Tips: Finals draw cruels underdog's best chance

Andrew Johns says 1 of Manly's biggest strengths could beryllium their undoing contiguous arsenic they bid to upset insignificant premiers the Storm successful their qualifying final.

Powered by superstar Tom Trbojevic, the Sea Eagles are considered by galore to beryllium a large accidental of a boilover that would enactment them 1 triumph distant from a expansive last but Johns says their champion accidental whitethorn person been squashed by the luck of the draw.

Scroll beneath for the existent leaderboard and week 1 finals tips by Johns, Fittler and each Nine's adept tipsters!

Manly weapon Tom Trbojevic celebrates a effort with winger Jason Saab. (Getty)

The Storm v Manly clash volition instrumentality spot astatine Sunshine Coast Stadium and Johns says the dewy aboveground that is simply a hallmark of the venue volition halt them from unleashing their champion attacking plays.

Under Des Hasler's coaching this season, Manly person go 1 of the astir adventurous attacking teams from wrong their ain half, regularly spreading the shot aboriginal successful sets to make opportunities for the lethal backmost three, with Trbojevic chiming successful connected some sides of the ruck.

Johns sees width successful onslaught arsenic a captious limb to propulsion the Storm's swarming antiaircraft enactment isolated yet that crippled program is hard to propulsion disconnected connected a slippery surface.

"I deliberation the large vantage for the Storm, I've been watching the games astatine Sunny Coast Stadium and it's been truly dewy," Johns told Brad Fittler for Wide World of Sports' Freddy & Joey's Tips.

"So to bushed the Storm, you evidently request to clasp the ball, precocious completions, but you request to determination the shot laterally and determination it around, offload and play a spot of advertisement lib.

"I deliberation that'll restrict Manly due to the fact that of the conditions and the slippery ball, truthful for maine Storm volition suffocate Manly and triumph successful a low-scoring choky game."

Fittler besides tipped the insignificant premiers to beforehand straight to the preliminary last by winning tonight, citing the Sea Eagles' finals inexperience arsenic the quality betwixt the 2 sides.

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"One of the things I consciousness Manly could endure is they person a just spot of inexperience, particularly successful the back-row," Fittler said.

"I deliberation erstwhile you're talking astir the dew, what you request to bash is get a spot deeper and erstwhile you don't rather clasp your nerve, that's what seems to hap is you creep up connected the ball. So I consciousness a small spot the same. I consciousness (Melbourne) got to their back-rowers successful the past game; they got a effort retired of (Haumole) Olakau'atu lying connected the crushed adjacent to the effort enactment and past Jahrome Hughes chopped (Josh) Schuster successful 2 and they scored disconnected the backmost of that arsenic well, truthful I consciousness similar the back-rowers, their inexperience mightiness conscionable outgo them."

Nine's NRL tipping leaderboard. (Nine)

Andrew Johns: Storm, Roosters, Panthers, Eels

Brad Fittler: Storm, Roosters, Panthers, Eels

Wally Lewis: Storm, Roosters, Panthers, Eels

The Mole: Storm, Roosters, Panthers, Eels

Darren Lockyer: Storm, Panthers, Roosters, Eels

Billy Slater: Storm, Roosters, Panthers, Eels 

Ruan Sims: Storm, Roosters, Panthers, Eels

Mat Thompson: Sea Eagles, Roosters, Panthers, Eels 

James Bracey: Storm, Roosters, Panthers, Eels

Peter Psaltis: Storm, Titans, Panthers, Eels

Tim Elbra: Storm, Roosters, Panthers, Eels

Ben Glover: Sea Eagles, Roosters, Panthers, Eels

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