NRL Weekly Watch: Everything to keep an eye on in Round 7

Bennett vs. Demetriou as Dolphins host Bunnies

The Dolphins are back at Suncorp Stadium hosting the Rabbitohs to kick off Round 7 with both sides eager to come away with a valuable two points and poke their noses ahead of a convoluted mid-table.

Captain Jesse Bromwich (illness) returns for the Dolphins whilst Robert Jennings comes into the side for Edrick Lee and J.J. Collins replaces Jarrod Wallace (head knock).

Poasa Fa’amausili drops out of the side, Herman Ese’ese reverts to the interchange, and Ray Stone starts up front.

For Souths, Alex Johnston (head knock) has been named to return with Izaac Thompson (ankle) dropping out whilst Jai Arrow returns from a six-week hamstring layoff to replace Tevita Tatola (knee) at prop.

Wayne Bennett will coach against long-time understudy Jason Demetriou for the first time with his Dolphins looking to cement themselves in the top four after a stunning start to their inaugural season.

Roosters eye eighth-straight win over Cronulla

The Sydney Roosters are riding a seven-game winning streak versus the Cronulla Sharks and will be keen to extend it when they make the trip to the Shire on Friday evening.

Cameron McInnes starts at lock for the Sharks with Dale Finucane (suspension) missing whilst Royce Hunt replaces Toby Rudolf (toe) in the front-row.

Skipper Wade Graham (suspension) and Oregon Kaufusi (head knock) return to the interchange along with Tom Hazelton whilst Braydon Trindall drops out.

James Tedesco (head knock) returns for the Roosters pushing Joseph Manu back into the centres, Drew Hutchison back to the interchange, and Jake Turpin out of the 17.

Fletcher Baker (head knock) and Corey Allan also drop out of the side with Matt Lodge returning from a knee injury alongside Naufahu Whyte.

The Sharks have not beaten the Roosters since mid-way through 2017 and have lost their last four against them at PointsBet Stadium.

Manly-Melbourne rivalry to ignite at 4 Pines Park

Manly and Melbourne have had their fair share of memorable clashes over the years and sparks will fly again this Friday night on the northern beaches.

The Sea Eagles will be without Reuben Garrick (head knock) with Raymond Tuaimalo Vaega replacing him whilst Karl Lawton (shoulder) and Sean Keppie have also not been named.

Aaron Woods makes his club debut off the interchange with Toafofoa Sipley also added.

Kaeo Weekes reverts to the interchange with Cooper Johns named to start at six and Josh Schuster included on the reserves list.

For Melbourne, Nick Meaney (head knock) has been ruled out with Cameron Munster named to start at fullback and Jonah Pezet coming into the halves.

Manly snapped a six-game losing streak to Melbourne in Round 16 last year in a high-scoring affair at 4 Pines Park, however, the Storm have managed five wins from their past six at the venue.

Warriors back in Auckland to host underwhelming Cowboys

The Warriors are back on their side of the ditch on Saturday afternoon to host the struggling Cowboys in a pivotal Round 7 clash.

The Warriors will be without Te Maire Martin (leg) and Wayde Egan (head knock) with Dylan Walker starting at six and Freddy Lussick at nine, however, skipper Tohu Harris (knee) is set to return in a major boost for the side.

Jazz Tevaga and Josh Curran have both been named on the interchange, however, the pair were promoted to the starting lineup prior to kick-off last weekend.

North Queensland will welcome Jeremiah Nanai back into the side with the reigning Rookie of the Year returning from suspension to replace Griffin Neame (throat) whilst Murray Taulagi returns onto the wing in place of Brendan Elliot.

The Warriors have won six of their past nine against the Cowboys and have beaten them in eight of their past 11 at Mount Smart Stadium.

Can Penrith keep their hot run going in Newcastle?

The Panthers have scored 97 points over the past two weeks to click their title defence into gear and will this Saturday face surprise packets Newcastle at McDonald Jones Stadium.

Having lost hooker Jayden Brailey for the year with an ACL tear, Phoenix Crossland shifts into the nine jersey for Newcastle with Tyson Gamble (head knock) returning at five-eighth.

The Panthers, meanwhile, have named the same 17 that took down Manly last week, however, edge forwards Liam Martin (calf) and Luke Garner (ribs) have been named among the reserves.

The Knights have beaten the Panthers just once from their past 12 outings and have not beaten them in Newcastle since early-2015.

Broncos looking to bounce back against Titans on the coast

The main course on Saturday is another early-season Queensland derby with the Broncos making the trip south to take on the Titans at Cbus Super Stadium.

Toby Sexton (wrist) is replaced at five-eighth by Kieran Foran who has overcome a calf injury whilst English Super League recruit Kruise Leeming has again been named on the interchange after making his debut in the side’s last-start win over the Dragons.

The Broncos make just the one change with Thomas Flegler (head knock) out, Corey Jensen promoted into the starting front-row, and Kobe Hetherington named on the interchange for his first appearance of 2023.

The Titans have won just five of their past 17 against the Broncos – who currently sit atop the premiership ladder with five wins and one loss – and have lost six of their past eight against them on the Gold Coast.

Raiders aiming to build off huge upset versus Dragons

Fresh off a massive win over the previously undefeated Broncos, Canberra return home to host the up-and-down Dragons in a key Sunday afternoon matchup.

The Raiders welcome back stars Jack Wighton (suspension) and Joseph Tapine (personal reasons) with Brad Schneider and Peter Hola omitted whilst Nick Čotrić (hamstring) returns to replace Jordan Rapana (head knock).

For the Dragons, Zane Musgrove comes in for the suspended Francis Molo whilst Tautau Moga replaces Mikaele Ravalawa (hamstring) on the flank.

The Canberra-St. George Illawarra rivalry has been a strange one over the years; the Raiders enjoyed stretch from 2003 to 2013 where they won 15 of their 16 clashes against the Red V before dropping four in-a-row.

The Raiders have had the advantage in recent years having won five of their past seven against the Dragons and three-straight in the nation’s capital.

Eels desperate to climb up ladder against undermanned Dogs

The round ends with a clash between historical rivals Canterbury and Parramatta at CommBank Stadium with both sides hopeful of making a run towards the top eight in the opening half of the new season.

Parramatta welcome co-captain Junior Paulo back from suspension with Wiremu Greig dropping back to the interchange and Jack Murchie out of the side.

The Bulldogs, meanwhile, will be without Viliame Kikau who picked up a pec injury at training during the week that is set to sideline him for 8-to-10 weeks.

They will also be without Josh Addo-Carr (ankle) with Braidon Burns earning his first nod of the season.

Tevita Pangai Jr. (calf), Raymond Faitala-Mariner (head knock), and Jayden Okunbor (suspension) have been named to return, however, with Sam Hughes, Jackson Topine, and Kurtis Morrin dropping out.

Parramatta have won four of their past five against the Dogs and have won their last three against them at CommBank.

Fill In The Form To Get Our NRL News Straight To Your Email For FREE!