Round 12 Preview - The boys are
back in town

Here we go again! An enormous State of Origin contest on Wednesday night has paved the way for an interesting and unpredictable round of footy. It was great to hear League back on the lips of the people as I strolled up to Erskineville station on Thursday morning listening to a tradesman ear-bashing his apprentice about the controversial Billy Slater try. He certainly made a convincing argument and, judging by the venom in his voice, a cold shiver would have passed down the spine of video ref Graeme West.

One thing?s for sure though, Fitzgibbon, Hindmarsh and Kennedy have probably spent the last 24 hours sleeping heavily after mammoth efforts for the Blues and could be late exclusions from their respective clubs at the weekend.

It?s going to be bigger weekend than some may expect, with the Gold Coast team set to get a call up on Friday just after lunch with a game conveniently scheduled for later that evening. With 5/7 including the Origin, I?m batting at 46 from 77 going into this danger round.

Bulldogs v Cowboys

I?m tipping the Doggies here in what should be the showcase of the weekend. The decision to include the Gold Coast as the 16th team in 2007 may overshadow this vital clash as the Cowboys try to overcome a two-game losing streak to beat a rejuvenated Canterbury outfit that are showing some resolve.

They beat up the Storm last week in Melbourne and I think they have the artillery to continue their tenuous grip on the competition whilst they wait desperately for their stars to return from injury. All the pre-season hype surrounding Sonny Bill seems a million years away right now as his fans will simply be praying for him to return to the field soon.

The Cowboys didn?t walk away from Suncorp Stadium unscathed the other night, with Thurston, Bowen and Bowman all carrying niggles. Captain courageous Paul Rauhihi has also announced that he?s off to the UK and I doubt Webb can back up as fresh as a daisy. It all points to a victory by the Dogs and could kick start a rash of randomness.

Broncos v Rabbitohs

This is the best chance Souths have of beating the Broncos in a long time. Origin would have spent the five players who took part, plus the withdrawal of Carroll only adds to their woes.

The Rabbitohs aren?t exactly looking great though, with injuries and suspensions decimating their line-up. But the newer players to first grade have been there for a few weeks now and they could really scare the home side.

I will stick with the Broncos, but expect to see the Bunnies in the game at some stage in the second half, there?s only so much petrol Lockyer and co can have left in the tank.

Roosters v Raiders

Another game that is far from decided before the kick-off, with the Chooks having five players backing up. As intimated earlier, it wouldn?t surprise me if Fitzy sees either limited time or has a week off after what he did on Wednesday. This also leaves them in a spot of bother with goal kicking which could decide this game. It?s no surprise to see Stuart name an extended bench and the make-up of the team will be decided no earlier than an hour prior to kick-off.

The Raiders are in a bit of strife though. They lost playmaker Jason Smith last week and he means a lot to them. Croker is back but Woolford and the Schif are still nursing wounds, although Marshall Chalk impressed me last week.

I?m going to stick with the Roosters here in a dull affair with the deciding factor being the home ground advantage and a pair of established halves to run their plays. The fresh nature of Morley and Cayless will also help.

Sharks v Eels

This one could go anywhere?

Kimmorley is still probably searching for answers to his diabolical performance on Wednesday. He may well just go out and tear up Parramatta, who are due for a loss by the way. If he does, it could spell trouble for the Eels.

Shark Park is a graveyard for teams and although it?s at 3pm, the windy conditions, the pungent stench of mangroves and the imposing figure of industrial power lines looms large in the atmosphere when a team takes the field down in the Shire.

Parra have been going alright and with both teams having only one rep it will be a relatively unaffected game. This brings me to Hindmarsh for the visitors. He worked himself to an absolute stand-still for NSW and that?s why there?s six blokes on the bench. He may not play and I think Parra need him to get the forwards going so they can take on Cronulla.

I?m tipping Kimmorley to bounce back and have a big game on Sunday, leading the Sharkies to victory and holding Joey?s challenge for his sky blue jumper off for another week.

Warriors v Tigers

A tough game for both sides here with only Steve Price having to travel back from Queensland to line-up for the Warriors. Scott Prince probably still has a lot to prove after rival Queenslander Jonathan Thurston put in a great game for the Maroons.

Last week Wests started the game like a runaway bull in a china store, busting holes in whatever got in its? way. I was particularly impressed with Benji Marshall?s try and then the halftime hooter sounded (three times to be precise). When they came back they let the lead slip and allowed Canberra back into the game.

I?m not sure that this one will follow the same trend however. New Zealand have been happy to grind out their games of late, with victory over Souths last week preceded by three tight losses. They?ll need to put in to beat the Tige?s as they punch well above their listed weight.

I?m not convinced that they can do it, even at home. Plus the Tigers love winning in Christchurch, so why should this be any different? The Warriors will go down in a close one.

Storm v Dragons

What?s doing with the Storm? Take Cameron Smith out of the team and they really struggle. With King and Slater also backing up they are back to full strength for this clash with St George Illawarra.

The Dragons had five players in Blue jerseys with Ryles and Bailey the most obvious ones under the microscope. Both props got a work-over by the cane toads and I think Bailey is still trying to remove Webb?s forearm from his cheek.

If the team St George named actually takes the field I think they?ll get the money. Olympic park is proving to be more of a hindrance to the Storm than an advantage. They seem to be lacking their usual intensity at the start of the game and appear to play catch-up footy as soon as they?re down by more than four points.

The Dragons have won five in a row now and showed plenty of guts last week. They?ll be out to avenge the round 2 flogging at the hands of Melbourne and should prove a little too strong on the day.

Sea Eagles v Panthers

All the talk at the moment is how well the Sea Eagles are going at home and how they can?t lose at Fortress Brooky. Fair enough, they?ve won more there in a row than I care to think about and it?s great to see them do that. But it?s not just Brooky that?s doing it for them.

A couple of blokes by the name of Ben Kennedy and Anthony Watmough have been punching out massive games each week but last week they were on rep duty and look what happened?

BK will be stuffed, plain and simple. He did two enough for two locks on Wednesday night and looked every one of his 31 years after the game. He?s a tough guy but he?s not 18 anymore. Watmough, although used sparingly, is probably still having sensory overload and may get confused when he puts on a maroon jersey and may get even more so if Penrith wear their blue away strip. Dunley is missing too which is destabilising and all this points to a boilover in my book.

I said it last week and I?ll say it again, Penrith desperately need to win this week and if they don?t they can officially take the rest of the year off. Their form of late has been disgraceful, but I recall a very big win for them at Brooky back in 2002 when Manly looked like they would make the semis. The Panthers smashed them 66-28 or thereabouts and it surprised a lot of people. Rooney and Ross are backing up but this is the moment of truth for the Mountain Men and I?ll have my money on them.

The Newcastle Knights have the bye this weekend and I can here the sighs of relief from here. Newcastle really need to do some soul searching with this week off and maybe a bit of that winning feeling will rub off QLD coach Michael Hagan and they?ll come good next week. Don?t hold your breath though.