NRL Round 22 Fixtures and Tips - Storm and Raiders clash in game of round

Gary Emmerson in NRL 12 Aug 2019

Melbourne Storm (PA Images)

Melbourne Storm can take a step closer to the minor premiership when they host Canberra Raiders in the game of NRL Round 22 on Saturday.

Storm maintained their six point advantage at the top of the ladder with 26-16 win over South Sydney Rabbitohs and now face third-place Raiders, who lost another top of the table clash last weekend when going down 22-18 at home to Sydney Roosters.

The Roosters now head the chasing pack behind the Storm and will look to remain in the hunt for the minor premiership when they host the New Zealand Warriors on Sunday afternoon. The 11th-placed Warriors defeated Manly Sea Eagles 24-19 in Round 21 to remain a win outside of the top eight.

Manly, still sit in fifth place on the ladder despite that defeat, kick off the Round 22 action on Thursday night when they take on Wests Tigers, who suffered a blow to their finals hopes when losing 18-16 to Canterbury Bulldogs.

The first game of a Friday night double headers sees bottom side Gold Coast Titans, beaten 40-28 by St George Illawarra Dragons in a high-scoring affair last week, host a Parramatta Eels which cemented their place in the eight with a 20-14 victory over Newcastle Knights.

Brisbane Broncos moved into the top eight with a derby win over North Queensland Cowboys, and it is a crucial clash on Friday night with seventh placed Penrith Panthers - 26-20 winners over Cronulla Sharks last weekend - heading north to Suncorp Stadium for a huge game for both sides.

The Knights and Cowboys continue to cling on to slim finals hopes and will be desperate for the points when they meet on Saturday afternoon, while later in the day the Rabbitohs will be out to bounce back when they entertain the Canterbury Bulldogs.

The final game of the round on Sunday sees the Sharks, who slipped to ninth on the ladder after losing to the Panthers, host the Dragons with St George Illawarra realistically needing to continue winning if they are to sneak into the finals spots.