The Sea Eagles showed last week just how important a single player can be.
Tom Trbojevic made his first appearance of the season and was instrumental in Manly's 34-point win over the Warriors.
As good as that win was, the Sea Eagles will need to soar to another level if they want to hand South Sydney their first defeat of 2019.
Why Sea Eagles can win
Coming off a confidence-boosting win and back at Brookvale Oval, Manly will certainly give this a red-hot crack.
And if Turbo Tom replicates his performance from last week, then it's hard to see the Bunnies coming up with an answer.
Trbojevic proved why he's one of the league's best fullbacks, scoring two tries, setting up another two, making nine tackle busts and three line breaks in the process.
Brother Jake played his best game of the season, making all 40 of his attempted tackles, as well as running for 139 metres.
Stopping these two will be the first task for Wayne Bennett's men.
Why Rabbitohs can win
Speaking of Bennett, he has already proved doubters wrong, with the Bunnies sitting pretty as only one of two undefeated teams in 2019.
While they dominated last week, a sloppy back quarter of the game saw their margin of victory cut against the Titans.
If Bennett can get his side to play for the full 80 minutes here, then they will be far too good for Manly.
Damien Cook has picked off from where he left off last season, topping Souths' tackle count last week and terrorising the Titans out of dummy half.
And with both GI and George Burgess making a return to the starting line-up, the Rabbitohs' side is looking very strong.
Key NRL Stat
3 of the past 4 matches between these sides have been won by the away team: South Sydney to win @ $1.50
NRL Betting Tip: South Sydney to cover the -4.5 point line @ $1.90
Reasoning: Even when they went off the boil last week, the Rabbitohs still managed to win by 8.
If they improve on that performance, which is likely given the retuen of Inglis, then they'll deal out a reality check to the Sea Eagles.
If you needed any evidence of the importance of Jason Taumololo to the Cowboys, look no further than last week's loss to the Sharks.
Without him, North Queensland succumbed to a 26-point drubbing, after a shocking 20-minute period just after half-time.
This will give Canberra confidence of pulling off their third win of the season and cementing their spot inside the top eight.
Why Cowboys can win
Take away the twenty minutes after half-time when the Cowboys conceded 30 points, and they actually played well against the Sharks.
Their attack is still looking threatening, with Michael Morgan and Te Maire Martin combining well at times.
With plenty of hard heads and experience in the pack, even without Taumololo, North Queensland will still be very hard to beat at home.
Their problem though is their defence.
The Cowboys have conceded the third most points in 2019 so far. Based on what they dished up last week, they'd need to find something special to hold the Green Machine at bay.
Why Raiders can win
If Canberra hadn't come up against the Storm in Round 2, there's every chance that they would be heading into this game three from three.
Ricky Stuart's men have been superb, showing a sense of professionalism that has been missing in previous campaigns.
While the Raiders will always be a team with plenty of flair, they have really impressed with their ability to grind out matches by keeping it tight in defence.
And with new recruit Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad impressing in the number 1 jersey, Canberra look to be a much improved team in 2019.
If the form stacks up, then they'll prove too hot to handle for the Cows.
Key NRL Stat
The Raiders have won their past 2 games against the Cowboys: Raiders to win @ $1.90
NRL Betting Tip: Raiders to cover the +1.5 point line @ $1.90
Reasoning: While Canberra should get the job done, they are also a team that's prone to losing in a close one. The line may not be much but every point will be handy.
2018 media tipster champ: Raiders
Parramatta Eels vs Cronulla Sharks
NRL Odds: Eels $1.95 (+1.5) / Sharks $1.85 (-1.5)
Both sides will be hunting their third win of the campaign when the Eels host the Sharks here.
This will be Parramatta's last home game at ANZ before their highly anticipated move into their brand new stadium in a fortnight.
They'll want to put in a big performance against a Sharks side that's shaping up as a September contender once again.
Why Eels can win
Parramatta have really impressed in 2019, winning two on-the-trot before losing to the Roosters in a game that they dominated for the first 60 minutes.
Their weakness in 2018 was their failure to make inroads up the park, but with Blake Ferguson and Junior Paulo now in the side, meter-eating has been Parra's strength.
If they can win the metre-game against a Cronulla outfit missing Paul Gallen, then the Eels have the strike weapons to get the win.
Fijian winger Maika Sivo showed just how dangerous he can be last week, if he's given the ball within sight of the try line.
They'll have to do it without young five-eighth Dylan Brown though, who misses with a back injury.
Why Sharks can win
Cronulla are a very experienced outfit who know how to win close games.
But they also showed in Round 3 that they are capable of piling on the points, racking up 42 of them against the Cowboys.
Shaun Johnson played his best game in a Sharks jersey after laying on two try assists making all 7 of his attempted conversions.
Against an untried halves combination, Johnson and Chad Townsend will be pulling all the strings to try and engineer a win.
Cronulla will have to be good though, after losing not just Gallen but Matt Moylan to injury.
Key NRL Stat
Cronulla have won 5 straight games against the Eels: Sharks to win @ $1.85
NRL Betting Tip: Eels to win @ $1.95
Reasoning: Losing Moylan is a big blow and the way Parramatta are playing, it may prove costly.
Apr 05, 2019 07:01 PM
AAP
Key NRL Stat
NRL Betting Tip: South Sydney to cover the -4.5 point line @ $1.90
2018 media tipster champ: Manly
