Panthers v Cows? I think 6 points is a close game. You can bridge that gap in less than a minute, although the Cows couldn't.
Next week we have Team 5 v 7, 12 v 13, 6 v 9, and 5 possible blowouts. I think it's just the random makeup of the draw mixed with the usual NRL gap between the top 8 and bottom 8.
It comes down, IMO, to A-List players. There aren't enough real game-changers for each team to have more than one or two so when the Storm or Broncos have 3 or 4 of them, the bottom teams will always struggle. And for the bottom teams, you need only two important injuries and their season's gone. Once the Sharks hit 18-0 today there was nobody in that Raiders team who could have turned that around.
From what I've seen this year I think there are 6 possible GF winners - Sharks, Storm, Penrith, Brisbane, Manly and possibly the Chooks. The Cows maybe but they need a lucky streak where half the runners in front of them fall over. Bookies still have the Chooks as 4th favourite which is probably accurate given the cattle they have on their list. According to Sportsbet:
$ 3.25 - Panthers
$ 4.20 - Broncos
$ 6.00 - Storm
$ 9.00 - Easts
$14.00 - Manly and Cronulla