NRL Round 10 Previews and Betting Tips

 

Dragons v Raiders Thu 12 May, 7:50PM, Jubilee Oval

The St George Illawarra Dragons will take on the Canberra Raiders this Thursday night to begin round 10 and the resumption of the competition after rep-round last week. Both clubs will be keen to make up for poor losses last week as they will be looking to prepare for the Origin period.
The Raiders will remain unchanged, while the Dragons will welcome back Tim Lafai and Joel Thompson as Jake Marketo joins an extended bench with Adam Quinlan and Jack de Belin ruled out due to injury.
With both teams likely to have limited State of Origin representation, the drawn out interstate series looms as a major opportunity for both clubs going forward. Both will be looking to consolidate their form as they will look to potentially leap-frog other teams vulnerable from the absence of their representative stars.
Both teams have had patchy form of late, but don’t expect the Dragons’ halves to gel immediately after limited game time together this year. Many of the Raiders’ individual form has been fantastic but coach Ricky Stuart will be hoping for a more cohesive performance, and against a Dragons outfit missing Jack de Belin, expect Canberra to get the points.

Betting Tip: Raiders -2.5 @ $1.94 (Luxbet)

 

Eels v Rabbitohs Fri 13 May, 7:50PM, Pirtek Stadium

The Parramatta Eels will play the South Sydney Rabbitohs this Friday night at their home ground of Pirtek Stadium after the controversial revelation of the Eels’ salary cap rorting in recent years. With a drawn out media scandal, it remains to be seen how the Parramatta playing group will react, or if they will even be able to compete for competition points as per the NRL’s punishment.
The Eels will need to be below the salary cap to compete for points, and have approached a number of players to leave the club. Coach Brad Arthur will replace the injured club captain Tim Mannah with Tepai Moeroa in the only change for the club, while Rabbitohs’ coach Michael Maguire has instituted a raft of changes with Alex Johnston, Jack Gosiewski, Jason Clark and Paul Carter coming in at the expense of Chris Grevsmuhl, Damien Cook, David Tyrrell and Patrice Siolo.
Alex Johnston’s inclusion will see Greg Inglis shift to the halves from fullback with the winger taking the custodian role in a massive change for Souths.
It will be a difficult match to predict with the Eels’ administration looking to bring their roster under the salary cap as soon as possible. Despite the off-field controversy, the Eels will be firing, particularly if they are able to compete for competition points. With the knowledge they must win 12 from their remaining 15 games to qualify for the finals, expect the previously in-form Eels to produce a passionate performance at their home ground and come away with the win against a new look Rabbitohs squad.

Betting Tip: Total Match Points Under 40.5 @ $1.91 (Bet365)

 

Panthers v Warriors Sat 14 May, 3:00PM, AMI Stadium

The Penrith Panthers will play the New Zealand Warriors this Saturday afternoon as Warriors coach Andrew McFadden has been taken under the wing of Sir Graham Henry, with the 2011 Rugby World Cup-winning coach set to support McFadden through a difficult period for the New Zealand club.
The Warriors will again institute a number of changes to their side, welcoming back Ben Matulino and Bodene Thompson, as well as Thomas Leuluai and Tuimoala Lolohea. Penrith’s only change will come with the inclusion of Waqa Blake in their run-on side.
While the Panthers have had a number of close losses in their last few matches, the restoration of their preferred spine has done wonders for the stability of the club as they name an almost identical lineup to last round. Conversely, the Warriors will be in disarray after the second consecutive week of fundamental changes to their spine and forward-pack. The Warriors will take time to settle with their new combinations which should give the Panthers the edge for the win.

Betting Tip: Total Match Points Over 41.5 @ $1.91 (Bet365)

 

Storm v Cowboys Sat 14 May, 5:30PM, Suncorp Stadium

The Melbourne Storm will play the North Queensland Cowboys in a massive clash to kick-off a double-header at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Saturday night. With the ground already sold out, the Storm and Cowboys will go into the match in fantastic form looking for their 4th and 6th consecutive wins respectively.
Both squads have named an unchanged squads for the clash and will go into the game with near full-strength outfits.
The Storm will enter this match on the back of two massive wins in which they flexed both their attacking and defensive muscle, scoring 80 unanswered points across the two games. They will need the confidence against a Cowboys outfit leading the competition who have not lost a game since round 4. It will be a difficult match to call as both teams will surely get up for a packed Suncorp Stadium, but expect the Cowboys Grand Final winning starting 13 to get the win.

Betting Tip: Storm +7.5 @ $1.90 (Bet365)

 

Sea Eagles v Broncos Sat 14 May, 7:30PM, Suncorp Stadium

The Manly Sea Eagles will take on the Brisbane Broncos at their home-ground of Suncorp Stadium this Saturday night in the second match of the double header in Brisbane this weekend. With many players backing up from representative duties last week, it will be an interesting audition for many aspiring origin players.
For the Broncos, Herman Ese’ese will again play off the bench to cover for the suspended Adam Blair as Jarrod Wallace gets the starting front row role, while Jai Arrow will make his NRL debut off the bench to cover for an injured Alex Glenn. The Sea Eagles will welcome back Blake Leary and Brett Stewart, allowing Dylan Walker to shift to his preferred position of five-eighth.
The Broncos go into the match missing Alex Glenn and Andrew McCullough due to injury, as well as Adam Blair to suspension. These absences will leave a glaring hole in the Broncos forward pack, which was exploited in their disappointing loss against the Sharks in their last game. Despite these losses, the quality of the Broncos’ replacements should show against the Manly outfit and the Brisbane club will be eager to make up for a rare loss against the Sharks last round. Expect the Broncos to come away with the points.

Betting Tip: Total Match Points Over 40.5 @ $1.90 (Sportsbet)

 

Knights v Sharks Sun 15 May, 2:00PM, Hunter Stadium

The Newcastle Knights will host the Cronulla Sharks this Sunday afternoon at their home-town after the Sharks produced a wonderful first-half blitz against the Broncos last round to beat the 2015 grand finalists. The Cronulla club were almost left ruing their opportunities after a spirited Broncos comeback put the Brisbane outfit to within two points of level, but the Sharks will take confidence that they can match the competition’s best.
For the Knights, Jacob Saifiti, Sam Mataora and Tyler Randell all return in a massive boost for the struggling club, while the Sharks will replace the suspended Jayson Bukuya with Luke Lewis as Joseph Paulo and David Fifita come on to an extended bench.
The Knights have continued to struggle in 2016 as the club look to snap a three match losing streak. They face a tough assignment against a dominant Sharks outfit that has risen to equal first in the competition. Expect the Sharks to continue their good form against the Knights in a big win.

Betting Tip: Sharks -14.0 @ $1.92 (Crownbet)

 

Tigers v Bulldogs Sun 15 May, 4:00PM, ANZ Stadium

The Wests Tigers will take on the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs this Sunday afternoon after the Tigers made up for their capitulation against the Raiders in round 8 in a good win against the Rabbitohs before the representative weekend.
Both sides will come into the match with a number of changes. The Tigers will welcome back Aaron Woods, Tim Grant and Mitchell Moses with Michael Chee-Kam, JJ Felise and Asipeli Fine dropping out of the side. Justin Hunt will take the custodian role for the Tigers with James Tedesco out injured.
The Bulldogs will welcome back Sam Perrett in the fullback role with Will Hopoate missing the match for his religious beliefs. Craig Garvey and Lloyd Perrett will also join an extended bench.
Despite the Tigers’ win over the Rabbitohs last week, there remain major weaknesses within their squad, particularly in defense. The return of Woods, Grant and Moses will help the struggling joint-venture, but the Bulldogs to get the better of their opposition.

Betting Tip: Bulldogs -8.0 @ $1.90 (Palmerbet)

 

Titans v Roosters Mon 16 May, 7:00PM, Cbus Super Stadium

The Gold Coast Titans will take on the Sydney Roosters this Monday night at their home ground on the Queensland coast after revelations that the club has signed Parramatta rake Nathan Peats. It has been confirmed that Peats has signed with the Titans to relieve the Eels’ salary cap woes in a massive boost for the Gold Coast club after struggling to sign big name players.
The Titans will welcome back David Shillington to their run-on side, as well as Anthony Don and Eddy Pettybourne to an extended bench. The Roosters have replaced the injured Shaun Kenny-Dowall with Daniel Tupou on the wing as Connor Watson joins an extended bench.
It remains unclear when Nathan Peats will make his move to the Titans, but it will be a massive boost for the club missing a dominant dummy-half. The Roosters’ disposal of the Knights last week would have proven a good run for Mitchell Pearce as the halfback looks to restore his club’s previously ruthless reputation. Expect the Roosters to come away with the win.

Betting Tip: Total Match Points Over 40.5 @ $1.90 (Sportsbet)

 

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Best Bet

Sharks -14.0 @ $1.92 (Crownbet)

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