The NRL representative round is over and it was the off-field issues that were the biggest talking point over the weekend. We turn our attention back to the regular season this weekend as we present our NRL Round 10 Preview and Betting Tips.
2017 NRL Round 10 Betting Tips
Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs vs North Queensland Cowboys (Thursday 7.50pm AEST)
The Cowboys will be boosted by the return of Lachlan Coote and Jake Granville this Thursday, however it isn’t all positive with Johnathan Thurston on the sidelines for an indefinite amount of time. He made a quicker than expected return last week to represent Australia but he picked up a shoulder injury in their 30-12 victory over the Kiwis. It will be a big blow for the Cowboys who have struggled without their star playmaker this season. However, Coote will take a lot of pressure off of Michael Morgan who has struggled to be the lead organiser for the side. The team will also have extra attack with Jake Granville darting around from dummy half and looking to turn the big forward pack of the Bulldogs around.
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Meanwhile the Bulldogs have been on an impressive run lately but they have their own injury setback. Josh Reynolds will be sidelined for at least 5 weeks with an hamstring injury and this opens the door for Matt Frawley. The halfback has been impressive since making his NRL debut earlier this season and we are predicting Moses Mbye to flourish in a more running role at five-eighth. The side has a huge forward pack and the Cowboys have been caught out up the middle this season after losing the majority of their pack.
TIP: Bulldogs at the line (-4) – $1.90 at CrownBet
St George Illawarra Dragons vs Cronulla Sharks (Friday 6pm AEST)
The Dragons caught the Sharks out in their meeting earlier this season to take the bragging rights in the local derby. However, their impressive start to the season could be undone in the next couple of rounds with Josh Dugan joining Gareth Widdop on the sidelines. He suffered a fractured cheek bone after colliding with Kiwi and Dragons teammate Russell Packer. It leaves them short in the spine and we are backing the side to struggle to create points this Friday night.
Meanwhile the Sharks have had off-field issues over the representative break. However, it shouldn’t direct affect them for this contest. The side scrapped over the line with a victory in their last start against the Tigers. They have been inconsistent this season but we are predicting them to earn the victory as we near the State of Origin series as their top players step up to earn selection.
TIP: Sharks at the margin (1-12) – $3.00 at William Hill
Wests Tigers vs South Sydney Rabbitohs (Friday 7.50pm AEST)
The Tigers were within a couple of hours of naming Jamal Idris to return to their line up but unfortunately his season is over with a ACL injury. He didn’t reach any heights this year and the loss won’t impact the side too much. Mitchell Moses continues to play at a high level for the side, even though he still could be sent to the Eels this season. However, eventually the toll of losing three of your senior players needs to take a toll on the side.
Meanwhile the Rabbitohs will be looking to bounce back from a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Sea Eagles. They were forced to spend an extra week off the field thinking about their loss and we are expecting the side to be fired up. They also suffered a loss to the Tigers in the opening round of the competition and we believe their forward pack will step up to the challenge to ignite a victory. Cody Walker has moved to fullback and he will be able to run the ball more, which is a postiive for the Bunnies.
TIP: Rabbitohs at the line (-1.5) – $1.90 at Ladbrokes
Penrith Panthers vs New Zealand Warriors (Saturday 3pm AEST)
There were a fair few Warriors involved in the New Zealand side that lost to the Aussies last Friday night. We are predicting them to be fired up for this clash after the disappointing defeat. Their entire spine was involved in the spine but they were too sideways. Keiran Foran does his best to straighten the attack and they have improved drastically, but still they need to have more direction. Foran also announced this week he will be returning to Sydney which is a disappointment for the club.
Meanwhile the Panthers were equal favourites to win the premiership at the end of the season but they now find themselves sitting in second last on the NRL ladder. The side has two wins from their opening 10 games and despite a late comeback against the Broncos last week, they haven’t looked good in attack. Their forward pack hasn’t lived up to its expectations and their backline has suffered as a result. We will be predicting an upset in this one, with the Warriors to pinch a win on the road.
TIP: Warriors at the margin (1-12) – $3.50 at William Hill
Melbourne Storm vs Gold Coast Titans (Saturday 5.30pm AEST)
The Storm are still the front runners of the competition and have the one loss against the Sharks next to their name. They are ahead by four competition points and they will be hoping to continue to add to that heading into the difficult State of Origin period. The side found itself involved in the cocaine scandals that hit the NRL last week. As a result Jesse Bromwich has been suspended for the next two weeks. However, Tohu Harris returns to the line up in a massive boost for the club. His defence and combination with Cooper Cronk will be important.
Meanwhile the Titans are coming off a big win against the bottom placed Newcastle Knights. They trailed 8-6 at halftime but scored 32 unanswered points in the second half to earn the convincing victory. Jarryd Hayne started in the centres and managed to bag a hat-trick. We are predicting him to remain in the role but continue to roam to get his hands on the ball. However, it won’t be enough for them to cause an upset on the road in this one.
TIP: Storm at the line (-8) – $1.90 at CrownBet
Manly Sea Eagles vs Brisbane Broncos (Saturday 7.30pm AEST)
This is arguably the match of the round. The inconsistent Sea Eagles, who in their last start demolished the Rabbitohs, will face the Broncos.
The Sea Eagles led from start to finish against the Bunnies in one of their best performances of the season. However, the side has fallen away in games and suffered defeats in matches they shouldn’t have. The side is sixth on the ladder and has one of the stronger attacks in the league. We are predicting them to put the pressure on the Broncos in this one but unfortunately for them their ‘home’ game is actually at Suncorp stadium.
We are entering round 10 and it is the first time the Broncos will be playing a match outside of Thursday or Friday night – fair competition? Anyway, it means the turn around for the Broncos has been the same and because of the representative round they have had an extra long break. They could be scrappy entering this one and despite a strong showing against the Panthers – with Ben Hunt still on the sidelines we are predicting an upset.
TIP: Sea Eagles at the margin (1-12) – $3.50 at William Hill
Newcastle Knights vs Canberra Raiders (Sunday 2pm AEST)
The bookmakers are expecting a one sided match in this one and we aren’t thinking any differently. The Knights have been competitive this season but their were a lot of danger signs in their performance against the Titans. They entered the second half with a two point lead but that quickly evaporated as they offered little in defence. That is never positive when you are going up against the Raiders who bolster arguubly the most dangerous attacks in the competition. To add to that the side has lost a lot of experience and half of their forward pack. The Raiders big boppas will steamroll the Knights through the middle of the field and the Raiders outside backs will make them pay. This will be one-way traffic on the way to a huge victory.
TIP: Raiders to win at the line (-13.5) – $1.90 at CrownBet
Sydney Roosters vs Parramatta Eels (Sunday 4pm AEST)
The Roosters suffered a narrow defeat on the road against the Warriors in their last start. It was a loss that cost them second spot on the ladder heading into the representative round. However, the Roosters have proved they are the real deal this season and they will be competitive against every side. They have six wins and three losses to their name and their biggest challenge proves to be scoring points. As the season goes on this should improve as the combination between Mitchell Pearce and Luke Keary develops while Michael Gordan will grow into the spine too.
Meanwhile the Eels up and down season continues as they have put together three straight victories after four straight defeats and before that they had two wins to start the season. Corey Norman has ignited the side with a lot of the attack and they are struggling in that area without the return of Bevan French. Semi Radradra had the charges against him dropped and this should see a spike in performance from him as he no longer has anything hanging over his head. We are predicting the Eels to put up a fight in this contest but ultimately suffer a narrow defeat.
TIP: Roosters at the margin (1-12) – $3.00 at William Hill
