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The preview panel for round 23 of the NRL.
PREVIEW OF NRL ROUND 23 MATCHES (all times AEST):
THURSDAY, AUGUST 22
Parramatta v Canterbury at Bankwest Stadium, 7.50pm
Head to head: Bulldogs 83, Eels 67, drawn 6
Last clash: Round 2, 2019 - Eels 36 bt Bulldogs 16 at ANZ Stadium
Parramatta may have a top four finish in their sights and welcome back prop Junior Paulo (ankle) but will come up against a very different Canterbury outfit than the one they faced in round two. The Eels may be humming along in attack, winning four straight. And they are also no slouches in defence conceding just 10 points a game over the past three. But the Bulldogs can play finals spoilers after winning five of their past seven.
Key: How will Eels playmaker Mitchell Moses and halves partner Dylan Brown fare against the Dogs' revitalised Kieran Foran and Lachlan Lewis?
Tip: Eels
FRIDAY, AUGUST 23
North Queensland v Penrith at 1300SMILES Stadium, 6pm
Head to head: Panthers 20, Cowboys 18, drawn 1
Last clash: Round 9, 2018 - Cowboys 26 bt Panthers 20 at Carrington Park, Bathurst
They are still reeling from news of Matt Scott's sudden stroke following last week's loss but North Queensland coach Paul Green hopes the enforcer's injury scare strengthens the side's resolve. Penrith's last-round loss dropped them outside the eight and leaves them with no room to move in the final three weeks.
Key: Penrith halves James Maloney and Nathan Cleary must show why their side deserves to play finals by working over a patched-up Cowboys side.
Tip: Panthers
Brisbane v South Sydney at Suncorp Stadium, 7.55pm
Head to head: Broncos 29, Rabbitohs 12, drawn 2
Last clash: Round 8, 2019 - Rabbitohs 38 bt Broncos 6 at ANZ Stadium
The stage is set for another grudge match after Brisbane coach Anthony Seibold claimed South Sydney's attack hadn't changed since he held the reins last year before a messy swap with Wayne Bennett. Brisbane are keen to keep their top eight tilt on track after just one loss in their last seven games while the Rabbitohs are desperate for victory after falling out of the top four for the first time this year following three straight losses.
Key: How will Brisbane cope after enforcer Tevita Pangai (five games) and halfback Jake Turpin (two weeks) were suspended this week?
Tip: Broncos
SATURDAY, AUGUST 24
Cronulla v Warriors at PointsBet Stadium, 3pm
Head to head: Sharks 22, Warriors 17, drawn 1
Last clash: Round 18, 2019 - Warriors 19 bt Sharks 18 at Westpac Stadium
Cronulla, hanging on to eighth, can't afford to slip against a Warriors' side who were hammered by the Roosters. Josh Dugan is a handy replacement for Matt Moylan (hamstring) at fullback while the expected return of Andrew Fifita adds depth to a Sharks side searching for consistency. Kodi Nikorima comes off the bench for the Warriors, who are playing to restore some pride following last weekend's thumping.
Key: Shaun Johnson would love to play a defining hand against his former club, especially after opposite number Blake Green stole the points in their last clash with a late field goal.
Tip: Sharks
Wests Tigers v Newcastle at Campbelltown Stadium, 5.30pm
Head to head: Wests Tigers 14, Knights 13, drawn 1
Last clash: Round 19, 2019 - Wests Tigers 28 bt Knights 26 at McDonald Jones Stadium
A certifiable knockout fixture between two teams sharing 10th place, two points outside the eight. The Knights will have spent time ruminating about Nathan Brown's post-season departure. They at least returned to winning ways last week, thrashing the Cowboys, while the injury-hit Tigers are on an untimely losing skid.
Key: Josh Reynolds - A high-stakes return for the unwanted former Blue. His last first grade appearance was in April and he hasn't been a starting hooker since his rookie season of 2011.
Tip: Knights
St George Illawarra v Sydney Roosters at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, 7.35pm
Head to head: Dragons 20, Sydney Roosters 19, drawn 2
Last clash: Round 7, 2019 - Sydney Roosters 20 bt Dragons 10 at Sydney Cricket Ground
Siosiua Taukeiaho, who scored the match-sealing try when the teams met in April, returns from injury and only bolsters an in-form Roosters side. They're still missing Boyd Cordner but should have too many guns for a Dragons side whose motivation levels appear to be ebbing.
Key: Latrell Mitchell - Has unearthed his scintillating early-season form after hitting a lull around Origin time.
Tip: Roosters
SUNDAY, AUGUST 25
Melbourne v Gold Coast at AAMI Park, 2pm
Head to head: Storm 14, Titans 6, drawn 1
Last clash: Round 18, 2019 - Storm 38 bt Titans 18 at CBUS Super Stadium
Some experts are tipping a cricket score when the wounded Titans, on a club-worst eight game losing streak, pay a visit to Melbourne a week after the Storm let slip a big lead to suffer a rare loss. The scenario could hardly be more formidable for interim coach Craig Hodges, although he took plenty of positives from an improved defensive performance last week.
Key: Veteran fullback Michael Gordon will have a busy night thanks to Melbourne's precise kick and chase, while Cameron Munster will test what's proved brittle edge defence.
Tip: Storm
Canberra v Manly at GIO Stadium, 4.05pm
Head to head: Sea Eagles 34, Raiders 21, drawn 2
Last clash: Round 7, 2019 - Sea Eagles 24 bt Raiders 20 at Lottoland
A top-four cracker looms in the capital between the two sides most likely to prevent a Roosters-Storm grand final repeat. Canberra's fightback win over Melbourne served to underline their title credentials although the rib injury ruling out Joseph Tapine is a setback. Tom Trbojevic looked sharp for Manly last week and should enjoy his showdown with Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad.
Key: Josh Hodgson - Has turned one-on-one strips into an art form and will have every Manly ball carrier on high alert.
Tip: Raiders
