Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs vs Manly Sea Eagles
The NRL finals are finally here, with four exciting encounters to look forward to this weekend. The first match of the week is between the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and the Manly Sea Eagles, kicking off on Friday night at 7.45pm. The Bulldogs finished the season in top spot this year, thanks to a 12 match winning streak, a tough forward pack, and one of the best players in the comp – Ben Barba. Manly came home in fourth spot this year, and will be extra keen to prove themselves as the defending premiers of the NRL competition. However, while they have had a good run over the last couple of months, and a great forward pack led by Anthony Watmough, Tony Williams, and Glenn Stewart, the Bulldogs will be very hard to beat.
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Melbourne Storm vs South Sydney Rabbitohs
The second qualifying final kicks off on Saturday at 5.45pm. This match will see two very different teams battle it out, with the Storm relying on Billy Slater, Cooper Cronk, and Cameron Smith to take out the Rabbitohs. Haven already beaten every other top eight side and coming into the finals with five straight wins, the Rabbitohs will have to watch out. South Sydney have access to multiple attacking weapons however, with Greg Inglis likely to play a key role during this encounter. The Bunnies have also had a very strong finish to the season with eight out of ten wins, making this an enticing game to watch for footy fans around the country.
North Queensland Cowboys vs Brisbane Broncos
The first elimination final kicks off on Saturday in Townsville at 7.45pm. This all Queensland encounter is the Cowboys to lose, with home ground advantage on their side and a great lead up to the finals. Expect Johnathan Thurston and Matt Bowen to be in top form against a luke-warm Brisbane. The Brisbane Broncos have failed to set the world on fire in 2012, despite making it into the final eight. While they did have a good start to the season, momentum is not on their side and a trip to North Queensland just might be enough to finish them off.
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Canberra Raiders vs Cronulla Sharks
The second elimination final takes place on Sunday at 4.00pm. The Raiders have made it this far against all the odds, after having been written off my many earlier in the season. Consistency is not exactly their strong point however, and even if they win this one, four in a row against top teams will be close to impossible for the Raiders. The Sharks have a similar story, having had a great start to the season, dropping out of the top four, and only just making it to the finals in seventh position. Having won just two of their last nine encounters, Cronulla may be lacking confidence for this match, although they are a resilient side and will still be hard to beat.