NRL

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.

Rabbitohs centre Campbell Graham continues to give himself every chance of making his Origin debut this year with a first half double setting up a 12-6 lead for the visitors after 40 minutes. 

He then crossed for a third try as the Rabbitohs stretched their lead to 16 after 50 minutes with Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker finding the spark required as the game hung in the balance in the middle of the contest.

Both sides traded tries early before the Eels produced eight line breaks in the first half to set up a 30-6 lead against a Knights outfit that missed 65 tackles throughout the contest.

Marquee men Dylan Brown and Mitchell Moses crossed for tries before Gutherson fooled a clumsy Knights defensive line at dummy half twice to cross for a double.

He had a treble by the 46th minute as the Eels let slip a few more opportunities throughout the evening.

It is believed the Rabbitohs are closing in on a  deal with Jack for $900,000 per season for four years, which is less than the money he was offered by the Raiders and other rival clubs.

Despite the Raiders wanting to retain him at the Club and having tabled him 1.4 million Australian Dollars per season for another four years, the silky five-eight decided to change club on the less money.

The reason behind this move is that he wants to win a premiership before he lashes off his boot.

Hunters centre Rodrick Tai and fullback Morea Morea have both been invited to train with The Dolphins NRL squad over the next month as they continue their rugby league development.

Tai, who spent the offseason in Redcliffe under the watchful eye of Wayne Bennett, rejoins The Dolphins training squad this week on the back of a compelling start to the Hostplus Cup season. The strike centre has two tries and an average 129 running metres from four games this year to consistently be one of the Hunters best.