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Rugby League: NRL Round 10 Review

Posted on 2015-05-18 by Online Betting Pro

Wins to the Storm, the Cowboys and the Dragons have seen all three of them join the Broncos at the top of the NRL ladder. All three enjoyed comfortable wins against quality opposition in a round that also saw two games go to golden point deciders.

Here’s our take on the eight Round 10 games:

Canterbury Bulldogs (10) v Sydney Roosters (24)

James Graham lasted just 27 minutes in his return from injury and the Bulldogs captain was badly missed as Sydney scored a comfortable win to kick off Round 10. Jake Friend was the main beneficiary of the increased space he was afforded post Graham’s concussion. Friend exploited the middle of the park expertly and had two try assists in a fine individual performance. The other standout individual performance came from Roger Tuivasa-Sheck whose fleet footed antics resulted in 285 running metres and a 38th minute try.

The Roosters two tries before half time effectively sealed the game before Mitch Aubusson and Aidan Guerra rounded it off. The 24-14 margin made to a look a little closer than it ever was because a late try to Moses Mbye.

The NSW halves battle that was tipped as an Origin trial was slightly disappointing. None of the four players reached any great heights, however that won’t worry coach Laurie Daley as much as Michael Jennings’ failure to finish the game.

North Queensland Cowboys (31) v Brisbane Broncos (20)

The Cowboys avenged a Round 3 loss to the Broncos by playing near flawless footy to run out winners by 31 to 20. The Cowboys completed their sets at close to 90% and turned a weight of possession and pressure into a Michael Morgan hat-trick.

That was despite conceding the opening two tries of the game as a fast starting Broncos side led through Lachlan Maranta and Jordan Kahu. The Broncos initially did well to prevent the predictable Cowboys comeback, but so exceptional was Jonathan Thurston’s game management they couldn’t do so forever.

Thurston was excellent, controlling play, and using Morgan, Coote, Ethan Lowe and James Tamou expertly to deliver two competition points for his side and see them join the Broncos at the top of the table. From a horror start they Cowboys have now won seven in a row and are absolutely certain of featuring in the playoffs, perhaps against the Broncos late in the season.

The Broncos played their part in the Friday night thriller, and had good returns form the ever reliable Corey Parker and the origin ready Darius Boyd.

Parramatta Eels (13) v New Zealand Warriors (17)

For the second consecutive week the Warriors needed a match winner and this time they got someone who wasn’t Shaun Johnson. Sure Johnson was magical earlier on in the match, in particular his 19th minute try and some clutch goalkicking, but the real star of the show was Bodene Thompson.

After the match was tied 13-all at the end of normal time, and the golden point period was coming to a close, Thompson took the opportunity to go unnoticed (most eyes were on Johnson and Townsend for the field goal) to crash over and get the Warriors their fifth win of 2015.

It should have been a little more comfortable for the Warriors, as they led 12-0 at half time despite losing Ryan Hoffman for the match in the 3rd minute and Leuluai to a similar fate in the 24th. The double loss gave coach Andrew McFadden plenty of interchange headaches, and the toll on the Warriors players legs eventually told early in the second half.

Two tires inside six minutes at the start of the second half got the Eeels back in the game, and in truth they were the better team in the final moments and will be disappointed not to have capitalised on a weak Warriors left side.

The Warriors will be pleased with their rare away win, but they are not looking title material. The five wins they have registered this season have come against the Eels (2), Raiders, Sharks and Tigers – hardly worrying.

Gold Coast Titans (22) v Cronulla Sharks (23)

The Second golden point match of the round saw the Sharks grab a much needed win over the Titans at Cbus Super Stadium.

Valentine Holmes was the scoreboard hero, kicking an 81st minute field goal to break the 22-all deadlock, but it was veteran Luke Lewis who provided the inspiration.

Lewis also had a try, however his contribution to both Jack Bird’s try and the first set of extra time was critical. Lewis’ key plays and Andrew Fafita’s work rate will have please coach Shane Flanagan immensely, so too NSW coach Laurie Daley.

Aidan Sezar had earlier missed the chance to win the game in normal time when he failed to convert Anthony Don’s try from wide out. The Titans will need to start taking opportunities like this if they are to get anything out of the season – a prospect looking unlikely after 10 rounds.

Melbourne Storm (16) v South Sydney Rabbitohs (12)

Adam Reynolds was always going to be a big loss for the Rabbitohs, and his absence saw his teammates struggle to match an imperious Storm side at AAMI Park. Gutsy as they were without their pivot the Rabbitohs came up one try short, going down 16-12.

All of Melbourne’s points came in the first half. Weak defence allowed Jesse Bromwich to waltz over for his first try of the season in the 19th minute to offset an early Bryson Goodwin penalty, and Melbourne extended their lead on the stroke of halftime when Billy Slater put Will Chambers away.

At 16-2 it looked as though Melbourne could run away with the fixture but Souths thought otherwise as they fought hard in the second half to keep their opponents scoreless and kept up the pressure with tries to wingers Alex Johnston and Aaron Gray. Even in the closing stages they had their opportunities to snatch a win or send a third game of the Round to golden point but the final play just alluded them.

Melbourne go top of the table. Important with origin just around the corner. Whereas the Rabbits are 7th.

Queensland fans and Mel Maninga will be sweating on the availability of captain Cameron Smith. Smith kicked out at Isaac Luke when looking for a quick play the ball. He did seem unaware that Luke was in the tackle but at least three kicks made contact with Luke’s head – it could get interesting.

St George-Illawarra Dragons (32) v Canberra Raiders (18)

Sunday afternoon’s Dragons / Raiders clash lived up to its billing and matched the intensity from the team’s earlier Round 3 encounter. The Dragons ultimately got the better of their Canberra based opponents but not before both teams were able to play end to end footy at its best.

Running behind a quality pack featuring the likes of Merrin, Frizzle, De Belin, Thompson and others the Dragons’ halves ran riot with ball and hand and expertly marshalled their team with deft kicking games. Both Widdop and Marshall laid tries on for each other and also played parts in several of the other five Dragons’ tries.

Completing the season double versus the Raiders means the Dragons have now won seven of their past eight and helps them join the logjam at the top of the ladder at 14 points.

The win also displayed the Dragons attacking threat, piling on a season best 32 points to dampen the rumours of a weak offensive game plan. They head into the bye in the best of moods while Ricky Stuart will have to help his side get to face the Bulldogs next week.

Newcastle Knights (22) v Wests Tigers (12)

Newcastle may have got their season back on track after they snapped a five game losing streak to beat the Tigers at Hunter Stadium in the last of the Sunday action.

The Knights were in charge for much of the day, but it took a late try to debutant Chad Redman to seal the 22-12 to win after earlier spending at least ten minutes defending their narrow 16-12 lead on their own goal line. That pressure came about from a Robbie Farah 40/20, but the home side were able to hold on and get to the other end and safety – a controversial scrum win against the feed helping immeasurably.

Neither side got away to any great lead, instead trading tries to James McManus, Dene Halatau, David Fa’alogo and Luke Brooks, until the Knights scored two on the bounce to damaging centre Joey Leilua.

The Knights just miss out on a top 8 spot (their for and against record see them just slip behind the Warriors) but will be pleased to break a five week hoodoo that had threaten to completely derail their season after a nice start.

The Tigers were disappointed with their ability to create pressure on the oppositions tryline – Robbie Farah said so three times in one sentence during the press conference, but coach Jason Taylor did pay dues to Mitch Moses as one of the few capable of busting the defence open.

Manly Sea Eagles (10) v Penrith Panthers (11)

A Matt Moylan field goal capped off an impressive performance form the young fullback and delivered his team a tight win against Manly at Brookvale on Monday night. Moylan was a the heart of everything good in the Panthers play, both on attack and in defence.

His field goal and natural poise in every facet of the game overshadowed a record-setting Brett Stewart double – the veteran becoming the most prolific Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles try-scorer in the process. Both of Stewart’s tries came in a first half that Manly edged 10-6.

The Panthers rarely threatened in the first half but improved after the break and kept the home side scoreless in the second half. Jamie Soward helped get them within two with a fine play to put Dallin Watene-Zelzniak away before Moylan kicked a 72nd minute penalty and a 73rd minute droopy.

The droppy from 39m out was the play that will make most of the highlight reels, but it was his positioning of Waqa Blake (a pass that Blake spilled with an open try line) that better illustrated his worth to Rugby League.

Of concern to the Panthers was the late injury to George Jennings. The young outside back appeared to break his leg and could be out for up to 6 weeks.

Rugby League: NRL Round 10 Preview

Posted on 2015-05-15 by Online Betting Pro

With just two weeks to go until State of Origin league fans have just one more week of a full 8 matches before the byes start to take effect. Fantasy players and punters will love Round 10 for that exact reason and when you see the size of our multi predictions you might too.

Read through our NRL Round 10 Preview below:

Canterbury Bulldogs v Sydney Roosters

Bulldogs – $2.60

Roosters – $1.52

After four weeks on the sidelines suspended, Bulldogs captain James Graham returns to lead his team in a difficult Friday night encounter against the Roosters at ANZ Stadium. Graham’s form over a tricky origin period where they will almost definitely lose Trent Hopkinson and Josh Morris, and could lose Josh Jackson and David Klemmer, is important for the Dog’s playoff chances.

Josh Reynolds and Greg Eastwood also return to boost the Dogs, in doing so, relegate Sam Kasiano and Moses Mbye to the bench (although rumours are Mbye might play at centre ahead of Chase Stanley).

Their opponents for tonight found some form in an impressive win over the Tigers last week and field an unchanged side.

Roosters favourites and we won’t argue. Roosters by 1-12.

North Queensland Cowboys v Brisbane Broncos

Cowboys – $1.63

Broncos – $2.35

Friday’s night second match is an absolute belter- probably the closest a regular season game will come to matching finals intensity. It’s a Queensland derby right on the eve of Origin. It’s 1st vs 4th. And it’s Thurston against Hunt.

The Broncos meet the Cowboys in Townsville hoping to maintain their lead on the NRL ladder and also hoping to overturn a poor run of form at 1300 Smiles Stadium. Having won just twice their in the last six attempts at the venue, and having lost to the Cowboys in the qualifying final last season, the history book is right against them.

2015 presents a fresh opportunity and considering the form of Corey Parker, Sam Thaiday and Alex Glenn they have a realistic chance. They’re slight outsiders but we’re going to give them the win by 1-12.

Parramatta Eels v New Zealand Warriors

Eels – $2.12

Warriors – $1.75

Konrad Hurrell’s running style was the major talking point in the media throughout the week. The half blockbusting centre, half Instagram clown was this week suspended for three matches after a nasty collision in their win last week against the Sharks that left Anthony Tupou with a badly fractured jaw. The Warriors have pledged to help Hurrell redevelop his running style, but there are definite concerns that the centre is now becoming a liability.

He’s been replaced this week by Dominique Peyroux, who gets his an overdue chance to impress in his preferred position. The Samoan international was influential in his Nation’s representative round win over Tonga and will be looking to avoid names like Dane Nielsen, Joel Moon, and Krisnan Inu as failed centre recruits.

He’s the only change to the starting line up with Sione Lousi taking his place on the bench.

In stark contrast to the settled side of the Warriors, the Eels have made three changes as they look to halt a two match losing streak. Gone are Chirs Sandow, David Gower and Joseph Paulo, and in come Luke Kelly, Pauli Pauli and Tepai Moeroa.

The Eels can be a bit of a bogey team for the Warriors, but the NZ side have won three of the last five, and on the evidence of recent performances seem to be getting better.

Warriors 1-12.

Gold Coast Titans v Cronulla Sharks

Titans – $1.70

Sharks – $2.18

A bit of a fizzer really in an otherwise exciting round (with all due respect to Titans and Sharks fans).

Both teams are coming off losses in Round 9. The Titans were way off the boil and got annihilated by the Raiders. They badly missed their enforcer Greg Bird, and if their next most aggressive player, Nate Myles, is affected by his mid week singing with Manly, they’ll be struggling.

The Sharks missed a good opportunity to take two competition points form the Warriors. They led with two minutes to spare thanks to an Andew Fifita special, but could not quite close it out, despite making great strides in their ability to play composed footy while draining the clock.

The Sharks have made major changes to their 17. David Fifita and Michael Gordon both return from injury, replacing Anthony Tupou and Mitch Brown. Blake Ayshford also returns at centre for Ricky Leutele.

We’re picking the Sharks 1-12.

Melbourne Storm v South Sydney Rabbitohs

Storm – $1.42

Rabbitohs – $2.95

In Saturday night’s late game Melbourne are somewhat surprisingly overwhelming favourites to beat the Rabbitohs. The Storm are nicely perched in second with a record of 6 wins and 3 losses in 2015 thus far, and got even better last week when Billy Slater returned to the mix.

His inclusion makes them even more formidable, yet they shouldn’t have it all their own way. The Rabbitohs managed to snap a losing streak last week in a narrow victory over the Dragons. They ground out a win without telling contributions from Greg Inglis, George Burgess or Isaac Luke.

Adam Reynolds is injured again and a major loss for the Bunnies, there is ongoing drama around Luke’s benching, and both of those factors worry us too much to be able to tip them.

Storm 1-12.

St George-Illawarra Dragons v Canberra Raiders

Dragons – $1.49

Raiders – $2.70

The Round 3 matchup between these teams was the turning point of the Dragons season. After scoring just 4 points in each of their first two games, the Dragons got past 4 and then went on to score 22 and to beat the Raiders. The win set them up for five more wins on the trot a steak that only came to an end in a narrow loss to Souths last week.

The Round 3 match featured a tremendously unstructured second half, and although we don’t see the same happening this week (the Dragons are playing very conservative and defensively sound footy having conceded the least points in the competition) we do anticipate it will again be close.

Sam Williams played with a collapsed lung in the second half last week, brave but medically silly and he’ll miss this week’s action. That means young halfback Mitch Cornish comes back into the side in the only change for either side.

We like the Raiders here 1-12.

Newcastle Knights v Wests Tigers

Knights – $1.75

Tigers – $2.08

Expect no further penisgate incidents when the Knights take on the Tigers on Sunday. The now infamous incident featuring Korbin Sims and the appropriately named Willie Mason has gained too much attention for Sims to try the stunt again. The grapple proved just how far players will go to force an opposition error, and is in the same vein as Liam Farrell’s Super League kiss that forced a handling mistake.

The Knights are the slight favourites, presumably courtesy of their home ground advantage, because the Tigers have the recent edge, winning five of the past seven meetings.

Look for the forwards to settle this one. Aaron Woods v Kade Snowden is a classic. Jeremy Smith and his battle with Martin Taupau is also bound to feature plenty of aggression. Expect the Knights to send plenty of traffic Luke Brooks and Mitchell Moses’ way in a desperate bid to stop the rot.

We’ll back them to do so too. Knights by 1-12.

Manly Sea Eagles v Penrith Panthers

Sea Eagles – $1.82

Panthers – $2.02

Brookvale should be treated to an entertaining clash between two teams who at the start of the season were top 8 shoo-ins. Currently however, both sit outside the top 8 and for Manly in particular who sit in last place their season is in disarray. Injuries and transfer speculation have wrecked havoc with Manly and the distraction is likely to continue all the way through to the Round 13 transfer deadline as they do everything they can to retain Daly Cherry-Evans.

Cherry-Evans was the best player on the park last week as Manly grabbed a win agaisnt the Knights. In fact his performance was so good commentator Andrew Voss called the best individual performance by any player in the competition this year. Voss reckons he holds the top two spots, including his performance versus Melbourne in Round 2 as well.

He’s crucial to their short term and long term future. If he plays well on Monday night the Sea Eagles will win, if not it could be loss number seven for the year.

In team news, Steve Matai comes back into the Manly fold, shifting Peta Hiku to the wing. That means no spot for David Williams. For the Panthers, James Segeyaro comes in for Isaac John and Sika Minu kits up for the suspended Tyrone Peachey.

Manly 1-12.

This Week’s Multi

Head to Head pays $166.40

Margin pays $16278.57

Odds available at Sportsbet.

Rugby League: NRL Round 9 Results

Posted on 2015-05-11 by Online Betting Pro

After a representative round break the NRL kicked back into gear with all 16 teams in action. The Brisbane Broncos and Melbourne Storm continued their top of the table form, whereas fellow frontrunners the Dragons finally dropped points to the resurgent Rabbitohs.

Check out all of the games in our recap of the NRL Round 9 Results below:

Brisbane Broncos (8) v Penrith Panthers (5)

A clutch last minute try to replacement forward Corey Oates was enough for the Broncos to sneak past the Panthers at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night, and with it, briefly snatch the overall competition lead (before later being joined by Melbourne and St George).

The tight low scoring encounter was settled when Ben Hunt chose not to take another field goal attempt (after missing one a relatively simple one moments earlier) and instead flung the ball lo the right edge to set up Oates. The desperate throw of the dice got the Broncos out of jail after Matt Moylan had put the Panthers ahead in the 74th minute with an expertly taken field goal.

Matt Moylan was Penrith’s only point scorer – all form the boot as his team failed to cross the try line. The fact that they were still in the game despite conceding a try to Jordan Kahu on the stroke of half time, said wonders for their pesky defence.

Brisbane’s win is another example of winning ugly, something they have become accustomed to this season. They struggled to contain second phase play, but will be thrilled with the efforts of returning stars Darius Boyd and Justin Hodges.

Sydney Roosters (36) v Wests Tigers (4)

The Roosters returned to near their best with a dominant performance over a sloppy West Tigers team, and in the process saw several of their stars steam back into Origin contention. Daniel Tupou was the obviously benefactor of the dusting. He dotted down for three tries and on the back of a solid performance for City last week is likely to be straight back into the reckoning. The others were halves colleagues Mitchell Pearce and James Maloney. Pearce was already looking good for a return to Prigin thanks to ill-discipline and inconsistent form from the Bulldogs’ pair, but Maloney also strengthened his chances with a composed effort of his own.

Boyd Cordner and Michael Jennings were also excellent, which would have please NSW coach Laurie Daley immeasurably. It also showed just how important the rep weekend was to the Roosters – their players returned refreshed but in-form.

Plenty of attention will go on the missed tackles from Luke Brooks and Mitch Moses, however the Tigers big men did little to lessen the pressure on their littles and all too often left them isolated. Not many Tigers highlights other than the form of James Tedesco who was one of the better Tigers players, and how good is Siua Taukeiaho looking.

Canberra Raiders (56) v Gold Coast Titans (16)

Ricky Stuart’s creative recruitment drives continues to pay dividends for the Raiders. Stuart’s money-bal like signings (the likes of Waqa, Williams, Nu’uausala, Hodgson and Soliola) delivered win number five and catapulted them up to fifth on the competition ladder.

Leading the charge was the origin bound five eighth Blake Austin who was instrumental in everything good about the Raiders game. Two line breaks, two tries and over a hundred running metres summed up the ex-Tigers players night and easily earn him man of the match honours in the 56-16 win.

The Titans, missing their aggressive talisman Greg Bird struggled to get into the game, and barring Ryan James lost out in too many individual battles to build on last week’s in against the Warriors. James went face to face with several of the Raiders big men including Nu’uausala in a sideshow that at one stage threatened to upstage the main event.

The scoresheets proved an interesting anomaly. The Raiders had eight different try scorers whereas the Titans three tries all came from wing Anthony Don.

Cronulla Sharks (16) v New Zealand Warriors (20)

The best and worst of Shaun Johnson was on display in Saturday nights tight matchup between the Warriors and Sharks at Remondis Stadium. After an indifferent first 70 minutes featuring disappointing final tackle kicking options and poor goal kicking from the Kiwi’s number 7, Johnson sparked his side to a late lead by setting up Solomone Kata with a quick break and clever kick. From the resulting short kickoff Johnson knocked on, undoing all of the good work and allowing Andrew Fafita the chance to score a hulking solo try, before finally sealing a victory with his own solo spectacular (credit to Ryan Hoffman too for his crucial chargedown to put the Warriors in a scoring position).

The Round’s second low scoring affair provided as much drama as the Brisbane/Tigers game and had commentator Andrew Voss declaring it a 15 on the “incredible-metre”. Admittedly, that was during the frantic final few moments, however the earlier action contained plenty of good watching attritional footy. Testament to the arm wrestle nature of the match was the high tackle count from the likes of Ennis (44), Fifita (37), Mannering (47) and Thompson (40).

The two points were crucial for the Warriors season chances, especially after announcing two marque signings in the past few weeks. They needed the momentum and will need to build on this next week when they play the Eels. They could be without Konrad Hurrell and Manu Vatuvei after they were placed on report and injured respectively.

North Queensland Cowboys (23) v Canterbury Bulldogs (16)

Two important pre-origin competition points were up for grabs in Townsville on Saturday night as the Cowboys took on the Bulldogs in a tense yet entertaining Round 9 clash. The Cowboys got the better of the Bulldogs thanks to a hint of x-factor from utility back Michael Morgan and a late Jonathan Thurston field goal.

A 12-0 half time score line suggested the Cowboys would run away with this one at home, however, the Bulldogs intensified their efforts in the second half and piled on 16 unanswered points with tries to Josh Jackson, Corey Thompson and Curtis Rona to steal the lead and send the match to a nervy finale.

Enter Morgan, and the match winner Morgan, not just the handy fullback / halve that has had potential for years without grabbing games by the scruff and settling them. Morgan built on a Gavin Cooper try and put the Cowboys ahead by 6 with 6 to play and deserved the plaudits for his entertaining double.

The win was crucial for the Cowboys who will lose Matt Scott, James Tamou and Thurston to origin. Although they’ll be content with the progress of the likes of John Asiata, Kelepi Tanginoa, Ben Hannant and Ben Spina to see them through the difficult representative period.

As for the Bulldogs, they need more form Hopkinson, they need Josh Reynolds to stay clean (he’s just a pest, he’s not on steroids), and they need to find a way to get Tony Williams energised and involved.

Manly Sea Eagles (30) v Newcastle Knights (10)

Manly finally managed to put together a decent representation of their attacking ability in a comfortable victory over the Knights in front of 10,000 fans at Borrkvale.

Led by the Titans bound Daly Cherry Evans and veteran fullback Brett Stewart, the Sea Eagles mustered win number three of the season and enjoyed an encouraging 90% completion rate.

The Knights on the other hand are in nothing short of turmoil. After winning their first four they have now lost five on the bounce and resorted to genital pinches (Youtube the Willie Mason, Korbin Simms exchange) to try and unsettle their opponents – because certainly their attack couldn’t.

Highlights included, Brett Stewart becoming the 10th player in NRL history to score 150 tries, Blake Leary playing brilliantly in a display that proves his form is not limited to Queensland Cup, and Jamie Lyon enjoyed a perfect day off the kicking tee.

Parramatta Eels (10) v Melbourne Storm (28)

Billy Slater returned form injury to stamp his undoubted class on proceedings as his Melbourne Storm side proved too efficient for the Eels at Pirtek Stadium. Slater had two first half tries – also is first of the year – in a performance full of percentages and professionalism. Not to be read as a criticism, the composed showing was an important win for a side that traditionally struggles during origin.

It was also crucial given the differing mindsets coach Craig Bellamy would have put up with during the week after his troops returned from national duty. For Bromwich, Harris and Procter who experienced being on an Anzac winning side for the first time, Bellamy was keen to take the opportunity to give them some rest, but for Cooper Cronk and Will Chambers he needed to get their confidence back after poor showings in the same test.

Both were achieved and a position at the top of the ladder also secured for another week.

Back to the drawing board for the now 15th placed Eels.

South Sydney Rabbitohs v St George-Illawarra Dragons

Four consecutive loses for the Rabbitohs side was hard to fathom based on their NRL Nines, Club Challenge and early season form. However that’s exactly what looked likely to happen midway through their match against the Dragons at ANZ Stadium on Monday.

The Dragons attack looked sharp thanks to decisive decision making by Benji Marshall and elusive running by the impressive Josh Dugan. The Dragons took advantage of some sloppy defending on both fringes by the reigning premiers to set up tries for Jason Nightingale and Gareth Widdop, and take a 10-6 lead into the break.

The second half was a different story as the Rabbitohs were finally able to build some pressure through repeat sets. From a huge number of tackles inside the Dragons 20m line, they were able to set up young winers Aaron Gray (his second of the game) and Alex Johnston. Resolute defence then saw them hold on to the 16-10 lead despite some enterprising second phase play by the Dragons.

The win halts the Rabbitohs horror run and also inflicts a third defeat of the season on the Dragons. The St-George men will be looking for ways to get more fro their attack as they have scored more than 14 points in a game on only two occasions this year.

Rugby League: NRL Round 9 Preview

Posted on 2015-05-062015-05-06 by Online Betting Pro

After a week off for all but representative players the NRL returns with a series of intriguing matchups.

Injuries and suspension have wrecked havoc on a number of teams, but there are still clear favourites in all games. We’re picking a number of upsets in our NRL Round 9 Preview.

Brisbane Broncos v Penrith Panthers

Broncos – $1.40

Panthers – $3.00

The 4-4 Panthers team could welcome back several important faces when they take on the Broncos at Suncorp in Friday nights Round 9 opener. Despite a horrible record at Suncorp and being without an away win in 2015, Jamie Soward, Dean Whare, James Segeyaro and Elijah Taylor are all racing the clock to be fit in time to turn that around this weekend (although none of the above have been named in the 17).

Alex Glenn and Jordan Kahu return for the well settled Broncos outfit. Glenn’s return in particular offsets the week off through suspension earned by Sam Thaiday during test duties.

Broncos by 1-12.

Sydney Roosters v Wests Tigers

Roosters – $1.38

Tigers – $3.10

Origin backrower Aidan Guerra returns to boost hist struggling Roosters team. The Sydneysiders were pre-completion favourites and have only managed three wins in 2015 and none in Guerra’s absence. Guar’s return pushes Dylan Napa to the bench, while Smith Aubusson’s inclusion also adds utility value. The impressive Sio Siua Taukeiaho heads to the bench in a swap with Issac Liu.

Jason Taylor’s Tigers team have surprised many this season, but they’re still lacking that top 6 consistency. Keith Galloway will help with that. The big man returns from his shoulder injury in place of centre Tim Simona. His inclusion however is unlikely to help the Tigers get up over a side they traditionally play awfully poor against. We’ll go Roosters, unless Marty Taupau can frighten the Roosters with some more throat slitting gestures.

Roosters 1-12.

Canberra Raiders v Gold Coast Titans

Raiders – $1.66

Titans – $2.25

Two teams with identical 2015 records look set to play out an exciting contest at GIO Stadium on Saturday. Both sides favour expansive attacking footy and both are surprising in this years competition.

The Titans have won three in a row, including an impressive win at the always tricky Mt Smart Stadium in NZ. They also get the bonus of Dave Taylor and Daniel Mortimer to help offset the huge 8 week ban ban handed out to serial offender Greg Bird.

After beating South Sydney before rep round, the Raiders will be full of confidence and will gain look to young five eighth Blake Austin to steer them around. The origin outsider scored a hat-trick for City last week to push his case, and will be hoping to replicate that form again this weekend. We would pick him for NSW instead of Maloney / Hopkinson despite his showing in this one.

Raiders 1-12.

Cronulla Sharks v New Zealand Warriors

Sharks – $1.71

Warriors – $2.15

The Warriors are desperate for a win after a patchy start to the season. Languishing in 13th on an admittedly convoluted ladder, the Warriors will be hoping to gain inspiration from Sunday’s Kiwi’s win over the Kangaroos. Manu Vatuvei, Shaun Johnson and Ben Matulino all played key roles for the Kiwis and will need to transfer that form to their club if the Warriors can sneak an away win over the similarly placed Sharks.

Ben Barba gets a go at fullback for the Sharks pushing Valentine Holmes to the wing. Andrew Fifita also appears back to his best after an awesome effort for City against Country during rep weekend.

I like the money on the Warriors. Warriors 1-12.

North Queensland Cowboys v Canterbury Bulldogs

Cowboys – $1.39

Bulldogs – $3.00

Ordinarily I would be eyeing up this one as an upset. The Bulldogs very rarely concede a raft of points. However on this occasion and considering their poor performance against the Tigers in Round 8, and the five-in-a-row form of their opponents, we’ll back the Cowboys.

The Bulldogs, who are still without captain James Graham, will rely heavily on Trent Hodkinson to prove his origin worth and turn in a position clinching performance. He’ll be assisted by the return of Josh Morris and David Klemmer, but his halves partner Josh Reynolds is again suspended.

The Cowboys have lost ToLo for a sizeable chunk of time, but shouldn’t feel the impact too severely with Matt Scott and James Tamou around. Scott especially probably has some critics to crush after a weak effort in the Kangaroos jumper. The Cowboys need wins before Thurston leaves for origin duty so we expect them to get it done.

Cowboys 1-12.

Manly Sea Eagles v Newcastle Knights

Sea Eagles – $1.67

Knights – $2.20

Two struggling sides could play out a dud at Brookvale to kick off Sunday’s footy action. The two sides have just one win between them in the past month – an unlikely win to Manly over Melbourne last week.

Geoff Toovey continues to lose players quicker than a Cameroon football team at the Olympics. Jamie Buhrer is the latest loss – he’s gone for the season, while Kieran Foran is out for a few more weeks even after playing in the rep round.

Rick Stone has been reluctant to punish his players and has largely stuck to the side that has lost four in a row. Beau Scott returns and Chris Houston drops to the bench in the only change from Round 8.

Knights 1-12.

Parramatta Eels v Melbourne Storm

Eels – $2.15

Storm – $1.70

The most inconsistent side in the competition – the Eels – face a Mothers Day showdown against the ever consistent Melbourne Storm side who welcome back Billy Salter. The Eels have Semi Radradra back at their disposal to nullify Slater’s threat, but the best fullback in the game should deliver a win for his team who need all the points they can get before Origin.

Ryan Morgan and Isaac De Gois also come into the Eels 17, preferred ahead of Pauli Pauli and John Folau.

For the Storm, they have Tom Learoyd-Lahrs and Dayne Weston back in the mix.

Storm by 13+.

South Sydney Rabbitohs v St George-Illawarra Dragons

Rabbitohs – $1.58

Dragons – $2.40

After being written off after two weeks the Dragons have miraculously won six in a row and will seek a seventh straight against the Rabbitohs on Monday night. In contrasting fortune the Rabbits have lost three in a row – an unthinkable situation after their early season form.

Josh Dugan is out after injuring his knee playing on the wing for the Kangaroos. While his test form was mediocre, his club form was excellent and he’s a big loss. However Tyson Frizell returns from suspension to make a case for origin selection. Incredibly, Benji Marshall is the co-leader of the Dally M Medal race.

The Bunnies have made a raft of changes after losing Glenn Stewart for three months. Tom Burgess and Chris Grevsmuhl move around but the retuning John Sutton is the key addition.

Dragons 1-12.

This Weeks Multi

Head to Head pays $73.21

Margin pays $4334.77

Odds taken from Tom Waterhouse.

NRL Telstra Premiership Round Eight Preview

Posted on 2015-04-22 by Online Betting Pro

NRL Telstra Premiership Round Eight Preview:

Round 7 our picks went out the window, calling 2 of 7. Round 8 is ANZAC round which means uniforms that pay tribute to the troops and mouth watering fixtures.

Canterbury Bulldogs v Wests Tigers

Bulldogs – $1.65

Tigers – $2.15

Round eight opens at ANZ stadium hosting the Bulldogs and Tigers. The Bulldogs come off a win after finally getting on top of Manly late in the game and the Tigers come off an embarrasing loss after going 22-0 up then leaking 30 unanswered points to the Raiders. For the Dogs Josh Morris, Kasiano and Tim Browne return and for the Tigers big red Keith Galloway couldn’t recover from his shoulder injury. The Tigers look the more dangerous out of the two sides especially with the likes of Tedesco and Brooks running hot but the Bulldogs bring a more ruggered approach to the game and will play for close to 80 minutes with more depth on the bench. Expect a high scoring game but the Doggies will walk away with the spoils, Bulldogs 13+

Bulldogs

1 Sam Perrett 2 Curtis Rona 3 Josh Morris 4 Chase Stanley 5 Corey Thompson 6 Josh Reynolds 7 Trent Hodkinson 8 Aiden Tolman (c) 9 Michael Lichaa 10 Tim Browne 11 Josh Jackson 12 Tony Williams 13 Greg Eastwood

Interchange
14 Sam Kasiano 15 Lloyd Perrett 16 Frank Pritchard 17 Moses Mbye 19 Danny Fualalo 20 Antonio Kaufusi 22 Herman Ese’ese

Wests Tigers

1 James Tedesco 2 Kevin Naiqama 3 Tim Simona 4 Chris Lawrence 5 Pat Richards 6 Mitchell Moses 7 Luke Brooks 8 Aaron Woods 9 Robbie Farah (c)
10 Ava Seumanufagai 11 Curtis Sironen 12 Kyle Lovett 13 Martin Taupau

Interchange
14 Dene Halatau 15 Matthew Lodge 16 Jack Buchanan 17 Sauaso Sue 18 Delouise Hoeter

New Zealand Warriors v Gold Coast Titans

Warriors – $1.33

Titans – $3.10

Mt Smart plays host to the Warriors and Titans. Both teams sitting just outside the top 8, equal on competition points but their for / against record lets them down. For the Warriors Konrad Hurrell is dropped, David Fusitu’a replaces him whilst Sam Rapira returns along with debutant Raymond Faitala-Mariner. The Titans lose Dave Taylor to suspension, Agnatius Paasi and Ryan Simpkins to injury but gain Nate Myles. The Warriors were guilty last round of poor ruck defense and were made to pay. They also made too many errors which the Cowboys were able to capitalise on, tidying these areas up is essential. The Titans, slow starters but put the Panthers away well. The Warriors at home are tough to beat and will be notice so expect the Warriors to come out firing, they need to look after Falloon or we’ll see the Titans replicate the Cowboys display. It’ll be a good battle, expect the Warriors to get an early lead and hold on, Warriors 1-12.

Warriors

1 Tuimoala Lolohea 2 Jonathan Wright 3 David Fusitu’a 4 Solomone Kata 5 Manu Vatuvei 6 Chad Townsend 7 Shaun Johnson 8 Jacob Lillyman
9 Thomas Leuluai 10 Ben Matulino 11 Bodene Thompson 12 Ryan Hoffman 13 Simon Mannering (c)

Interchange
14 Nathan Friend 15 Raymond Faitala-Mariner 16 Sam Lisone 17 Sam Rapira 18 Dominique Peyroux

Titans

1 Josh Hoffman 2 Anthony Don 3 James Roberts 4 William Zillman 5 David Mead 6 Aidan Sezer 7 Kane Elgey 8 Luke Douglas 9 Beau Falloon 10 Nate Myles
11 Ryan James 12 Lachlan Burr 13 Greg Bird

Interchange
14 Matt White 15 Edward Pettybourne 16 Matt Robinson 17 Kierran Moseley 18 Mark Ioane

Newcastle Knights v Queensland Cowboys

Knights – $2.30

Cowboys – $1.57

Hunter stadium plays host to a mouth watering fixture between the Knights and Cowboys. The Knights have already but the Cowboys to the sword in round 2, both teams unchanged from last round. Expect to see some fire works here the Cowboys will certainly be out for revenge for the loss earlier in the season. The Knights will need to do a better job around the ruck than the Warriors if they want to keep Granville quiet who will be confident around some big men. Both packs boast size and the Cowboys pack is seen as the form pack right now so expect to see the likes the Snowden, Jeremy Smith, Tariq and Korbin Sims going hammer and tonge to try and upset the Cowboys pack. The Knights will get up, Knights 1-12.

Knights

1 Kurt Gidley (c) 2 James McManus 3 Dane Gagai 4 Joseph Leilua 5 Akuila Uate 6 Jarrod Mullen 7 Tyrone Roberts 8 Kade Snowden 9 Adam Clydsdale
10 Korbin Sims 11 Chris Houston 12 Tariq Sims 13 Jeremy Smith

Interchange
14 Tyler Randell 15 David Fa’alogo 16 Joseph Tapine 17 Jack Stockwell 18 Sione Mata’utia

Cowboys

1 Lachlan Coote 2 Justin O’Neill 3 Tautau Moga 4 Kane Linnett 5 Antonio Winterstein 6 Michael Morgan 7 Johnathan Thurston (c) 8 Matthew Scott (c)
9 Jake Granville 10 James Tamou 11 Gavin Cooper 12 Ethan Lowe 13 Jason Taumalolo

Interchange
14 Rory Kostjasyn 15 John Asiata 16 Scott Bolton 17 Ben Hannant 19 Ray Thompson

Sydney City Roosters v St George Illawarra Dragons

Roosters – $1.45

Dragons – $2.60

The Roosters host the Dragons at Allianz. The Roosters are in trouble, 3 losses in a row and potentially a 4th against a Dragons side who is on a run of 5 wins. For the Roosters Waerea-Hargreave’s is out and Sam Moa replaces him, the Dragons are unchanged. The Dragons defense has been the difference in their run on wins, big hits around the ground and grinding goal line heroics. The halves match up between Mitchell Pearce and Benji Marshall should provide some spark in the game with both playing good footy. The Roosters will throw everything they have at Dragons and the Dragons will hold, expect some big hits and a expansive game from both. Dragons defense will win the day, Dragons by 1-12.

Roosters

1 Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 2 Daniel Tupou 3 Michael Jennings 4 Shaun Kenny-Dowall 5 Nene Macdonald 6 James Maloney 7 Mitchell Pearce (c)
8 Dylan Napa 9 Jake Friend (c) 10 Sam Moa 11 Boyd Cordner 12 Mitchell Aubusson 13 Sio Siua Taukeiaho

Interchange
14 Willie Manu 15 Isaac Liu 16 Kane Evans 17 Lagi Setu 19 Matt McIlwrick

Dragons

1 Josh Dugan 2 Etonia Nabuli 3 Euan Aitken 4 Dylan Farrell 5 Peter Mata’utia 6 Gareth Widdop 7 Benji Marshall 8 Leeson Ah Mau 9 Mitch Rein 10 Mike Cooper
11 Will Matthews 12 Joel Thompson 13 Trent Merrin

Interchange
14 Ben Creagh (c) 15 Jack de Belin 16 Jake Marketo 17 Heath L’Estrange 18 George Rose 19 Drew Hutchinson 20 Kiti Glymin

Melbourne Storm v Manly Sea Eagles

Storm – $1.25

Sea Eagles – $3.70

AAMI hosts the Storm and Sea Eagles. The Storm sit pretty on top of the table as a proud Manly outfit continue to camp at the very bottom. It doens’t get any better for Manly, losing Jamie Lyon once again to injury however Keiran Foran is back. The Storm running hot are unchanged. There isn’t much to say about this game other than Manly are in for a drubbing, expect to see the regulars like Cronk and Smith running the ship behind the big boys. Storm 13+

Storm

1 Cameron Munster 2 Mahe Fonua 3 Will Chambers 4 Kurt Mann 5 Marika Koroibete 6 Blake Green 7 Cooper Cronk 8 Jesse Bromwich 9 Cameron Smith (c) 10 Jordan McLean 11 Kevin Proctor 12 Tohu Harris 13 Dale Finucane

Interchange
14 Ryan Hinchcliffe 15 Tim Glasby 16 Dayne Weston 17 Felise Kaufusi 18 Ben Hampton 19 Kenneath Bromwich 21 Hymel Hunt 22 Tom Learoyd-Lahrs

Sea Eagles

1 Peta Hiku 2 Cheyse Blair 3 Brayden Wiliame 4 Steve Matai 5 David Williams 6 Kieran Foran 7 Daly Cherry-Evans 8 Jake Trbojevic 9 Matt Ballin (c)
10 Willie Mason 11 Jamie Buhrer 12 Justin Horo 13 Tom Symonds

Interchange
14 James Hasson 15 Luke Burgess 16 Dunamis Lui 17 Ligi Sao 20 Jayden Hodges

Brisbane Broncos v Parramatta Eels

Broncos – $1.33

Eels – $3.10

The Broncos host the Eels at Suncorp Stadium. The Broncos licking their wounds after a physical loss to the Dragons last round seeing Hodges out with injury again, Alex Glenn has not recovered from his facial injuries which puts Thaiday back into the 2nd row and Adam Blair starting at prop. For the Eels who are still blowing hot and cold this season but managed to put away the Knight last round make a few changes with Reece Robinson to fullback, Hopoate to centre and Folau to the wing. On top of good defense the Broncos were their own worst enemy against the Dragons and will be looking to make amends, expect to see Hunt, Milford and Marantra make a lot of metres and breaks behind the big runs from the pack. The Eels will be up for a scrap but their form is too inconsistent and if they want to stand a chance it they better be blowing hot. The Broncos will play the 80 minutes and win easy, Broncos by 13+

Broncos

1 Lachlan Maranta 2 Corey Oates 3 Jack Reed 3 Dale Copley 5 Daniel Vidot 6 Anthony Milford 7 Ben Hunt 8 Josh McGuire 9 Andrew McCullough
10 Adam Blair 11 Matt Gillett 12 Sam Thaiday 13 Corey Parker

Interchange
14 Jarrod Wallace 15 Francis Molo 16 Mitchell Dodds 17 Kodi Nikorima

Eels

1 Reece Robinson 2 Bureta Faraimo 3 Will Hopoate 4 Brad Takairangi 5 John Folau 6 Corey Norman 7 Chris Sandow 8 Darcy Lussick 9 Nathan Peats
10 Tim Mannah (c) 11 Manu Ma’u 12 David Gower 13 Anthony Watmough

Interchange
14 Isaac De Gois 15 Joseph Paulo 16 Danny Wicks 17 Peni Terepo 18 Richie Fa’aoso

Penrith Panthers v Cronulla Sharks

Panthers – $2.15

Sharks – $1.65

The Panthers play host to the Sharks at Pepper Stadium. The Panthers were on the end of a 30 point drubbing round 7 courtesy of the Titans and the Sharks bullied the Rabbitohs to take a hard grind win. For the Panthers injuries have struck with Josh Mansour and Brent Kit out, repacing them is George Jennings and Sam Anderson. The Sharks get back Gallen. The Sharks really stepped up last weekend round against the Rabbitohs and will look to continue that form, the Panthers will provide the Sharks with a good battle but there isn’t much to seperate the teams man for man. Going off form the Sharks will win this arm wrestle by 1-12.

Panthers

1 Matt Moylan 2 George Jennings 3 Dean Whare 4 Waqa Blake 5 Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 6 Apisai Koroisau 7 Isaac John 8 Sam McKendry 9 James Segeyaro (c)
10 Jeremy Latimore 11 Sika Manu 12 Isaah Yeo 13 Nigel Plum

Interchange
14 Tyrone Peachey 15 Sam Anderson 16 Reagan Campbell-Gillard 17 Bryce Cartwright 18 Tupou Sopoaga 19 Will Smith 22 Robert Jennings

Sharks

1 Valentine Holmes 2 Sosaia Feki 3 Gerard Beale 4 Ricky Leutele 5 Michael Gordon 6 Jack Bird 7 Jeff Robson 8 Matt Prior 9 Michael Ennis 10 Chris Heighington
11 Luke Lewis 12 Wade Graham 13 Paul Gallen

Interchange
14 Jayson Bukuya 15 Anthony Tupou 16 Ben Barba 17 Tinirau Arona 21 Sam Tagataese

South Sydney Rabbitohs v Canberra Raiders

Rabbitohs – $1.27

Raiders – $3.50

The Rabbitohs and Raiders close the ANZAC round clashes at Barlow park. The Rabbitohs will be keen to get their season back on track after losing 2 game on the trot and the Raiders will look to continue their attacking form after putting 30 unanswered points on the Tigers but leaking 22 early. The Rabbitohs are unchanged but the Raiders say goodbye to Dane Tilse who has signed on with Hull KR in the UK. Paul Vaughan shifts to the front row and Fensom is back at lock. The Raiders will hold their own up front but can’t afford to leak points early against a desperate Rabbitohs side. The Rabbitohs are vulnerable in the halves with Reynolds and Sutton still missing so expect to see the Raiders put pressure on the youngsters McInnes and Keary. Its a tough game for the Rabbitohs to get back on track but we think this will be the game they return. Rabbitohs to take it at the death, 1-12.

Rabbitohs

1 Greg Inglis (c) 2 Alex Johnston 3 Dylan Walker 4 Bryson Goodwin 5 Joel Reddy 6 Cameron McInnes 7 Luke Keary 8 George Burgess 9 Issac Luke
10 Dave Tyrrell 11 Glenn Stewart 12 Chris McQueen 13 Jason Clark

Interchange
14 Chris Grevsmuhl 15 Nathan Brown 16 Tim Grant 17 Thomas Burgess

Raiders

1 Jack Wighton 2 Edrick Lee 3 Jarrod Croker (c) 4 Sisa Waqa 5 Jordan Rapana 6 Blake Austin 7 Sam Williams 8 Paul Vaughan 9 Josh Hodgson
10 Frank-Paul Nuuausala 11 Josh Papalii 12 Iosia Soliola 13 Shaun Fensom

Interchange
14 Kurt Baptiste 15 Jarrad Kennedy 16 Mark Nicholls 17 Shannon Boyd 18 Kyle O’Donnell 19 Jeremy Hawkins

NRL Telstra Premiership Round Seven Preview

Posted on 2015-04-16 by Online Betting Pro

NRL Telstra Premiership Round Seven Preview:

Round 6 we picked 7 of the 8 winners opting for the Raiders to sneak past the Storm which they unfortunately did not do. This round has some exciting fixtures Friday to Monday, we also see Thurston celebrate his 250th NRL game, as if the Cowboys needed more incentive. Jamie Lyon returns from injury to the Sea Eagles, can he help get their season back on track? Check out the odds, predictions, and teamlists for NRL Telstra Premiership Round Seven.

Canterbury Bulldogs v Manly Sea Eagles

Bulldogs – $1.75

Sea Eagles – $2.00

The Bulldogs coming off a drubbing courtesy of the Dragons in round 6 host bottom of the table Sea Eagles who are in all sorts of strife on and off the field. For the Doggies, Josh Reynolds and Tim Browne are starting which pushes Moses Mbye and Antonio Kaufusi to the bench. Jamie Lyon returns for Manly, this pushes Brayden Wiliame out to the wing. The battle between the halves has an exciting prospect about it; both halve pairs have faced disruptions during the season, Cherry-Evans and Foran more so but have kept a workmanlike approach making it count when the opportunities arise. Reynolds and Hodkinson are a great combination when their pack is dominant but struggle more so than their counterparts when things aren’t going their way. Both teams suffering from injuries and suspensions so expect a tight battle with some big collisions, Sea Eagles by 1-12.

Bulldogs

Interchange
14 Lloyd Perrett 15 Antonio Kaufusi 16 Frank Pritchard 17 Moses Mbye 19 Danny Fualalo 22 Herman Ese’ese

Sea Eagles

1 Peta Hiku 2 Cheyse Blair 3 Jamie Lyon (c) 4 Steve Matai 5 Brayden Wiliame 6 Kieran Foran 7 Daly Cherry-Evans 8 Jake Trbojevic 9 Matt Ballin (c) 10 Willie Mason 11 Jamie Buhrer 12 Tom Symonds 13 Dunamis Lui

Interchange

14 James Hasson 15 Luke Burgess 16 Justin Horo 17 Ligi Sao

St George Illawarra Dragons v Brisbane Broncos

Dragons – $2.15

Broncos – $1.65

Certainly a mouth watering fixture, Dragons sitting in 3^rd and the Broncos top, both teams showing good form. The Dragons make one change with Will Matthews replacing suspended Tyson Frizzell. The Broncos see Captain Justin Hodges return from injury which shifts Daley Copley out to the wing and Corey Oates to the bench. Both teams boast good defense so far which means the game is going to tight, points are going to be taken when on offer so it’s vital that both sides keep their discipline in check. It’ll be very tight and confrontational but the Broncos have the goods across the park, Broncos by 1-12.

Dragons

1 Josh Dugan 2 Etonia Nabuli 3 Euan Aitken 4 Dylan Farrell 5 Peter Mata’utia 6 Gareth Widdop 7 Benji Marshall 8 Leeson Ah Mau 9 Mitch Rein 10 Ben Creagh (c) 11 Will Matthews 12 Joel Thompson 13 Trent Merrin

Interchange
14 George Rose 15 Jack de Belin 16 Jake Marketo 17 Heath L’Estrange

Broncos

1 Lachlan Maranta 2 Dale Copley 3 Jack Reed 4 Justin Hodges 5 Daniel Vidot 6 Anthony Milford 7 Ben Hunt 8 Josh McGuire 9 Andrew McCullough 10 Sam Thaiday 11 Alex Glenn 12 Matt Gillett 13 Corey Parker (c)

Interchange
14 Corey Oates 15 Mitch Garbutt 16 Mitchell Dodds 17 Kodi Nikorima

Gold Coast Titans v Penrith Panthers

Titans – $1.90

Panthers – $1.85

The Titans host the Panthers at CBUS stadium, both teams coming off good round six wins. For the hosts Beau Falloon returns from suspension replacing Pettybourne who is suspended. Kierran Moseley drops to the bench. The Panthers debut Roberts Jennings at centre, coming in for Jamal Idris who is out for the season. It’s hard to say which team has the advantage in this fixture, the Titans certainly have the more ready 13 but the Panthers have more depth on the bench with experience and impact players. It’ll be a banger but the Panthers are going to walk away with it, Panthers by 1-12

Titans

1 Josh Hoffman 2 Anthony Don 3 James Roberts 4 William Zillman 5 David Mead 6 Aidan Sezer 7 Kane Elgey 8 Luke Douglas 9 Beau Falloon 10 Nate Myles (c) 11 Ryan James 12 Dave Taylor 13 Greg Bird

Interchange
14 Matt White 15 Lachlan Burr 16 Ryan Simpkins 17 Kierran Moseley 18 Agnatius Paasi

Panthers

1 Matt Moylan 2 Josh Mansour 3 Waqa Blake 4 Robert Jennings 5 Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 6 Apisai Koroisau 7 Isaac John 8 Jeremy Latimore 9 James Segeyaro 10 Brent Kite 11 Sika Manu 12 Elijah Taylor 13 Nigel Plum

Interchange
14 Tyrone Peachey 15 Sam McKendry 16 Reagan Campbell-Gillard 17 Isaah Yeo

North Queensland Cowboys v New Zealand Warriors

Cowboys – $1.37

Warriors – $2.90

The Cowboys host the Warriors at 1300 Smiles Stadium. The Cowboys celebrating Thurstons 250^th NRL game. Both sides are unchanged for this game rewarding both line ups after round 6 wins, both are guilty of taking too long to get going but at the same time when they’re in gear they’re very hard to stop. The Cowboys pack has been rampant and Thurston has been feeding off it, currently sitting second in the league for line and try and line-break assists. For the Warriors, Johnson and Townsend have the knack of doing the unexpected and if their pack is struggling they’ll need to look to their backs to make some meters. For me, the Cowboys are looking awesome and will be way to good at home. Cowboys 13+

Cowboys

1 Lachlan Coote 2 Justin O’Neill 3 Tautau Moga 4 Kane Linnett 5 Antonio Winterstein 6 Michael Morgan 7 Johnathan Thurston (c) 8 Matthew Scott (c) 9 Jake Granville 10 James Tamou 11 Gavin Cooper 12 Ethan Lowe 13 Jason Taumalolo

Interchange

14 Rory Kostjasyn 15 John Asiata 16 Scott Bolton 17 Ben Hannant

Warriors

1 Tuimoala Lolohea 2 Jonathan Wright 3 Konrad Hurrell 4 Solomone Kata 5 Manu Vatuvei 6 Chad Townsend 7 Shaun Johnson 8 Jacob Lillyman 9 Thomas Leuluai 10 Ben Matulino 11 Bodene Thompson 12 Ryan Hoffman 13 Simon Mannering (c)

Interchange
14 Nathan Friend 15 Dominique Peyroux 16 Sam Lisone 17 Albert Vete 18 Raymond Faitala-Mariner

Melbourne Storm v Sydney City Roosters

Storm – $1.97

Roosters – $1.77

The Storm sits nicely in 2^nd place host the 6^th placed Roosters who are on a possible 3 game losing streak. For the Storm they’ve made no changes. The Roosters bring Jake Friend in to make his first start pushing Matt McIlwrick to the bench. Sam Moa is suspended so Dylan Napa starts and Sio Siua Taukeiaho will start ahead of Isaac Liu so Lagi Setu warms the bench. The Roosters need to get their season back on track but it’ll be a tough ask at AAMI against a big, skilled, and mobile pack orchestrated by Cronk and Smith. The Roosters inclusion of Friend into the run on side is vital if they want to battle the experience Smith brings. The packs will battle all night and it’ll be crucial to take the points on offer. Both teams boast outside backs that are renowned for defusing bombs and having gas to burn so each player will need to ensure their pass is going to find the right man. It’ll be a very tight affair, full time it’ll be even, Storm to take it in golden point.

Storm

Interchange
14 Ryan Hinchcliffe 15 Tim Glasby 16 Dayne Weston 17 Felise Kaufusi 18 Ben Hampton 19 Kenneath Bromwich 21 Hymel Hunt 22 Tom Learoyd-Lahrs

Roosters

1 Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 2 Daniel Tupou 3 Michael Jennings 4 Shaun Kenny-Dowall 5 Nene Macdonald 6 James Maloney 7 Mitchell Pearce (c) 8 Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 9 Jake Friend (c) 10 Dylan Napa 11 Boyd Cordner 12 Mitchell Aubusson 13 Sio Siua Taukeiaho

Interchange
14 Matt McIlwrick 15 Isaac Liu 16 Kane Evans 17 Lagi Setu 18 Willie Manu

Wests Tigers v Canberra Raiders

Tigers – $1.40

Raiders – $2.80

The Tigers return home to Leichhardt oval hosting the Canberra Raiders, both sides losing last week. For the Tigers they sit 8^th and are unchanged. The Raiders are 2 points ahead of cellar dwellers Manly and have confirmed Fensom to start at lock even though he was an injury concern last round. On form both sides are relatively even, the Tigers pack should hold the advantage on experience and mobility. Tedesco and Brooks will be looking to cause trouble and on the back of a dominant pack these two are very creative and are not afraid to try things. Tigers 13+

Wests Tigers

1 James Tedesco 2 Kevin Naiqama 3 Tim Simona 4 Chris Lawrence 5 Pat Richards 6 Mitchell Moses 7 Luke Brooks 8 Aaron Woods 9 Robbie Farah (c) 10 Keith Galloway 11 Curtis Sironen 12 Kyle Lovett 13 Martin Taupau

Interchange
14 Dene Halatau 15 Ava Seumanufagai 16 Jack Buchanan 17 Sauaso Sue 18 Joel Luani

Raiders

1 Jack Wighton 2 Edrick Lee 3 Jarrod Croker (c) 4 Sisa Waqa 5 Jeremy Hawkins 6 Blake Austin 7 Sam Williams 8 Josh Papalii 9 Josh Hodgson 10 Dane Tilse 11 Jarrad Kennedy 12 Iosia Soliola 13 Shaun Fensom

Interchange
14 Glen Buttriss 15 Frank-Paul Nuuausala 16 Paul Vaughan 17 Mark Nicholls 18 Jordan Rapana

Newcastle Knights v Parramatta Eels

Knights – $1.42

Eels – $2.70

The Knights host the Eels at Hunter Stadium with both sides on the verge of 3 losses in a row. Both sides have big aggressive packs and dangerous running backs with ball in hand, both have opted to keep the same run on 13 as last round. It’s crucial that discipline is kept in check as both teams have quality kickers who can take the points or carve off meters with a touch finder. Expect to see some fireworks with the likes of Watmough, Jeremy Smith, Sandow, and the Sims brothers to name a few stirring the pot with any chance they get. Whilst the Knights are on a 2 game losing streak, they haven’t looked bad in their loses where the Eels have been blowing really hot or freezing. Knights to run away with it in the last 20, Knights 13+

Knights

Interchange
14 Tyler Randell 15 David Fa’alogo 16 Joseph Tapine 17 Jack Stockwell 18 Sione Mata’utia

Eels

1 Will Hopoate 2 Bureta Faraimo 3 Ryan Morgan 4 John Folau 5 Reece Robinson 6 Corey Norman 7 Chris Sandow 8 Darcy Lussick 9 Nathan Peats 10 Tim Mannah (c) 11 Manu Ma’u 12 David Gower 13 Anthony Watmough

Interchange
14 Isaac De Gois 15 Joseph Paulo 16 Danny Wicks 17 Peni Terepo 18 Richie Fa’aoso

Cronulla Sharks v South Sydney Rabbitohs

Sharks – $2.15

Rabbitohs – $1.65

The Sharks with two wins on the trot host a Rabbitohs outfit blown away by the Cowboys last round at Remondis. The Sharks have certainly turned around their season with some good performances but have paid the price for some ill discipline and injuries ruling out the Fifita brothers. The Rabbitohs look a little lost without Reynolds and Sutton both out which means Glenn Stewart retains the five-eight role. It’ll be crucial for the Rabbitohs big men to put pressure on the Sharks halves, they’re young and inexperienced but with time these two aren’t afraid to take their chances and lead their big men around the park. It’ll be a very physical battle and Gallen has shown that he’ll take the points on offer so discipline in crucial for the Bunnies and Sharks likewise with Goodwin a decent boot. The Sharks at home, looking more creative and better for a grinding game will take this at the death, Sharks 1-12.

Sharks

1 Valentine Holmes 2 Sosaia Feki 3 Gerard Beale 4 Ricky Leutele 5 Michael Gordon 6 Jack Bird 7 Jeff Robson 8 Sam Tagataese 9 Michael Ennis 10 Chris Heighington 11 Luke Lewis 12 Wade Graham 13 Paul Gallen (c)

Interchange
14 Ben Barba 15 Anthony Tupou 16 Matt Prior 17 Jayson Bukuya 18 Tinirau Arona