The 2016 NRL season continues with the final bye round of the season to take place, as there are six matches this weekend. Continue reading for our NRL Round 19 Preview and Betting Tips.
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St George Illawarra Dragons vs Gold Coast Titans (Friday 7.50pm AEST)
The Dragons were absolutely embarrassed in their last match before their bye. They fell 36-6 to the struggling and injury ravaged Sea Eagles as their defence - that had been solid recently - was cracked far too easily. Their issues in attack continued, as they can’t find any consistency in this area. They will have their best player Josh Dugan backing up from Origin duty and they will be hoping he gets through that match with no injuries otherwise they will be in serious trouble. Despite having the second worst attack in the competition, the Dragons have still managed to sit in the top eight, a lot of that is due to a lucky draw where they faced the Cowboys and Storm without their Origin stars and picked up two valuable victories they likely would have lost if they were facing full strength squads.
The Titans are sitting much higher on the ladder than expected and a lot of it is due to their young stars performing exceptionally. Ryan James has been a stand out in the forward pack and has led from the front and laid a great platform for the players around him, especially their back line. Ashley Taylor is another player who is having a great season and it is in his first year of first grade, which makes it even more remarkable. However, their injury troubles in the backline are an issue as they have been forced to play with back rowers in the centres for their last two games and that has essentially lead to two straight defeats. This should be an area where the Dragons look to attack through Euan Aitken and Tim Lafai and get the win on home soil.
TIP: Dragons 1-12 @ $3.00 with CrownBet
Manly Sea Eagles vs New Zealand Warriors (Saturday 5.30pm AEST)
Just as the Sea Eagles season looked as if it might have been turning around as they snapped a six-game losing streak with their best win of the season, it again turns to disaster. Brett Stewart has gone in for knee surgery and may never play for the Sea Eagles again despite being contracted next season as there is rumours he will be moving to the Super League to join his brother Glenn. Meanwhile Dylan Walker punched the door at his own house after a night out drinking and has broken his hand and will miss at least four weeks of action. These two join a long list of players who are already out for the home side and it will be a big effort for them to lift for this game.
The Warriors have stayed true to their midseason revival that they are notorious for and have won four of their last five matches to move into seventh position on the ladder. Shaun Johnson has been playing with a quad injury but has still managed to lift his side to victory with two great individual tries against the Roosters and Titans in their last two games. Their forward pack is continuing to play at a high level with Bodene Thompson being the stand out on the right edge whilst Simon Mannering has been holding down the defence in the middle of the field with huge defensive numbers. The Warriors are the favourites despite being on the road due to the Sea Eagles injuries and we will be backing them to continue their resurgence.
TIP: Warriors @ $1.80 with Sportsbet
South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Brisbane Broncos (Saturday 7.30pm AEST)
The Broncos have fallen to sixth place on the ladder after leading the competition into the Origin period. A lot of that can be contributed to their key stars playing for Queensland and being forced to back up only a couple of days later but last year they still had a lot of success during this time. Their biggest concern is the poor form of their halves pairing Ben Hunt and Anthony Milford. These two started the season with sensational performances but have since fallen away and as a result the Broncos have struggled.
Meanwhile the Bunnies season is all but over as they have slipped to 12th place and are sitting six-points outside the eight. They will have the advantage of playing at home but they won’t have their halfback Adam Reynolds who is injured whilst Greg Inglis will be backing up from Origin. The inconsistencies shown from the Broncos recently and the poor form of the Rabbitohs have us suggesting to avoid betting on this match.
TIP: No bet
Newcastle Knights vs Melbourne Storm (Sunday 2pm AEST)
If there was going to be a match where Storm coach Craig Bellamy was going to rest his Queensland stars Cooper Cronk and Cameron Smith after Origin it would be this weekend. However, the champions and competitors that Cronk and Smith are they will want to play in this contest. Cameron Munster should also be returning from injury after the extra week off which will be a massive in for the away side.
The Knights are stranded on the bottom of the table and despite coming out with a lot of fire in their last match against the Raiders and racing out to a 22-0 lead, they still weren’t able to register their second victory as they ultimately lost in golden point extra time. Even when the side was leading by that big margin, there was still a feeling that if the Raiders were able to hold onto the ball they would make a comeback and get the victory. The Storm’s defence is far too strong and they won’t make basic errors that will allow the Knights to capitalise on and this should be a match that is all one way.
TIP: Storm -18.5 @ $1.91 with William Hill
Penrith Panthers vs Parramatta Eels (Sunday 4pm AEST)
This is a very important match for both sides as neither can afford to lose if they are intending on playing finals footy this year. The Eels were officially stripped of 12-competition points and it seemed as if that would be the end of the club being in the media spotlight but there are rumours circulating that Corey Norman has been involved in a sex tape that is being shopped around to the media. This is just another negative headline to add to the season from hell for the Blue and Gold. However, despite all of this they are still continuing to win and despite losing 12-competition points they still have a chance of reaching the finals but nearly every match is a must win, especially ones against a rival side that is also fighting for a top-eight spot.
The Panthers have lost their last two matches against opposition they were expected to defeat. The Sharks were without five of their star players and the Panthers still weren’t able to get the job done. They themselves were without Matt Moylan but they were playing in front of their home fans and should have at least kept the match close. Their forward pack is arguably their strongest point but they will be a lot better in attack with Moylan floating around out the back and Josh Mansour will bring a huge boost to the side.
Each week we are waiting of the toll to of a tumultuous season to snap the back of the Eels but it hasn’t happened yet. However, with Semi Radradra going to miss the next six weeks and Norman involved in yet another scandal, we are predicting the Panthers to take out this one.
TIP: Panthers 1-12 @ $3.00 with CrownBet
Sydney Roosters vs Cronulla Sharks (Monday 7pm AEST)
The Sharks will have five players backing up from Origin but have the benefit of having a five-day turn around for those players. This will allow them to re-join their team and get a full session of training in with the side as they look to extend their record breaking winning streak to 14 matches. They were expected to lose on the weekend against the Panthers but Ben Barba wasn’t having any of that as he crossed for two tries and laid another one on for his teammate. He has continued to have a remarkable season and was looking very dangerous with the ball in his hands on the weekend. However, Chad Townsend is a player who is missing out on a lot of credit for the side’s success and he showed again on the weekend how important he is to this time as he continues to play with a cool head and make the right choices.
The Roosters weren’t able to get the job done against the Eels despite racing out to an 18-6 lead against the Eels. Their defence wasn’t good enough and they failed to capitalise on the chances they created which has been the story of their year. They are sitting in second last spot on the ladder and have had a season to forget. Latrell Mitchell was able to grab a double as the future looks bright for the 18-year-old but the side is missing a lot of the pieces that made them so successful in the past and they won’t be able to break the streak of the Sharks who have the second best defence and the third best attack in the league.
TIP: Sharks -6 @ $1.90 with Sportsbet
