NRL Round 27 Tipping: The Roar's expert tips and predictions - Final fling causes panic with playoff berths on the line (2024)

If you’re in a tipping competition and it is all over after this weekend, you’re doing it wrong.

The finals counts in the NRL so it should be part of any tipping comp worth its salt.

But if this is it, then you will either be sitting pretty and tipping the favourites to play it safe or looking for huge upsets to reel in the dastardly rival who is just in front of you.

Round 27 throws up a few possibilities where the upset is definitely on.

Brisbane can’t make the finals and Melbourne have already got the minor premiership wrapped up in Thursday night’s opening match.

Wests Tigers and Parramatta have the wooden spoon on the line on Friday while later in the night South Sydney would love nothing more than to knock over the depleted Roosters just before the finals.

St George Illawarra vs Canberra is a toss of the coin, as is Canterbury vs North Queensland while the third match on Saturday should not be close when Penrith look to seal second spot by pummelling the Titans.

Sunday’s fare is Manly at home to Cronulla hoping to snare a home playoff followed by the battle for eighth between the Knights and Dolphins in Newcastle.

In The Roar‘s expert tipping panel, Mike Meehall Wood holders a slender lead over Nick Wasiliev heading into the final round.

And yes, the finals will count for this presitigious honour.

Here’s how the experts see Round 27 unfolding.

Stuart Thomas

Storm, Eels, Roosters, Dragons, Cowboys, Panthers, Sea Eagles, Dolphins,

It is all over for the disappointing Bronocs in 2024 and another weak performance on Thursday night will set Melbourne up nicely for the finals. Spoonbowl will be a beauty and the Eels should win it based on absolutely pure guesswork.

The Chooks are bruised, busted and depleted but could they still have enough to beat the Rabbitohs? You would think so. The Dragons and Raiders will potentially battle for eighth spot on Saturday afternoon, pending other results and the home track should see the Red V get the win.

The Dogs and Cowboys will be a ripping affair, with fifth spot up for grabs. The northerners in a very tight clash with their backline doing the damage out wide. The Panthers too good for the Titans, whilst the Sea Eagles will be hoping to climb to sixth with a win against the Sharks. Cronulla look locked in fourth and might have less motivation.

Everything counts for nothing at the bottom of the eight if the Dolphins beat the Knights. Newcastle will try to play spoiler yet the Phins look headed for the finals after their polished display in Round 26.

Nick Wasiliev

Storm, Tigers, Roosters, Dragons, Bulldogs, Panthers, Sea Eagles, Knights

Finals can’t come soon enough. Let’s do this!Sorry Kevin, but the end of line is here. Despite the loss lass week, the Storm are looking the goods and challenged a Cowboys side that is firing a lot more than Brisbane.

Screw it, Eels are probably the favourites but the Tigers have looked kinda alright. Not gonna tip them for the rest of the year so we may as well go now.Roosters should brush aside the Bunnies as well, and I’m particularly excited to see how Mark Nawaqanitawase goes. Get ready folks, you better learn how to pronounce his name!

The Dragons should be favourites here, but only because of how bad the Raiders’ record is away from home. Bit more to play for as well.

The Doggies have lost a few folks, but have also got Stephen Crichton back. Despite the form North Queensland have, I’m going the home side in a thriller. Reckonthis will be the match of the weekend.The Panthers should make relatively quick workof the Titans, the Sea Eagles-Sharks is much harder to call. Going the home side but not by much.

Lastly, Knights to win in Newcastle. It’s been a season to forget, but given their form over the last fortnight they have it in them to finish this season how they’d like to start next season.

Mary Konstantopoulos

Storm, Eels, Roosters, Dragons, Bulldogs, Panthers, Sharks, Knights

Gosh, I would be scared of this game if I was the Broncos. Despite winning the Minor Premiership, Craig Bellamy has named a full strength squad. Given the dismal performances of the Broncos this year, it would take a miracle for them to win this game. I expect the Storm to win by 20 points.

Then the spoon bowl. I am so glad my team is giving so much joy to footy fans right now. I’m tipping the Eels because in patches they have played some good footy in recent weeks but believe me when I say there is no margin, no matter how long there is to go which will give me confidence that the Eels can win the game. I will only breathe a sigh of relief (either way) when the season is over.

The Roosters are decimated by injury, but so are Souths and I think the Roosters will win by a big margin.

The next game will be fun. Both teams have blown their chances of top eight finishes this year. The Dragons have been up and down this year. Given they lost last week, I think they finish their season with a win over the Raiders, who have lost two key players in Elliot Whitehead and Jordan Rapana to finish the season.

The Bulldogs will bounce back with a win over the Cowboys and the Panthers will beat the Titans.

The next game is an important one for the Sharks who need to work out what their spine combination will look like heading into the finals. Last week was concerning but I think they can still beat a Manly team that is carrying some injured troops.

The Knights will sneak into the top eight with a win over the Dolphins.

Paul Suttor

Storm, Tigers, Roosters, Raiders, Bulldogs, Panthers, Sharks, Knights

Tipping in the final round is usually a lottery or goes according to the bookies’ odds … so this one will probably be somewhere in between.

Neither Brisbane or Melbourne have anything tangible to play for so in that scenario, the Storm will be too strong.
Tigers vs Eels is the hardest match of the round to pick – Wests in a close one.

The Roosters are battered and bruised but still should have too much firepower for the Rabbitohs. Canberra have shown more ticker thanthe Dragons in recent weeks so they will come away from Kogarah with two virtually meaningless competition points.

Canterbury should be vulnerable without Matt Burton but the Cowboys are not clever enough to cash in on his absence. Penrith could and probablyshould put 50 on the Titans, Cronulla will get a rare win at Brookvale due to Tom Trbojevic being sidelined while the Knights will claim the eighth spot in the eight by beating the Dolphins by eight in their 80-minute showdown.

AJ Mithen

Broncos, Eels, Rabbitohs, Raiders, Cowboys, Panthers, Sea Eagles, draw

Who tipped the most last round? Mithen, that’s who. Just a reminder that I can turn this tipping juice on any time I need to.

More results this week to marvel at starting g with Brisbane sneaking over the uninterested Storm. Parra to ‘lose’ the spoon bowl by beating the Tigers, who then ‘win’ the wooden spoon.

Bunnies will kick seven shades out of the chooks just like Canberra did, then your presumptive champions the people’s team Canberra Raiders will smudge the desolate Dragons to a 56-point tune.

Cowboys will win a home final after barely getting past a flagging Bulldogs attack. Panthers to set up a premiership h with a bog standard one over the Titans, and Manly should beat Cronulla but who genuinely knows it.

The game of the round will end in the second draw of the season, as the Dolphins and Knights end each other’s finals chances in a 22-22 tie.

Mike Meehall Wood

Storm, Tigers, Roosters, Dragons, Cowboys, Panthers, Manly, Knights

This week is wide open, so off the top, I expect Nick to tip aggressively to make up for his deficit. Over to you, Wasiliev.

I’ll start with an easy one: Melbourne are good, theBroncos are not and this will end Kevvie Walters’ poor season in appropriate fashion.

The Spoonbowl could not be more perfectly timed than a Friday 6pm at Campbelltown – let’s back the Eels to fall over themselves one last time. Tigers win.

The Chooks v Bunnies is easy, as it would require 6 more ACLs before I started tipping South Sydney. Canberra tend to turn up one week and blow out the next – after two turn ups in a row, they’ll collapse. St George Illawarra end a better season with a win.

We enter the reverse psychology stage at Homebush. I would like to attend the first Manly final in several years, which requires it to be held in Brookvale, and that requires a Cowboys defeat. I’ll tip them, hoping to lose, as I have all year. NQ it is.

Penrith 100-0 Titans.

Reverse psychology is one thing, but tipping strategy is another. If Nick has been reading this, he’ll think I’ll go for the Sharks, but as a double bluff, I’ll take my Beaches Boys to secure that home final. Manly Hates You Too.

I have absolutely no idea if the Knights will actually show up, or if the Phins will fall over in the way they sometimes do. Generally I have less faith in Newcastle, but do appreciate home advantage, so I’ll take them with no confidence. Newy win.