NRL

Melbourne were the last team to beat South Sydney back in Round 5, and since then Jason Demetriou's side have shown themselves to be arguably the competition's form team with consecutive wins over the Bulldogs, Dolphins, Panthers and Broncos. 

With Campbell Graham scoring tries for fun and Cody Walker and Latrell Mitchell firing, the Rabbitohs are a scary prospect with ball in hand, while in defence they have given up more than 18 points to an opponent just once all year. 

The Sharks are 5-3 for the season and sitting a comfortable second on the ladder but face no easy task against a Dolphins side who will be doing everything in their power to hand coach Wayne Bennett a night to remember on his 900th match as a first-grade rugby league coach.

Attack has been a strength for the Sharks from the get-go this season, leading the competition in points scored, linebreaks and try assists, but it was their improvement in defence which impress coach Craig Fitzgibbon most with in his side's 44-6 victory last Thursday.

After being beaten soundly by the Rabbitohs last week, Brisbane returned to form in style in front of a crowd of 50,077 at Suncorp Stadium, running in six tries in a dominant display. 

Winger Selwyn Cobbo scored half of those tries himself and ran for 202 metres, with the only blight from a Brisbane point of view being the loss of back-rower Kurt Capewell to a failed HIA in the second half. 

The Broncos took little time to get going, with Reece Walsh linking with Selwyn Cobbo for the opening try, before Billy Walters burrowed over to give them a 10-0 lead on 15 minutes. 

Tries from Jordan Rapana early in each half helped the Raiders, while lock Corey Horsburgh put in another powerful performance which included 174 run metres and four tackle breaks. 

Up by 10 with four minutes to play, the Raiders had to endure a nervous finish when the Bulldogs were awarded a penalty try after Hayze Perham was tackled off the ball metres from the line, but held on to secure their fourth win in a row. 

The first half saw action aplenty at both ends, with seven tries scored in an opening 40 minutes in which the Raiders took a 22-18 lead into the sheds. 

Manly's loss to the Titans was a disappointing one given they were at fortress Brookvale and it won't get any easier with their next trip north classed as a home game when they host the ladder leaders.

The Broncos were comprehensively beaten by South Sydney with their second half efforts exposed in the past fortnight in a concern for Kevin Walters. 

Traditionally these two sides pile on the points against each other in Magic Round with the Broncos scoring a 38-0 win last year while in 2021 the Sea Eagles racked up a 50-6 scoreline against their opponents. 

The Raiders are on a roll after defeating the Dolphins in dramatic fashion in Wagga Wagga with halfback Jamal Fogarty kicking the first field goal of his career.

Ricky Stuart's side have now strung three straight wins together and will be a tough side to face with the club showing its resilience and character last week, orchestrating a tough win in the wake of five-eighth Jack Wighton signing with South Sydney. 

At the full-time siren, Wighton breaks down in tears; it will be goodbye to his beloved Canberra Raiders whom he has spent more than a decade playing for.

The Raiders Five-Eight, earlier in the week, signed a four-year contract with South Sydney Rabbitohs in a quest for a premiership ring before he takes off his boots.

When news broke out that Wighton was leaving for the Bunnies, fans pointed to Coach Ricky Stuart for not handling the situation well. But a different story was told on camera in the Post-Match Interview.

Days on from confirmation that key player Jack Wighton would be departing the club for the Rabbitohs at the end of the season, the Raiders picked up their fourth victory of the year in front of a vocal crowd in Wagga Wagga. 

After a dream start which saw them up 10-0 after an opening eight minutes in which they didn't have to make a single tackle, the Raiders came close to being overrun by the Dolphins, who looked set to produce a stunning comeback for the second week in a row. 

The reigning premier Panthers and winless Wests Tigers are a total mis-match on paper but both head to Bathurst in Round 9 reeling from heart-breaking losses last week. 

Having taken an in-form Sea Eagles side to the wire last week, the Tigers should be walking that little bit taller despite their 0-8 start, but meeting Ivan Cleary's Panthers off the back of a last-gasp loss to the Rabbitohs is a tough ask for Tim Sheens' men.

Manly had to work for it but got the job done eventually against the bottom-placed Wests Tigers last Sunday, with the 22-16 win solidifying their place in the top four.

The Titans will be keen to make amends for their horror second half against the Dolphins last week, with Justin Holbrook's side hardly firing a shot to record what was the equal worst collapse for a loss in Premiership history – coughing up an initial 26-0 lead to lose 28-26 to Wayne Bennett's side.