coote and Matt Scott - the latter who is out for the season with an ACL injury. However, that still shouldn't bother them at home against a team who has failed to open their 2017 account. Jason Taumalolo will also miss through suspension. Kalyn Ponga starts in the number one jersey in what should be a mouth-watering duel with Tom Trbojevic however if the Sea Eagles defence leaks points like they did to end last weekend's matchup against Souths, it could get ugly up north. Cowboys by 14 Canberra Raiders v Wests Tigers Sunday Afternoon, GIO Stadium Wests travel to the nation's capital on Sunday having lost four of their last five at the venue including a 60-6 drubbing in the corresponding match last season. The Raiders are coming off two rather forgettable performances to begin the season and will be looking to get their names on the winner's sheet for the first time in 2017. Jarrod Croker and Dave Taylor return for the green machine which should add a little more polish to the Raiders attack on Sunday afternoon. The Tigers meanwhile will be looking to atone for their try-less performance against the Panthers last weekend however it is hard to see them stopping the home side. Raiders by 12 Cronulla Sharks v St George Illawarra Dragons Sunday Night, Southern Cross Stadium Cronulla bounced back to their premiership-winning ways last weekend, dismantling Canberra to register their first win of the season. They faithful at Shark Park will be hoping for a similar result this weekend as they look to post a winning record for the first time this season. Across town, St. George will want to bounce back from last week after a bad loss against Parramatta. Both teams have named the same 17 that ran onto the park last week however the Sharks could be buoyed by the inclusions of Valentine Holmes and Gerard Beale. The Dragons hit the road for the first time in 2017 as the Sharks will be looking to register their first win for their home crowd. Sharks by 8