The 2024 NRL season is tight, with plenty of players injured or in and out of form, as clubs finish off their runs through the Origin period, tipping a perfect round is nearly impossible, so each week we'll give you some extra help with three standout games.
The sure thing
Penrith Panthers vs. Dolphins - BlueBet Stadium, Sunday July 21, 2pm AEST
The Panthers can breathe a sigh of relief now that the State of Origin series is over, allowing them to focus fully on winning their fourth-straight premiership. They had last week off and welcome back superstar halfback Nathan Cleary for this dangerous clash.
The Dolphins had a reassuring victory last week against the Rabbitohs and need to keep winning as they are one of the sides in danger of dropping out of the Top 8. But their form in the lead up to the Rabbitohs game was concerning and they'll have to be very careful not to slip back into those poor habits, or they could be in for a tough afternoon in Penrith.
If the Panthers' Origin stars all back up, they should have too much class for the Dolphins as they set about chasing down the ladder-topping Melbourne Storm.
The round 20 sure thing is: Panthers
The toss of the coin
Melbourne Storm vs. Sydney Roosters - AAMI Park, Saturday July 20, 7:35pm AEST
The Storm and Roosters had a rest last week following thumping victories the week before. The Storm hammered the hapless Tigers, but did leak 28 points in the process. The Roosters were more convincing in defence, restricting the Dragons to just 12 points as they raced to 42 of their own. This game is a sneak preview of what we can expect once the finals kick off with both team realistic premiership threats.
The Roosters will be very keen to knock the Storm over as they still have a shot at the minor premiership. A Storm victory will see them skip three wins clear of the Roosters, who would then be under threat for their Top 4 position. The Roosters have looked very sharp of late, winning their last four games convincingly. The Storm have been doing Storm things, winning even when it hasn't seemed likely.
I am abandoning my fairly new rule of never tipping against the Storm, as I think the Roosters might just win this toss of a coin clash.
Toss of the coin game winner: Roosters
The roughie
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles vs. Gold Coast Titans - 4 Pines Park - Sunday July 21, 4:05pm
Last week I tipped the Knights as the roughie to upset the Sea Eagles at home and that went horribly wrong when the Knights failed to turn up and were walloped. The Titans on the other hand were last week's sure things to beat the Eels and they duly saluted.
The Titans travel to Brookvale keen to win this one for their coach Des Hasler who left Manly before taking on the challenge of coaching the Gold Coast. Hasler will have something very special up his sleeve for this clash and his team has been performing very well of late, winning their last three games.
Manly will be keen to maintain their position in the Top 8, but they won't have an easy afternoon against the Titans.
Round 20 roughie: Titans
Click here for a full guide to Round 20 of the 2024 NRL season