5 Things to Watch: Everything to keep an eye on in NRL Round 23

There are some serious top four and top eight hopes on the line this weekend headed by a Grand Final rematch in Sydney and a top eight clash in Brisbane. Here are 5 Things to Watch in Round 23.

Grand Final rematch to kick-off round

Last year’s Grand Final was a particularly memorable one; who could forget Stephen Crichton’s incredible intercept or Adam Reynolds narrowly missing a sideline conversion to tie things up in the last of his 231 games with his beloved Bunnies? It was the first Grand Final in NRL history staged outside of Sydney and fans were treated to a showdown for the ages. Fast forward almost 12 months and the sides are set to do battle once more in a high stakes encounter this Thursday night at Homebush. Penrith have a chance to secure their second minor premiership in three seasons whilst South Sydney can keep their top four hopes alive. It would take a brave pundit to write off a genuine Grand Final rematch come October with the way these sides are tracking. Campbell Graham has been named to make his return this week after a six-week layoff whilst Lachlan Ilias is back in the seven jumper after missing South Sydney’s last-start win over the Eels. Penrith, meanwhile, will welcome back stalwart Dylan Edwards but are still missing the likes of Nathan Cleary, Jarome Luai, and James Fisher-Harris. South Sydney have won just one of their past eight against Penrith – a 16-10 win in last year’s qualifying final – but will fancy their chances this Thursday night against an undermanned opposition.

Top four odds on the line in Brisbane

Brisbane will host Melbourne in one of the clashes of the round at Suncorp on Friday night. Brisbane can tie Melbourne on wins if they come out on top to keep their top four hopes alive, however, their past two months has shown some blemishes with just four wins from their past eight. An 18-point win over Newcastle last week offered some semblance of stability but facing Melbourne will be a challenging litmus test for Kevin Walters’ men. They were buoyed by the return of fullback Te Maire Martin last week but are still without star middle Patrick Carrigan who is serving a four-week suspension for a hip drop on Jackson Hastings. Melbourne, meanwhile, will welcome back halfback Jahrome Hughes whilst veteran Young Tonumaipea replaces the injured Marion Seve. Despite being rocked by numerous long-term injuries this season, Melbourne still have the ability to finish as high as second and with the likes of Hughes, Cameron Munster, and Harry Grant conducting the show, will present a fierce challenge come the postseason. Brisbane’s record against Melbourne is diabolical with just four wins from their past 32 games against them. They have lost their past 11 games against the Storm and have not beaten them in Brisbane since Round 2, 2009 when a 31-year-old Darren Lockyer skippered a side consisting of Justin Hodges, Israel Folau, and Karmichael Hunt to 16-10 victory.

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Moses named to return for Parramatta

Mitchell Moses has been named in the seven jersey for Parramatta’s Saturday afternoon clash against the Bulldogs at CommBank after fears he may not have been available until the finals. Whilst his return is far from guaranteed, the Eels will be eager to welcome back their general after a 26-nil thumping at the hands of South Sydney. Moses this season is third in the NRL in total try involvements and fourth in kick metres. The former-Wests Tiger has developed into an elite NRL halfback and potentially holds the keys needed to unlock a deep finals run for Parramatta. Their clashes against Canterbury have long been ferocious and eye-catching; they have won four of their past five against the blue-and-whites but were smacked 34-4 by the then-last-place Dogs in Round 14. The Dogs have turned a page since Mick Potter took over as interim coach and their draw reached its less brutal stage but were thoroughly beaten by the Warriors last weekend. Parramatta have plenty to play for with their spot in the top eight not yet secure and the top four not completely out of reach. They will hope to use their next three weeks to springboard themselves into another finals campaign before losing the likes of Isaiah Papali’i, Reed Mahoney, Marata Niukore and Oregon Kaufusi over the offseason.

Raiders look to keep top eight hopes alive against dishevelled Knights

The Raiders scraped past an up-and-down Dragons outfit by two points on Sunday afternoon to keep their finals hope well and truly alive. Their final three clashes come against the Knights, Sea Eagles, and Wests Tigers with the Roosters just two competition points ahead of them. If the Roosters were to drop two of their final three against the Wests Tigers, Storm, and Rabbitohs, Canberra would have the opportunity to jump them with a trio of wins against lower-ranked opponents. They will welcome back Joseph Tapine and Nick Čotrić whilst David Klemmer is set to return for the Knights. Debutant Krystian Mapapalangi has been named in the centres for Newcastle with Bradman Best and Enari Tuala stood down by the club. With four wins from their past five, the Raiders will be expected to make light work of a lowly Knights side to keep their top eight dreams alive. They have, however, lost three of their past four against the Knights and have not won in Newcastle since Round 13, 2015. Raiders edge forward Hudson Young has scored four tries over his past seven and faces a Knights outfit that is the third-worst defensive unit in the premiership.

Seeding battle heats up

Across the final three weekends of regular season play, expect some level of jostling among the sides within the top eight. None of the week one finals matchups are close to set and seeding battles will continue through Round 25. Penrith are all but guaranteed to finish first but from then on it is somewhat of a lottery. Only two wins separate second and seventh and teams within that cluster will be desperate to either hang onto or motor towards a spot in the top four. Eight of the season’s final 24 clashes will consist of two current top eight sides with the ladder expected to experience a fair number of changes. Penrith will be keeping a close eye on the sides below them in preparation for a qualifying final on their home turf. Melbourne are currently fourth but still have clashes against the Broncos, Roosters, and Eels to look forward to. Meanwhile, the Rabbitohs, Eels, and Broncos are all currently on 28 points and will be vying for home qualifying finals over the next three weeks. The Round 25 matchup between the Rabbits and Roosters at the newly opened Allianz Stadium is firming as an absolute belter with both sides dreaming of success come October.

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