Ikin See Clearly: NRL round 26

Sam Burgess on the attack. Source: Mark Evans / News Limited

ONE week away from the finals, rugby league expert Ben Ikin steps us through what he's most looking forward to in NRL round 26.

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Halves battle to decide minor premiership

The two best teams across the regular season battling for the minor premiership has all league fans salivating. On Friday night we will witness teams one and two go head-to-head to decide who will lift the JJ Giltanan Shield at full-time. 

Not since the 1960s has one singular game in the final round determined the winner of the minor premiership. That only adds extra importance to what is already set to be a blockbuster. 

With the game being played in Sydney, it gives us a taste of what we can possibly expect to see on grand final day. 

I really can't wait to see the performance of both sets of halves.

There has been some suggestion through the press that neither pairing have stood up and led from the front in big games. That's not to say they can't, but this game is about as big as it gets. 

Not only do I think the battle of the halves will go a long way to determining the outcome of the match but if a particular halves pairing plays well it will act as a springboard into the finals.

A strong performance will give a player a bucket load of confidence, while a poor game may see them carry self-doubt into the finals. If you are playing in the key position of the halves and you are second guessing yourself in September your team is next to no chance of winning the match.

I must admit, I have been pleasantly surprised by how Mitchell Pearce came out of what was a pretty poor State of Origin series. It showed great strength of character. James Maloney was OK without being brilliant throughout Origin but the pair have come out of the series to play brilliantly for the Roosters. The big question mark now, like in Origin, is whether they can set up and deliver in the big games?

To a lesser degree the same questions will be asked of South Sydney's John Sutton and Adam Reynolds.  This game will give us a preview of who will step up in a week's time.

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Burgess v SBW II

I just can't wait to see Sam Burgess come up against Sonny Bill Williams. 

Much fanfare was made about SBW's signature with the Roosters at the start of the year and he certainly hasn't disappointed. But who can forget the first game of the season and the moment Burgess ran straight over the top of Williams.

As humble as Williams comes across, that moment will be burned into his mind.

After the target he placed on Beau Ryan thanks to Ryan's segment on the Footy Show, I can't imagine not wanting to even the ledger over the course of the game.

Williams will be out to make a statement and the bloke he will be out to make a statement on will be Burgess.

It could be argued that perhaps Burgess' eagerness to lead from the front for the Rabbitohs has spilled over into some less desirable actions this year? 

He will go into this game looking to dominate in the cleanest possible fashion, which we saw the last time these two teams met. Burgess will also be motivated by playing alongside his brothers. Because Sam was the first one to move to Australia and ply his trade, he will feel like the pioneer for the Burgess boys to stake their claim in the NRL. If the four of them could help lead the Rabbitohs to a minor premiership, let alone premiership glory, that would be one hell of a memory. 

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Super Saturday: battle for eighth spot

If we start by pencilling in a victory to Newcastle over Penrith at Hunter Stadium, that would mean the Knights shift to 29 points and we are left with the Warriors, Titans and Cowboys all vying for eighth spot and a place in the finals series. We won't know the results of the Knights game until Sunday afternoon while the three previously mentioned sides will take the field on Saturday night.

After three losses in a row, the Warriors returned to the winners' circle after a tight tussle with the Titans, which they backed up with an outstanding showing against the Raiders last week. The opposition played with plenty of passion but the Warriors beat that out of them, not only with their physicality but the brilliance of Shaun Johnson and Manu Vatuvei. If they can continue that run of form, I can't imagine the Dragons beating them but I can picture a lot of teams looking over their shoulders should the Warriors slip into the eight.

The Titans were never expected to beat the Roosters last week and for that reason, you cannot write them off against the Storm. Playing the Storm in Melbourne will be harder than the Roosters at Allianz Stadium but they have shown throughout the season they will not go down without a fight and if Melbourne takes them lightly in any way, the Titans could snare a victory. 

For North Queensland, who could have guessed the finish to the season? The coach gets sacked, the news is made public and they win five straight. Since the announcement was made the team looks relaxed and like the Cowboys of old. They have finally found their groove. They are looking very likely. I find it very difficult to see the Wests Tigers beating them in North Queensland although they did race out to an 18-0 lead over the Rabbitohs last week, which would have given them a lot of confidence. 

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Farewell to a great fullback

Matt Bowen has been playing some sensational football. His performance against the Sharks on the weekend was vintage Bowen. He produced three or four try assists and a try of his own for good measure. It was the best game I had seen him play in a long time and that performance will inspire confidence in the rest of the Cowboys players. They know when Bowen is on song they are every chance to get the points in games. Round 26 moonlights as his last game in front of a home crowd and the team will want to see him off as a winner.

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