Vancouver are on a great run of form at the moment winning four of their last five and face a Washington team on a downturn. It is their first home game in almost two weeks and they will be greeted with a vocal crowd hoping to see their side continue their good run. Washington are certainly having a down run of form at the moment winning just two of their last seven. I like Vancouver here coming home as Washington are still looking for answers.
Sydney FC are backing up after dropping their first points of the season while Perth are making a cross country trip after their first win of the year. Playing away from home is a tough ask for Perth and Sydney will be boosted by the return of their Polish playmaker Adrian Mierzejewski. That stingy back four from last season is not quite as tight as before and Perth have plenty of attacking firepower so I like both teams to score here but Sydney’s home ground advantage should get them over the line.
Time to kick off Rugby League’s premier international showcase gets underway in Melbourne with Australia taking on England. The Kangaroos are understandably heavy favourites with a formidable squad, although England will want to give them a good run for their money and with Wayne Bennett at the helm, they will be prepared for this one. I expect this to be close for the first half before the Australians run away with it in the second half to kick off their Rugby League World Cup bid.