NRL Weekly Watch: Everything to keep an eye on in Round 24

Manly host defending premiers at 4 Pines

The round kicks off with a clash between the Sea Eagles and Panthers at 4 Pines Park on Thursday night with the visitors eyeing a seventh-straight victory.

Matt Lodge (ACL) is out for the Sea Eagles with Sean Keppie coming into the front row whilst Ben Trbojevic will start on an edge pushing Kelma Tuilagi to the bench.

Jarome Luai (illness) and Mitch Kenny have both been ruled out late for Penrith with Jack Cogger starting in the halves and Luke Sommerton debuting at nine.

Sommerton linked up with the Panthers from the Roosters ahead of the 2020 season and was rewarded with a KOE NSW Cup debut the following year having since become a mainstay.

Penrith have beaten Manly in 13 of their past 15 including seven in a row.

Sharks look for back-to-back wins vs. Titans

The Sharks will look to back up their statement win over the Rabbits when they host the Titans on Friday evening at PointsBet Stadium.

Ronaldo Mulitalo (jaw) is set to return for the Sharks on the wing at the expense of Mawene Hiroti whilst Jesse Colquhoun comes onto the bench for Thomas Hazelton (head knock).

Moeaki Fotuaika (suspension) and Sam Verrills (shoulder) are both out for the visitors but captain Tino Fa’asuamaleaui (suspension) returns in a major boost along with Jaimin Jolliffe (hand).

Kruise Leeming also comes onto the bench with Iszac Fa’asuamaleaui dropping off.

The Sharks have won eight on the trot against the Titans having not dropped a game to them since Round 19, 2017.

Parramatta journey to The Gabba for Broncos showdown

The Eels will look to pull off a much needed upset over the Broncos when they do battle on Friday night at The Gabba.

The Broncos are set to welcome Adam Reynolds (groin), Jordan Riki (foot), Kobe Hetherington (back) and Deine Mariner back into the lineup with Jock Madden, Xavier Willison, Corey Jensen and Jesse Arthars out.

For Parramatta, Round 23 debutant Arthur Miller-Stephen drops out with Bailey Simonsson shifting to the wing and Daejarn Asi coming into the centres.

Brendan Hands also returns onto the interchange in place of Makahesi Makatoa whilst Andrew Davey starts on an edge with Ryan Matterson reverting to the bench.

The Broncos have won just two of their past eight against the Eels.

Souths, Dragons do battle in Cairns

The Saturday slate of games kicks off at Cairns’ Barlow Park with the Rabbitohs looking to spark a resurgence against the Dragons.

Thomas Burgess (suspension), Tyrone Munro, and Michael Chee Kam drop out for the Bunnies with Shaq Mitchell starting up front, Taane Milne coming onto the wing, and Jacob Host starting on an edge.

The Dragons will be without Zac Lomax (shoulder), Jack Bird (shoulder), and Francis Molo (head knock) with Moses Suli (calf), Max Feagai, and Toby Couchman named to come into the side.

Michael Molo shifts to prop with Ben Murdoch-Masila starting at lock.

Mathew and Max Feagai and Toby and Ryan Couchman are set to become the first two set of twins to appear in the same NRL game.

Souths have won 16 of their past 20 against the Dragons but have lost three of their past four in Cairns.

Wests Tigers ‘host’ Warriors in Hamilton

The Warriors will make the trip to Hamilton’s FMG Stadium Waikato to face the Wests Tigers on Saturday evening.

The Wests Tigers were the only club this season to relocate across the ditch for a home game against the Warriors to thank the side for their sacrifices during the pandemic.

Charlie Staines (hamstring), Justin Matamua, and Aitasi James drop out for the Wests Tigers with Asu Kepaoa, Stefano Utoikamanu (head knock), and Shawn Blore (head knock) set to return.

Junior Tupou shifts to the wing whilst Alex Twal reverts to the interchange.

Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad misses this one for the Warriors with rookie Taine Tuaupiki starting at the back.

The Warriors have won five in a row against the Wests Tigers.

Dolphins face Roosters at Allianz

The Roosters will be eyeing back-to-back wins for the first time since April when they face the Dolphins at Allianz Stadium on Saturday night.

Nathan Brown (suspension) is out for the Tricolours with Dylan Napa named for his first NRL game since late-2021.

Ray Stone (hand) returns for the Dolphins at the expense of Herman Ese’ese whilst Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow has been named in the centres and Kodi Nikorima at the back.

The Roosters and Dolphins last faced in Round 1 this year with the newcomers pulling off a shock upset at Suncorp Stadium.

Raiders head south for Storm clash

The fourth-place Storm host the fifth-place Raiders in a Sunday afternoon blockbuster at AAMI Park with a win going a long way towards securing a top four finish for both sides.

Xavier Coates (hip) and Jahrome Hughes (ankle) have been named to return for Melbourne whilst Bronson Garlick is set to replace Tyran Wishart on the interchange.

George Jennings (knee) and Jonah Pezet are the players who drop out.

Sebastian Kris’ (hamstring) injury paves the way for 18-year-old Ethan Strange to debut in the centres.

Having played his juniors with The Entrance Tigers, Strange turned head when he scored a hat-trick in a Player of the Match performance for the NSW under-19s squad earlier this year.

Canberra are incredibly riding a five-game winning streak in the Victorian capital.

Knights look to extend winning streak against Dogs

The round ends with a clash between the Knights and Bulldogs at McDonald Jones Stadium on Sunday afternoon with the hosts looking to extend their five-game unbeaten streak.

Bradman Best (groin) will miss his first match of 2023 with Enari Tuala coming into the centres for the hosts.

Luke Thompson (foot) has been named to make his first NRL appearance of the season after a gruelling injury rehab with Harrison Edwards dropping out.

Newcastle have won four of their past five over Canterbury.