NRL Round 24, Tips and Previews
Knights vs. Titans
August 26th
Newcastle welcomes Gold Coast to Sunshine Coast Stadium on Thursday night with a finals berth up for grabs.
The Knights have put themselves in the pole position to ensure they will play finals this year having won their last three games with the most recent being a 22-16 victory over wooden spooner Canterbury.
Gold Coast, meanwhile, has lost its past two games, but those matches have been against superior opposition in the form of premiership favourite Melbourne Storm and premiership contender South Sydney.
Newcastle have drifted in the betting and look the value now.
SUGGESTED BET:
Knights head to head at $2
Warriors vs. Raiders
August 27th
It is now up to Canberra to see if it can put itself in a spot to make finals when it faces the Warriors on Friday night.
The Raiders suffered a gutwrenching defeat against Manly last week and if not some inaccurate goal kicking late in the game might be entrenched in the finals.
The Warriors succumbed to Brisbane last week and will need more luck than the Irish to play beyond Round 25.
Canberra has shown enough to warrant being the selection here.
SUGGESTED BET:
Raiders -6.5 at $1.90
Roosters vs. Rabbitohs
August 27th
One of the biggest rivalries in NRL steals the headlines on Friday night yet again when Sydney goes head to head with South Sydney.
The Rabbitohs will be keen to respond from a loss against Penrith, while Sydney went great guns against St George with a 40-22 victory.
This game could potentially be a rehearsal for a preliminary, as it stands, they will not meet each other in the first week of finals.
There will be no love lost between these two enemies, but the Rabbitohs should have a bit too much class.
SUGGESTED BET:
Rabbitohs -16.5 at $1.90
Dragons vs. Cowboys
August 28th
An all but certain dead rubber takes place when St George and North Queensland – who both had finals aspirations – go head to head.
The Cowboys succumbed to their 10th loss in a row last week when being well handled by Parramatta 32-16, while the Dragons fell short against Sydney 40-22 in Round 23.
Mathematically, the Dragons can still make it, but they would almost have to defy history to find a way into finals especially with a poor point differential.
With that in mind, the Cowboys might just pinch this, but the line looks the way to go.
SUGGESTED BET:
Cowboys +3.5 at $1.90
Sharks vs. Broncos
August 28th
Cronulla gets the perfect opportunity to put itself in the plumb spot for a finals berth when it faces Brisbane.
The point differential Cronulla has against the Titans might prove detrimental to its hopes even if it does win its remaining two games.
The Broncos are playing for pride and showed they still have the zest for a win with a 24-22 victory over the Warriors.
Expect the Broncos to provide a headache for the Sharks, but there is too much at stake for the home team.
SUGGESTED BET:
Broncos +6.5 at $1.75
Storm vs. Eels
August 28th
The Eels got their season back on track with a win over the Cowboys, but now its time to face the best team in the competition.
Melbourne has manufactured an incredible 19-game winning streak to sit first on the table and dubbed the rightful premiership favourite.
But there is a sense of optimism in the air for the Eels having been one of only two teams to defeat Melbourne this year.
The line looks enormous in this game.
SUGGESTED BET:
Eels +22.5 at $1.90
Sea Eagles vs. Bulldogs
August 29th
Manly continues to lurk in the shadows of the top four and gets the opportunity for a big win when it meets wooden spooner Canterbury.
The Sea Eagles will standing tall entering this game with the nostalgia of a record 66-0 win over the Bulldogs earlier this season.
With nothing to play for, it’s hard to see the Bulldogs offering any resistance against a Sea Eagles which welcomes back Turbo Tom.
SUGGESTED BET:
Sea Eagles -26.5 at $1.90
Panthers vs. Tigers
August 29th
Penrith can effectively lock away second spot on the table if it can overcome Wests Tigers on Sunday afternoon.
The market suggests this will be a slaughter job, but it really depends on how wound up Ivan Cleary wants his men to be in this game.
With finals and bigger fish to fry, the notch might be turned down in order to continually ease players back from injury before a big tilt at the premiership.
