Round 10 of the 2021 NRL season heads to Brisbane for “Magic Round” where all games will be played at the one venue – Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium – however that might be the only magic we see with plenty of one-sided contests expected. With no Thursday night games on this week, we’ll have to wait until Friday night to get stuck into the NRL action. Check out this week’s best bets and NRL tips from Before You Bet for Round 10 below.
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles v Brisbane Broncos
Only the Broncos could swing a Magic Round away fixture in the NRL. Here, the Sea Eagles will be the home side and the bookies have them as strong favourites. The Broncos were competitive in a thrilling game last week against the Cowboys, but the in-form Sea Eagles team will pose a whole new challenge. They are single-handedly demolishing teams on the back of Tommy Turbo and despite a close finish to the Warriors last week, they have what it takes to continually test (and break!) the Broncos defensive structure. The Broncos have suffered some heavy defeats this year against stronger opponents; 40 points (Eels), 29 points (Rabbitohs) and 34 points (Storm). The only anomaly is their 8-point loss to the Panthers and coincidently, this was at this ground. Still, a team that has the 4th worse defensive record (average 26.7ppg conceded) will struggle against anyone, on any ground.
Sydney Roosters v North Queensland Cowboys
The Roosters are a tough football team, and the Cowboys are going to have to lift to another level to cause an upset here. Despite producing some commanding victories in their past 10 meetings, this squad of players lacks the edge of previous teams that have captured victory. The Cowboys are still yet to prove themselves as a genuine contender; they have only beaten one Top 8 Team (Warriors – Round 8), while suffering defeats to the Dragons, Titans and Panthers. Despite celebrating a club legend’s milestone (Taumalolo’s 200th match), the Roosters pride themselves on winning when expected and this fixture should be no different. They are boosted by the return of Lam in the halves and Tupounuia in the back row, along with the naming of Walker and Radley after last week’s hiccup(s). The Roosters are a team that is also capable of piling on plenty of points in bunches; they’ve defeated bottom 8 teams by 34 points (Knights), 8 points (Sharks), 42 points (Sea Eagles – start of the season) and 34 points (Tigers). This week should be no different and it should be a comfortable win to the superior Roosters outfit.
Tip: Roosters 13+ @ $1.98
New Zealand Warriors v Parramatta Eels
The Warriors, a $3 outsider?! They were finishing strongly against the Sea Eagles last week and should be better for that performance. This selection is suggested more on the form of their opponents. The Eels were unconvincing last week. They managed to only pull away late from an injury-ravaged opponent (Roosters), while having a 64% share of possession. To make matters worse, they have been caught short for player availability this week, after a decision last week to play several of their reserve grade players against the ‘bubble rules’. They are also missing two players last week due to suspension (Brown and Niukore), while the Warriors are boosted by the return of Ben Murdoch-Masila to add power to their pack. Sure, the Eels are sitting 2nd on the competition ladder but a trip to Canberra, followed by a trip to Darwin, may finally be catching up with them. At the price offered, the Warriors are worth more than just a passing thought.
Tip: Warriors to win H2H @$3.05
Other NRL Tips:
- Tigers v Knights – Either Team by 8-points or less
- Bulldogs v Raiders – Raiders 19+
- Sharks v Rabbitohs – Rabbitohs -9.5
- Storm v Dragons – Storm 19+
- Titans v Panthers – Panthers 30+
