Round 10 of the NRL season is highlighted by a Grand Final rematch to kick things off on Thursday night footy. Let’s get stuck into the action with this week’s NRL betting tips courtesy of the team at Before You Bet.
Sydney Roosters vs Canberra Raiders
Thursday July 16 | Sydney Cricket Ground | 7:50pm
The 2019 Grand Final rematch! Can the Raiders get revenge?
Matt Ikuvalu came out of nowhere to score five tries as the Roosters easily accounted for the lacklustre Cowboys last week in a 42-16 crushing win.
Meanwhile, the Raiders played in a sloppy affair with the Storm in Canberra and not only lost the game 20-14 but Josh Hodgson did his ACL.
The Roosters regain Brett Morris and Boyd Cordner from injury to strengthen their starting 17. As mentioned, the Raiders will miss Hodgson and Bailey Simonsson is also out injured.
The Raiders seem to match up well with the Roosters at the moment and we do like the Under in night conditions. Their defence is usually strong and we think they’ll stand up defensively for Ricky Stuart.
Prediction: UNDER 38.5 Points @ $1.90
Melbourne Storm vs Gold Coast Titans
Friday July 17 | Sunshine Coast Stadium | 6:00pm
The Storm line up on Friday night at “home” on the Sunshine Coast against the Titans.
Melbourne kick off their Sunshine Coast tour after a sloppy win over the Raiders last week in Canberra 20-14. But there’s likely good news in team selections.
Gold Coast survived an early scare against the Warriors before keeping the New Zealanders scoreless for 72 minutes in their 16-12 win. So the Titans top 8 hopes aren’t dead just yet.
Melbourne have named Cameron Munster and Felise Kaufusi to return from injury (still need to prove their fitness though). Jesse Bromwich is out with injury and Brandon Smith will take his spot at prop. Watch out for the usual late Craig Bellamy changes though!
The Titans have Brian Kelly and Phillip Sami returning from injury in the centres. Bryce Cartwright and Sam Stone drop out of the starting 17.
This huge underdog line of 19.5 points is pretty unfair on the Titans even though they were sloppy against the Warriors last week. Melbourne have a few injury issues and weren’t overly impressive last week. So hopefully the Titans can show up defensively like last week.
Prediction: Titans +19.5 @ $1.92
Wests Tigers vs Brisbane Broncos
Friday July 17 | Leichhardt Oval | 7:55pm
The second match of our Friday night footy double header comes from Leichhardt Oval.
While the Tigers are coming off back-to-back losses, they’ve played in grinding affairs against the Panthers and Souths. So they should enjoy a bit more freedom against the Broncos.
Finally, the Broncos tasted a win after beating the Bulldogs 26-8 last week. But it wasn’t overly convincing as they made more errors compared to the Dogs and just had more class in their forward pack to overcome those issues.
Michael McGuire has opted to play Luke Brooks off the bench and Benji Marshall will move into the starting lineup at halfback. Billy Walters comes in for the suspended Josh Reynolds as well. Meanwhile, the Broncos have lost Alex Glenn to injury. Ben Te’o will take his place and Joe Ofahengaue is also back from suspension.
Tough to read the Broncos form after last week since they were sloppy against the dead last Bulldogs. So we just have to favour the Tigers on their home turf to lead throughout the 80 minutes.
Prediction: Tigers HT/FT @ $2.00
St. George Illawarra Dragons vs Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
Saturday July 18 | WIN Stadium | 3:00pm
Old foes meet at WIN Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Dragons come off a 34-4 thrashing win over the Sea Eagles and despite an inconsistent season, they’re in with a chance of making finals at this stage.
Dean Pay is out as Bulldogs head coach after a 1-8 start to 2020 and Canterbury will be hoping a coaching change can provide this team with a spark on the field.
Just the one change for St. George with Jason Saab coming in for Jordan Pereira. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs have dropped Brandon Wakeham and Reimis Smith is suspended. So Lachlan Lewis will play halfback and Nick Meaney will start at fullback.
Not sure if a coaching change will change how bad the Bulldogs attack has been. With the Dragons back at Wollongong and if they bring their attack of last week’s second half, this could get ugly.
Prediction: Dragons -9.5 @ $1.87
South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Newcastle Knights
Saturday July 18 | Bankwest Stadium | 5:30pm
A top 8 battle at Bankwest Stadium as the Rabbitohs clash with the Knights.
South Sydney outlasted the Tigers 18-10 last week in a fiery battle and they’ll be expecting more of the same this Saturday night.
Meanwhile, the Knights’ inconsistent results continue after a tough 10-4 loss against the Eels. But it was great to see them back in Newcastle with fans in the stands.
The Rabbitohs have lost Mitchell (suspension) and Graham (injury) for Saturday. Alex Johnson will wear the #1 jersey and Dane Gagai moves into the centres. The Knights have lost Daniel Saifiti and his brother Jacob will take his position. They may also regain Connor Watson from injury.
This should be tightly fought encounter at Bankwest Stadium and we like the chances of the Under. Souths are missing a few key attacking players and the Knights have struggled to score points in the last two weeks.
Prediction: UNDER 37.5 Points @ $1.90
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles vs Parramatta Eels
Saturday July 18 | Brookvale Oval | 7:35pm
The top-of-the-table Eels head to Brookvale Oval to take on the Sea Eagles.
Manly have quickly fallen out of the top 8 after three straight losses and should be desperate to stop the rot against Parra this Saturday.
The Eels got the job done in a tough win over the Knights last week and sit pretty at the top of the ladder with 8 wins and just 1 loss.
Just the one change for Manly as Paseka comes into the starting side for Boyle. The Eels are unchanged at this stage but that may change before kick-off.
The Sea Eagles are a better side on their home turf and Parramatta are missing Mitchell Moses in attack. So we’ll be hoping Manly’s defence can return this week to keep this one close.
Prediction: Sea Eagles +10 @ $1.90
New Zealand Warriors vs Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Sunday July 19 | Central Coast Stadium | 2:00pm
A crucial bottom 8 clash on the Central Coast to kick off the NRL action on Sunday.
Despite a great start against the Titans last week, the Warriors will be disappointed in the 16-12 loss. So they really need to win this clash.
It’s fair to say the Sharks had a shocker last week as the Panthers ran riot in the 56-24 result.
The Warriors get Kodi Nikorima and Eliesa Katoa back from injury. Chanel Harris-Tavita has been dropped. The Sharks have lost Andrew Fifita to a hamstring injury. Ronaldo Mulitalo returns on the wing and Toby Rudolf will start at lock.
Sunday afternoon conditions with two sides that like to score (or concede) plenty points should see a high scoring affair on the Central Coast.
Prediction: OVER 44.5 Points @ $1.90
Penrith Panthers vs North Queensland Cowboys
Sunday July 19 | Panthers Stadium | 4:05pm
The Panthers return to Penrith Stadium for the first time since March.
Charlie Staines (more on him later) had a dream NRL debut with 4 tries last week as the Panthers absolutely smashed the Sharks by 32 points in the 56-24 result.
The Cowboys have conceded 42 points in back-to-back games and could be dreading this trip to Penrith.
In team selections, Charlie Staines has been replaced after breaching the NRL’s biosecurity protocols. So Dean Whare returns in the centres and Naden moves to the wing. Valentine Holmes is out for a few months and Justin O’Neill returns on the wing. Drinkwater is also out and Mitchell Dunn will play 5/8th at this stage.
While it’s hard to back against a large Panthers victory against the injury-riddled Cowboys, the Points Over seems a better bet. The Cowboys have conceded 42 points in the last two weeks and the Points Over just continues to be a nice bet with their lack of defence.
Prediction: OVER 42.5 Points @ $1.90
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For more sports betting tips, head to www.beforeyoubet.com.au where you’ll also find an independent PlayUp review.
