NRL Round 6 Predictions: Panthers on the up and Tigers among tips

Sydney is the home of rugby league – just ask anyone in Sydney.

The locals don’t like attending games, of course, and there’s always an excuse.

It’s too wet is a popular one, with fans who buy tickets often choosing not to go at the slightest hint of rain. Buying and then wearing a coat, apparently, is something for other people.

It’s too hot is another, assuming there’s a beach nearby or an insufficient roof. Again, mitigating this is deemed too difficult.

The NRL has finally seen sense and, for the first time in probably ever, there’s not a single first grade game in Sydney. There’s only one second grade game, too, and that’s at Lidcombe Oval, a stadium so dilapidated that it makes Odsal look futuristic.

The AFL, in their infinite wisdom, have scheduled zero games in the city – they have their Magic Round knock-off in Adelaide – leaving the sport-starved punters with the choice of A-League soccer or (shudders) rugby union. Anyone fancy the cinema?

Love Rugby League will be glued to the telly for the NRL. This is what we’re watching.

Dolphins v Penrith

Amazingly, this is a bottom four clash. Admittedly that’s only a surprise for one of the participants, but after a four-game losing run, Penrith are where they deserve to be.

They’ve not won since Vegas, whereas the Phins picked up their first points last week by defeating the hapless Titans.

The Panthers haven’t been completely terrible, but their results tell you all you need to know about the combination of unfortunate and incompetent that has so far defined 2025.

They’ll get Dylan Edwards back for the trip to Queensland, so with him, Nathan Cleary and Isaah Yeo, it should be plenty to get the points.

Jack Cole, who has underwhelmed as Luai-lite in the 6 jumper, has a concussion and Blaize Talagi, the off-season recruit from Parramatta, will get a chance to stake a claim.

We could talk Dolphins, but in truth, this is all about the Panthers. If they play half well, they’ll take the points.

Tip: Penrith

Cronulla v Manly

This year’s Battle of the Beaches is back-to-front, with the Sharkies choosing to take the game to Perth as part of a double header with South Sydney and the Cowboys.

This should be two top four sides at the end of the year, but neither are in great form. Cronulla were pantsed by Canterbury then blew a win in Canberra thanks to a last-minute miracle try from the Raiders. That they were in a position to lose at all was entirely their own fault through awful attack and a failure to ice the game.

Manly battered Canberra and Parramatta at home but were rudely reminded of the levels by Melbourne last week. They’re still without Tom Trbojevic and a few key forwards, but there’s points everywhere in this side if they decide to play. Trouble is, that’s a big if.

Let’s ignore the weakness and instead focus on the positives. These are two of the best backlines and, on the edges, a battle for the ages between Briton Nikora and Haumole Olakau’atu. The Perth public should be in for a treat.

Tip: Manly

Brisbane v Roosters

Brisbane are a very weird team at the moment. They seem to be winning in spite of themselves, piling on points through force of individuals but also not getting much out of their star man, Reece Walsh.

They get all the advantages to start with, too, which means it’s hard to judge how good the Broncos might be. This is their fourth game at home in a row against lower-end opposition, and while they’ve won them all, they have conceded more points than they should have, usually in soft fashion.

Easts lost to Brisbane in Round 1 and have hooked their halfback, Chad Townsend, for a rookie, Hugo Savala. Expectations from their end are low to say the least.

This will either be a bloodbath or a miracle. We probably won’t learn much about either side but it’ll be car crash viewing either way.

Tip: Broncos

Newcastle v Wests Tigers

Sometimes you look at the bookies and wonder what they are thinking. Newcastle are favourites by a distance for a Sunday arvo home game, which isn’t that mad, but the formline tells a different story.

The Wests Tigers lost to Newcastle in Round 1, but have only improved since, while the Knights have got progressively worse.

Newcastle have lost a starting halfback, a winger, a prop and two other forwards from last week, and while they welcome back Kai Pearce-Paul, they’ll also debut three players.

The Tigers are basically full strength, with only Latu Fainu missing – and replace him with Jarome Luai, who returns from suspension.

The price is a head scratcher, but it should be a great game as a result.

Tip: Tigers

Melbourne v Warriors

Melbourne hit close to top form last weekend in Brookvale and are ominous. They’ve won ten straight at home against the Wahs and all of the last 16 meetings in total.

It’s obvious who’ll win, right? Well, maybe not.

This game last year featured the try seen around the world from Xavier Coates – but remember the context of that miracle.

It required a last minute wonder try to actually win, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. The year before that, the Warriors led at half-time, too.

The point here is that, since Andrew Webster came in, things haven’t been plain sailing for the Storm when the Kiwis come to town.

The Warriors got last week off and have generally turned up well this season. They’re rested and fired up. It might be closer than it looks.

Tip: Storm

Everyone else

6pm Friday is the graveyard slot – at least when it’s not the Wahs in Auckland – so it’s no surprise that we find the Dragons v Titans occupying it this week.

St George Illawarra have chucked a few that they should have won and stunk out others games so far this year. The Titans are the ultimate mixed bag. If the Dragons win it’ll probably be quite a boring game, if the Gold Coast get up it will be because their opponents collapse.

Over in Perth, Souths will defend a barely credible 4-1 record against the Cowboys, who are not undefeated in two.

Latrell Mitchell plays in the halves, which should be fun, if only to watch his long kicking either bamboozle fullbacks or fly out on the full. Expect a lot of forward passes, sometimes even called by the ref.

North Queensland are fool’s gold defensively, but in Scott Drinkwater and Tom Dearden, they have points. It probably won’t be high quality footy, but it should be fun.

Parra are gluttons for punishment, so take an annual defeat to Darwin as part of a lucrative deal with the Northern Territory. Essentially, they fly in, do a week of publicity, lose to whoever they play and go home.

This year it’s Canberra, who are at least as unused to the 33 degree, 90% humidity as Parramatta are – in previous years the Eels inexplicably chose Queensland teams as opponents – but are fundamentally a better team.

Tips: Dragons, Souths, Raiders