Match Preview

Now sitting four points behind the 16th-placed Bulldogs it seems the wooden spoon is on its way to Concord for the second successive year unless Wests Tigers can spring some major upsets in the run home.

Tim Sheens' men face three of the big guns in the next three weeks with games against the Raiders and Warriors to follow Friday's clash against Souths, who now sit outside the eight after their loss to the Broncos.

The break have given the Hunters enough room for more work outs to maintain the momentum they built over their last five fixtures. Hunters will look to return to the winner’s circle when they face the Brisbane Tigers on Sunday, 30^th July at Totally Workwear Stadium, Brisbane. 

The Broncos continued their winning ways last weekend in a strong showing against the Rabbitohs, but were hit hard by the judiciary with both winger Jesse Arthars and forward Martin Taupau to miss this week's match with suspension.

The Roosters found form in their dominant win against the Titans, with their attack firing in the first half to post a 30-0 halftime lead before running out 36-18 winners.

The main event at 3.30pm will see the inform reigning premiers Kroton Hela Wigmen up against the giant killers, EMK Sepik Pride preceded by an even battle between Gulf Isou and Gas Resources Central Dabaris at 1pm.

Sunday's big showdown between Wigmen and Sepik Pride is predicted to draw a massive crowd to the national football stadium.

The Round 17 match kicks off at 3pm (PNG time) at the National Football Stadium.
 
After navigating a difficult start to the year, the Hunters have been at their best over the last month. Working through the 2023 regular season, building on their combinations and growing in confidence each week.  
 

The mini-revival that produced three wins in four games against the Panthers, Dragons and Cowboys now seems a distant memory for the Tigers, who have lost four on the trot and conceded 150 points in the process.

The Sharks, meanwhile, have put a Round 15 horror show against the Storm behind them to run up big scores over the Bulldogs and Dragons to sit third on the ladder with nine games to play.

Six of those matches are against teams currently outside the top eight so the Sharks have every opportunity to secure a top-four finish and a double chance in the finals.

If coach Kevin Walters' post-match comments are anything to go by, some hard truths will have been shared at Broncos HQ following the club's 18-12 loss to a Titans side who were missing their captain and had only days earlier fired their coach. 

The Dolphins have plenty of their own problems to work through this week after being hammered 48-20 by the Eels on the Sunshine Coast in Round 17, which leaves them without a win in the past month. 

Even without skipper Tino Fa'asuamaleaui, who was rested after Origin II, the Titans forwards took the game up to the highly touted Broncos pack, laying the foundation for their classy backline to lay on some scintillating tries.

At the end of a tumultuous week in which the club parted ways with coach Justin Holbrook, the players dug deep to register their best win of the season, holding the Broncos to half their season average of 23 points per game.

The Dragons find themselves in danger of collecting the first wooden spoon in the history of the joint venture and need a huge lift in defensive intensity if they hope to contain a potent Sharks unit that averages 26.3 points per game.

After showing signs of improvement in wins over the Roosters and Rabbitohs and a close loss to Penrith, the Red V gave up their biggest score of the season on Friday night and will be doing plenty of soul-searching ahead of a clash against a side that put 40 points on them in Round 4.

Both sides will be sweating on the availability of their Origin stars, who will have three days to rest and recover from Game Two in Brisbane on Wednesday night.

Melbourne's depth was on show at Campbelltown Stadium on Saturday night with Jonah Pezet doing a fine job alongside Jahrome Hughes in the halves and winger George Jennings running for 198 metres in his first game of the season.