Artwork by John Campbell
Show me a person who tipped 4/8 or better last week and I’ll show you someone who either had divine guidance or who knows bugger all about footy and picked them out of the air. OK, OK, I got 2 but I’m sure I wasn’t alone. The only way from here is up.
Round 4 started and ended with upsets with general chaos in between. Who in their right mind would have had Souths at 3-1 after four rounds? Or Penrith at 1-3? Or the Bulldogs to be unbeaten at the top of the ladder? As the weekend unfurled, my smile got wider and wider at the unpredictability of it all. It sure beats the hell out of total certainty week after week. But, as has been noted elsewhere, don’t read too much into early season results. Premierships are not won in March or April. Let’s leave it at that.
Round 5 is Multicultural Round with nrl.com reporting that 65 different nationalities are represented across the combined NRL and NRLW squads. Have a read of that article here – https://www.nrl.com/news/2025/03/31/pride-and-culture-65-nations-represented-in-australias-most-diverse-sporting-code/
We kick off tonight with the Raiders at home to the Sharks, both last round losers, both standing at 2 wins and 2 losses. Cronulla has lost to quality sides, the Raiders to not so fancied opponents. Look, a man can overthink these things, so, in an atmosphere of uncertainty (part of the Trumpian world?), I’m just going to say Sharks because my gut tells me they’ll be there at season’s end and Canberra won’t.
Friday footy has the Panthers up against the Cowboys. Will last weekend’s results mean anything? If so, then the Cowboys win. But Cleary is back – and haven’t they missed him! Is that enough to get the Panthers home? I think so. Penrith have gutsed it out in every game and come close to pulling a couple of the losses out of the fire. Add Cleary and you probably get them over the line in those situations. Penrith. In the late game, Souths take on the Roosters. How’s this one for a lottery? Form means little when these two add a new chapter to their singular ‘book of feuds’. Again, one could analyse this clash from a dozen angles and still not be any the wiser. I’ll go with the early season vibe and pick the Rabbitohs.
On Saturday afternoon we start with the Eels against the Dragons. Have the Dragons discovered how to win, especially after that grinding, full team defensive effort win over Melbourne? Do the Eels have a clue about what a win is? They’ve looked just awful. I can’t go past the Dragons. The twilight game features the Titans against the Dolphins. Similar story – the Titans finally discovered that they can be a pretty useful outfit; the Dolphins look rudderless and will be without Tom Gilbert. Get on the Titans. The late game has the Broncos taking on the Wests Tigers. Brisbane may be 3-1 but have not been all that consistently impressive. But the Tigers are without Luai so that spells curtains for them to me. Go Broncos!
Come Sunday, come the match of the round – Manly v Melbourne, a rivalry that has history and its very own ‘book of feuds’. It looks like Turbo is out and that means problems for Manly. The Storm didn’t like the wet last week and got frustrated out of the game. Even though the game will be played at Brookie, I fancy the Storm to defeat the Turbo-less Sea Eagles. Finally, the top of the table Bulldogs are at home to the Knights. I think the Bulldogs are one of the few teams that really do have a home ground advantage with their fans. As a team they’ve shown that they’ve taken an extra step forward this year while the Knights are still finding their way. Get on the Bulldogs.
The Warriors have the bye.
Now I’ll start to say my prayers for a more successful tipping total this time round!
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About Ian Hauser
A relaxed, Noosa-based retiree with a (very) modest sporting CV. A loyal Queenslander, especially when it comes to cricket and rugby league. Enjoys travel, coffee and cake, reading, and has been known to appreciate a glass or three of wine. One of Footy Almanac's online editors who enjoys the occasional editing opportunity to assist aspiring writers.
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