Wide World of Sports stats guru David Middleton breaks down Round 6 of the NRL season, to bring you the biggest talking points of the three matches broadcast by Channel Nine.

Cronulla v Penrith

Freddy & Joey's Tips: Round 6

The Sharks and Panthers will provide a ringing endorsement of their development programs when 11 local juniors take the field in tonight’s clash to open Round 6 at Pointsbet Stadium.

Both powerhouse clubs of the junior representative scene in recent seasons, Cronulla will field five locals and Penrith six in the high-stakes contest.

Even more telling than the number of locals is the quantity of players who have come through the pathways systems of both clubs.

Apart from locals Bronson Xerri, Jayden and Blayke Brailey, Chad Townsend and Scott Sorensen the Sharks have another three players (Sione Katoa, Briton Nikora and Jayson Bukuya) who were developed as teenagers, while 14 Panthers players made their NRL debuts for the club after being developed through junior programs.

Only centre Dean Whare, five-eighth James Maloney and captain James Tamou debuted elsewhere.

The Panthers’ six local juniors are Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, Nathan Cleary, Tim Grant, Sione Katoa, Moses Leota and Reagan Campbell-Gillard.

Both teams will be desperate for victory tonight after starting the season with two wins and three losses. The Sharks were in an identical position last year, lost again in Round 6 but recovered to claim a place in the top four.

They will miss the experience of representative players Matt Moylan, Wade Graham and Aaron Woods, while prop Andrew Fifita has been given until the last minute to prove he has recovered from a hamstring strain.

Canterbury v South Sydney

Bulldogs v Rabbitohs Preview: Round 6

Wayne Bennett stands alone for his record-breaking efforts as an NRL coach – most games (818), most wins (508) and most grand final victories (7) – but less well known is his mastery of Good Friday football.

Preparing for his first Rabbitohs-Bulldogs Good Friday derby at ANZ Stadium tomorrow, Bennett has been involved in 15 premiership games on Good Friday, for 11 wins (73.3% success rate).

His record at the Broncos stood at 10 wins from 12 games, while he won one from two with the Dragons and lost his only Good Friday game as coach of the Knights.

The Rabbitohs will start raging favourites to win tomorrow’s game after opening the season with four wins from their first five games, while the Bulldogs are limping along in last position after posting only one win so far.

The Bulldogs are paying for the salary cap mess left by the club’s previous leaders, while injuries to experienced players Kieran Foran and Dylan Napa has impacted heavily.

Melbourne v Sydney Roosters

Storm v Roosters Preview: Round 6

The rivalry between the Storm and the Roosters is rapidly taking on blockbuster status, much like the Eels and the Bulldogs in the 1980s and the Broncos and Raiders of the early 1990s.

They are the two most successful clubs of the past decade, employ the most astute coaches in the business and such has been their form in the opening rounds of the season that their grand final rematch at AAMI Park tomorrow night could also turn out to be a preview of the 2019 decider.

For the fourth time in their past five meetings, the Storm and the Roosters will clash as the top two teams on the competition ladder. The Storm remain undefeated after five rounds, while the Roosters have slipped up only once, going down to South Sydney in the season-opening game last month.

The Roosters were in irresistible form as they disposed of Cronulla last Saturday night but have lost centre Joseph Manu to suspension and lock Isaac Liu to injury. The Storm were less impressive in recent wins over lowly placed Canterbury and North Queensland but give the impression that they will lift appreciably when they line up against the defending premiers.

Halfback Cooper Cronk will play his first game at AAMI Park since leaving the Storm after the 2017 grand final and he will chalk up a major milestone if the Roosters are successful. He would become only the second player (after Cameron Smith) to notch 250 wins at premiership level.

Canberra v Brisbane

Raiders v Broncos Preview: Round 6

The Brisbane Broncos will be hoping a dominant record against Canberra will count for something when they make the trip to the capital on Easter Sunday.

The Broncos have won their past six games against the Raiders but are in danger of equalling the worst start in the club’s history if they cannot finish on top in this game.

Anthony Seibold’s outfit has claimed a single victory from its first five games. Only once before have they started with a 1-5 record. That was in 1999 when they managed to win only one of their first 10 games before staging a dramatic recovery over the second half of the season to scrape into the top eight.

They face a tough task to defeat the Raiders, losing prop Matt Lodge (throat) to injury and Tevita Pangai to suspension, while strike weapon James Roberts remains in doubt with achilles soreness.