It’s another massive weekend of NRL action as we near the mid-season mark. The team at All Free Bets are back with their preview of the Round 9 action including their free sports betting tips for the weekend.
Thursday
7:50pm North Queensland Cowboys vs Sydney Roosters
The Cowboys defensive woes continued last Friday as they were crushed by the Eels 42-4. However, they beat the Knights 32-20 in their last home game, so maybe a home game in Townsville will get them back on track.
Meanwhile, Sydney lost an absolute thriller with the Storm last Thursday and will be looking for revenge in Round 9. But they’ll have a few important players on the sidelines.
Both Boyd Cordner and Daniel Tupou will miss the clash with injury for the Roosters. So Hall and Mitch Aubusson come into the side. Interestingly, the Cowboys have switched Holmes to the wing and Tabuai-Fidow back to fullback. Justin O’Neill is out with injury and Opacic has been dropped.
A total of 44 points is fair enough with how poor the Cowboys are defending their line at the moment. So we’ll be taking on the Over as the Roosters could easily score 40+ here.
Prediction: Over 44 Points @ $1.90
Friday
6:00pm Gold Coast Titans vs New Zealand Warriors
A dreadful second half performance by the injury-riddled Titans saw them concede a 30 point loss to the Sharks on the Gold Coast on Saturday.
The Warriors will be confident in Round 9 after ending their losing streak against the Broncos last week in the 26-16 victory.
Gold Coast have lost Roberts and Rein to injury. So Erin Clark comes back at hooker and Corey Thompson will play fullback. The Warriors regain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck. But Nikorima is out with injury and will be replaced by Chanel Harris-Tavita.
The Warriors absolutely love playing on the Gold Coast (8 wins in their last 10) so we have to favour them, especially after winning last week.
Prediction: Warriors WIN @ $1.90
7:55pm South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Wests Tigers
South Sydney beat the Bulldogs 26-10 last week and will be looking for a spot in the top 8 with a win over the Tigers.
Meanwhile, Wests return to Bankwest in Round 9 after a grinding battle with the Panthers resulted in a 19-12 defeat.
The Rabbitohs have lost Burns to injury and Sironen will return to the bench. Wests have lost Leilua to suspension and Michael Chee-Kam will replace him in the centres.
Really like the chances of the Points Under in night conditions at Bankwest Stadium between two similar sides and the last clash at this venue was also a low scoring affair.
Prediction: Under 36.5 Points @ $1.90
Saturday
3:00pm Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks vs Penrith Panthers
Cronulla have moved into 6th on the ladder after 3 straight wins. They’ve scored 40 points in consecutive wins and will need a similar effort against Penrith.
The Panthers are flying after 3 impressive wins in a row and they sit very nicely in 2nd spot on the ladder with plenty of home games in Penrith to come.
The Sharks have lost Moylan to injury and Dugan will take over his fullback position. Penrith will be without Brian To’o on the wing and Naden will be his replacement.
With the Panthers coming off 3 straight tough battles, we think the in-form Sharks can give them a scare in what should be a close finish.
Prediction: Sharks +4.5 @ $1.90
5:30pm Brisbane Broncos vs Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
The Broncos 2020 nightmare continued last Saturday with their 6th straight defeat, this time losing to the struggling Warriors. You just feel like Anthony Seibold can’t survive much longer, especially if they lose this one.
Canterbury battled hard against South Sydney last weekend but again, came away with no points in the story of their season.
Brisbane will stick with the same side as last week but with Oates in the starting side for Flegler. The Bulldogs have lost Adam Elliott to injury and Luke Thompson will take his place.
We simply can’t back the Broncos at the moment so there’s value in a Bulldogs upset here.
Prediction: Bulldogs WIN @ $2.35
7:35pm Canberra Raiders vs Melbourne Storm
Canberra survived a scare against the Dragons last week as they almost blew a 22-0 lead in the 22-16 victory.
The Storm produced one of the best comeback victories of the season as they ran down the Roosters in golden point to win 27-25.
The Raiders have lost Soliola and Guler to injury. Jordan Rapana is back for the out of favour Curtis Scott. Melbourne will be without Vunivalu and Seve will come back into the side. There’s also a small chance that Munster will return from a knee injury.
This total does seem low considering the Raiders are missing tackles like no tomorrow and have plenty of injuries. So look for the Storm to take advantage in attack.
Prediction: Over 34.5 Points @ $1.90
Sunday
4.05pm Newcastle Knights vs Parramatta Eels
Newcastle rebounded from a dreadful display in Townsville with a huge (but controversial) win over Manly last week at Brookvale Oval 14-12.
The Eels are sitting pretty at the top of the NRL ladder and come off a 42-4 trashing win over the Cowboys.
The Knights have lost Edrick Lee to injury and the talented Tex Hoy will take his position. Sione Mata’utia is also out with injury and Guerra will move into the starting side. The Eels get Nathan Brown back at lock and Niukore moves back to the bench.
Newcastle finally return home in Round 9 and we believe they’ll be extra motivated to beat the Eels. They’ve also won the last 2 at home against them.
Prediction: Knights +4 @ $1.80
6:30pm St. George Illawarra Dragons vs Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
Another tough loss for the Dragons last Friday as they went down 22-16 against the Raiders. They’re 13th on the ladder with 2 wins and 6 losses.
The Sea Eagles can count themselves as unlucky after a 14-12 defeat against the Knights was marred by a late no penalty call. But ultimately, their attack just wasn’t good enough throughout the 80 minutes.
The Dragons get Tariq Sims back from injury. Ben Hunt gets the start at hooker with Cam McInnes moving to lock. Addin Fonua-Blake has been suspended and Taniela Paseka will get the start.
We like the chances of the Under in this Sunday night clash as both sides can struggle to score points of late.
Prediction: Under 37.5 Points @ $1.90
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For more sports betting tips, head to www.allfreebets.com.au where you’ll also find an independent review of PlayUp.
