NRL Round 7 Previews and Betting Tips

 

Sea Eagles v Eels Thu 14 Apr, 7:50PM, Brookvale Oval

The Manly Sea Eagles will host the Parramatta Eels at their home ground of Brookvale this Thursday night in the Eels’ headline off-season signing and now captain Kieran Foran’s first game against his former club. Darcy Lussick will also play his former club in a clash that will undoubtedly spark some passion between two teams whose rivalry has built over the past few years with coach Brad Arthur and most recently Kieran Foran switching allegiances to Parramatta.

Both coaches have named unchanged squads for the clash.

Both sides will come into the match off the back of two big wins and very much in form. The Sea Eagles return home after an impressive upset over the Warriors as the Manly club’s form continues to improve despite the absence of Daly Cherry-Evans, while the Eels have now moved to equal second on the NRL ladder after they demolished the Raiders last week.

There is very little to separate these sides and with both sides clearly on the improve, expect a low scoring affair. The Eels should come away with the win on the back of their defence.

Betting Tip: Total Match Points Under 36.0 @ $1.91 (Bet365)

 

Cowboys v Rabbitohs Fri 15 Apr, 7:50PM, 1300SMILES Stadium

The North Queensland Cowboys will host the South Sydney Rabbitohs in Townsville this Friday night with the Queensland club moving to equal second on the NRL competition ladder after their win over the Panthers last week. Expert opinion continues to indicate that the Cowboys and Broncos are the leading teams in the competition, and doubtless the prospect of overtaking the Broncos as outright competition leaders is a big motivator for the Townsville based outfit.

The Cowboys have named Patrick Kaufusi on an extended bench, while Souths have named Adam Reynolds to return at halfback at the expense of Cody Walker. David Tyrrell also comes into the side, pushing Damien Cook to an extended bench.

The return of Reynolds will be a massive boost for the Rabbitohs, despite the class of Cody Walker in his absence. The Cowboys however will rightly go into the match as favourites with their record in 2016, particularly at home. Expect the Queensland club to come away with the win.

Betting Tip: Total Match Points Over 38.5 @ $1.91 (Bet365)

 

Titans v Dragons Sat 16 Apr, 3:00PM, Cbus Super Stadium

The Gold Coast Titans will take on the St George Illawarra Dragons this Saturday afternoon after the Dragons slumped to their fourth loss of the season and their second consecutive game without scoring any points. Time is fast running out for the joint-venture club’s season and coach Paul McGregor will be desperate to get the best out of his misfiring outfit against the Titans.
For the Titans, Eddy Pettybourne has been named on an extended bench but should replace the suspended Greg Bird, while the Dragons will welcome back Benji Marshall at the expense of Josh McCrone. Siliva Havili will take Jake Marketo’s spot on the bench, while Kalifa Faifai Loa will play on the wing in place of Peter Mata’utia.
It will be a tight contest between two sides very much under pressure to perform. Despite their good start to the year, Neil Henry’s Titans will come into the match with a 3-3 record and the knowledge that they need to win more games to threaten in the latter stages of the year. Expect a close match but the with the Dragons failing to produce NRL quality performances in their last few games, the Titans should get the points.

Betting Tip: Total Match Points Under 38.5 @ $1.91 (Bet365)

 

Bulldogs v Warriors Sat 16 Apr, 5:30PM, Westpac Stadium

The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs will take on the New Zealand Warriors this Saturday evening as the ‘Dogs will hope to put their recent inconsistency behind them after closing out the Storm last week in a tight contest. The Warriors will be similarly eager with only two wins of six matches so far this year.
The Bulldogs will name an unchanged side for the clash with Lloyd Perrett coming on to an extended bench, while the Warriors will play Tuimoala Lolohea at five-eighth at the expense of Jeff Robson as David Fusitua comes onto the wing. Bodene Thompson will also return in the back row at the expense of Albert Vete.
Despite their marque off-season signings, it is clear that Warriors coach Andrew McFadden hasn’t found a spine combination that he’s satisfied with. Expect the Bulldogs to be eager to make up for their poor loss against the Raiders last week, and unless the Warriors can produce a performance worthy of their star-studded roster, the Bulldogs should come away with the win.

Betting Tip: Bulldogs Head to Head @ $1.92 (Sportsbet)

 

Broncos v Knights Sat 16 Apr, 7:30PM, Suncorp Stadium

The Brisbane Broncos will play the Newcastle Knights in the Queensland capital this Saturday night after the Novacastrians found their first win of the season last week against the Tigers. The Broncos come into the match on the back of a 26-nil performance against the Dragons, but despite this scoreline the Brisbane club are well below their best and should be wary of a Knights outfit eager to prove a point against former coach Wayne Bennett.
The Broncos will name an unchanged side for the clash, while the Knights will swap Jaelen Feeney with Sione Mata’utia in the centres in their only change.
The Knights managed a two-point win against the Tigers last week, but don’t expect them to light to world on fire against the 2015 premiers. Despite being well below their best, the Broncos have consistently demonstrated that they are a step ahead of their competition, and barring a major lapse in form, the Brisbane club should get the points.

Betting Tip: Knights +18.5 @ $1.90 (Luxbet)

 

Raiders v Sharks Sun 17 Apr, 2:00PM, GIO Stadium

The Canberra Raiders will host the Cronulla Sharks in the Australian capital this Sunday afternoon after the Raiders produced a poor performance against the Eels last week. The return of Blake Austin and Aidan Sezer in the Raiders’ halves hasn’t yielded the on-field results coach Ricky Stuart would like as he moves to combat the Canberra club’s inconsistent performance.
The Raiders have named an unchanged side for the clash, while the Sharks will replace Luke Lewis with Jayson Bukuya in the backrow.
The Sharks will be looking for their fourth consecutive win against the Raiders after their five-point win over the Titans last week moved them to fourth on the NRL competition ladder. Against an in form Sharks outfit, the Raiders will need to count on their home-ground advantage, but expect the Sharks to get the better of the volatile Canberra outfit to come away with the win.

Betting Tip: Sharks Head to Head @ $2.10 (William Hill)

 

Tigers v Storm Sun 17 Apr, 4:00PM, Leichhardt Oval

The Wests Tigers will host the Melbourne Storm at their home-ground of Leichhardt Oval this Sunday afternoon as the Storm face a back-line injury crisis with centre Will Chambers potentially ruled out until the State of Origin period. After their upset loss against the Bulldogs last week, the Tigers will be hoping to improve their record against a vulnerable Storm outfit at home.
Billy Slater’s injury earlier in the year meant Cameron Munster would again move to the custodian role, in a blow to the Storm’s back-line depth. That depth will again be tested with Chambers’ injury but Craig Bellamy has yet to formally announce his replacements.
The Tigers will be without star prop forward Aaron Woods as Joel Edwards comes into the side to cover the Wests captain. Jack Buchanan and Michael Chee-Kam will also join an extended bench.
Both sides have suffered significant omissions from their squads with both Will Chambers and Aaron Woods unable to take the field. With their back-line depth facing a serious test and poor form in recent times, the Storm should be cautious against a Tigers outfit desperate to prove themselves. Storm to come away with the points.

Betting Tip: Storm Head to Head @ $1.75 (Crownbet)

 

Roosters v Panthers Mon 18 Apr, 7:00PM, Allianz Stadium

The Sydney Roosters will play the Penrith Panthers this Monday night after the 2013 premiers managed their first win for this season in an impressive display against the Rabbitohs last week. The Panthers went down in a tight contest against the Cowboys last round, but won’t head into the match lacking confidence.
Elijah Taylor and Tyrone Peachey will come on to an extended bench for the Panthers, while Mitchell Frei will take the place of the injured Sio Siua Taukeiaho.
Despite their win last week, key structural problems remain present at the Roosters which will leave them at a significant disadvantage against more established squads such as the Panthers. The absence of much of the Roosters’ leadership group can only be covered by enthusiasm for so long and the Panthers will look to play to their strengths with a structured game-plan. If the Roosters can dominate early and box Penrith into a poor performance, they have a chance, but otherwise expect the more experienced Panthers to get the points.

Betting Tip: Panthers Head to Head @ $1.72 (Bet365)

 

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Best Bets

Betting Tip: Titans v Dragons: Total Match Points Under 38.5 @ $1.91 (Bet365)

Betting Tip: Sharks Head to Head @ $2.10 (William Hill)

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