The 2017 NRL season continues this weekend and there is a full schedule ahead of us with eight matches to be played. We preview every match over the weekend in our NRL Round 17 Preview and Betting Tips below.
2017 NRL Round 17 Betting Tips
Parramatta Eels vs Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs (Thursday 7.50pm AEST)
The Parramatta Eels are coming off their second bye of the season and they are sitting in eighth spot on the ladder. The side was able to bounce back from a humiliating loss to the Cowboys to earn a victory over the Dragons. It was an important win for the side that could have started to lose its confidence – but their is still a lot to be proved with Mitchell Moses and Corey Norman pairing in the halves. They should have a lot of points in them with these two attacking players steering them around the back but Moses is an obvious weak link in their defence.
The Bulldogs will enter this one after a tough loss against the Warriors last week. The side continues to lack falir in attack, despite the return of Josh Reynolds. The five-eighth returning to the side means the team struggles with their kicking game with neither Reynolds or Moses Mbye being noted kickers of the ball. It means the ends to their sets are often poor which gives them an inability to apply pressure to their opponents. We are predicting their defence to be stronger in this one and with their ability to bounce back they are a threat of winning this one but we believe the Eels will sneak home in the end.
TIP: Eels at the margin (1-12) – $3.00 at CrownBet
Gold Coast Titans vs St George Illawarra (Friday 6pm AEST)
The Dragons avoided a huge embarrassment last week. They headed into half-time against the Newcastle Knights trailing 28-10 but a second half resurgence saw them escape with a victory. It is worrying signs for the Dragons though as their once strong wall of defence has been cracked fairly easily over the last month of football. Josh Dugan was strong at fullback while Jason Nightingale grabbed a hat-trick, including his 100th NRL try, in the victory. They won’t be able to give up a lead like that against the Titans and expect to earn the competition points.
Meanwhile the Titans were able earn a comfortable victory on the road against the Tigers. The scores were close until the final 20 minutes where Jarryd Hayne took over. It was a positive response from the fullback who received criticism after his origin performance. He grabbed a double and laid on another in the victory. We believe the Titans will be too strong for the Dragons who are currently out of form.
TIP: Titans at the margin (1-12) – $3.25 at Sportsbet
Brisbane Broncos vs Melbourne Storm (Friday 7.50pm AEST)
This blockbuster match will cap off our Friday nights and we are hoping both sides to be as close to full strength as possible. The Storm’s origin stars should all return to action after resting against the Roosters last week. It is credit to the youth and depth of this side as they were within a couple of minutes of securing the victory. However, it will be a much more experienced side for the Storm in this one and we are predicting them to be at the top of their game.
Meanwhile the Broncos were strong in their victory over the Raiders in Canberra. Anthony Milford is out injured and it was Kodi Nikorima and Benji Marshall who started in the halves. However, Ben Hunt came on at half-time and he will take to the field in the number seven this weekend. It was vintage Marshall as he was hard to maintain when running the ball and he laid on a couple of tries for teammates. However, it will be a different challenge for him and the Broncos coming up against the top defence of the Storm and their ability to slow down the ruck.
TIP: Storm at the line (-2.5) – $1.90 at Sportsbet
Sydney Roosters vs Cronulla Sharks (Saturday 3pm AEST)
The Sharks poor starts to matches have begun to bite them. It cost them against the Storm earlier this month and they were blown off the park in the early stages against the Sea Eagles on Sunday. They will be looking to fix that area but it is easier said than done. The Sharks had a lot of misfortunate on the weekend with Jayden Brailey suffering a season ending injury which leaves the club with no specialist, experienced hookers after they released Daniel Mortimer and Mania Cherington from their contracts. Fa’amanu Brown comes into the starting side for Brailey but it adds pressure on the halves.
Meanwhile the Roosters were able to pull a rabbit out of the hat with their comeback victory over the Storm in Adelaide last week. Mitchell Pearce slotted the field goal in golden point and he will be hoping to have another strong performance before he heads into origin camp for the deciding origin match. Boyd Cordner remains on the sidelines for the contest with a calf injury but the Roosters should be able to get the job done in this one without their co-captain.
TIP: Roosters at the line (-2) – $1.90 at Ladbrokes
Manly Sea Eagles vs New Zealand Warriors (Saturday 5.30pm AEST)
The Sea Eagles are beginning to hit their top form and it has seen the side move into the top four on the ladder. They have a remarkable 6-0 record on the road this season but they will be looking to improve their home record in this one. They are just 3-5 on home soil. Experienced utility comes into the starting line up on the right edge to replace the injured Curtis Sironen. It is bad timing for the backrower who grabbed a double against the Sharks and has been playing in career best form. Daly Cherry-Evans will be out to stake his claim for the Maroons number six jersey while Tom Trbojevic will be hoping to earn a spot in the NSW side.
Meanwhile the Warriors are coming off a tough fought victory over the Bulldogs at home last week. They played that contest without star five-eighth Keiran Foran but he has been named to make his return this week. He will be a huge boost for the side as he brings a lot to the side’s attack and defence. They will still be without Isaac Luke but Nathaniel Roache was great as his replacement last week. This should be a close on but the home side will earn the victory.
TIP: Sea Eagles at the margin (1-12) – $3.10 at William Hill
Canberra Raiders vs North Queensland Cowboys (Saturday 7.30pm AEST)
This match has huge implications for the finals series. It seems crazy to say that with 10 rounds remaining in the competition but the Cowboys will be hoping to hold onto their top eight spot despite losing co-captain and superstar Johnathan Thurston for the rest of the season while the Raiders are relying on a second half resurgence to climb the ladder.
The Raiders ninth loss of the season came at home on Friday night, with the side unable to stop the Broncos. They took a lead into the half-time break but their right edge defence continues to have questions asked of it. There is no doubt that area will be targetted again this weekend. However, the Raiders are at their best when they are outscoring their opponents. Their attack has lost its direction this season and their halves Aiden Seizer and Blake Austin need to step up to correct it. Their outside backs are far too talented to be sitting in the bottom half of the table.
The Cowboys were able to secure the victory against the Panthers at home last week and it came on the back of their defence. They stopped wave after wave of Panthers attack and they were eventually rewarded in the final minutes with a try to Kyle Feldt and a sideline conversion from Ethan Lowe. The Cowboys were always going to lift for the first match without Thurston but whether they can do it on a consistent basis remains to be seen. We believe the Raiders will take this one.
TIP: Raiders at the margin (13+) – $3.10 at Sportsbet
Newcastle Knights vs Wests Tigers (Sunday 2pm AEST)
The Newcastle Knights and Wests Tigers will head into this match with a lot on the line – not really, but a victory would boost their chances of avoiding the wooden spoon with the two sides sitting in equal last position.
The Knights are coming off another one that got away, as they let their seventh lead at half-time slip for the season. It is a damning statistic that has heartbroken fans and players. They are lacking a lot of leadership but despite this Nathan Brown has kept their highest paid and most experienced player Trent Hodkinson out of the 17. However, Jamie Buhrer does make his return from injury and he will come off the bench for this one.
The Tigers are also welcoming back a key player from injury with James Tedesco named and hopeful to play. He was missed during their disappointing loss against the Titans last week as they didn’t have much in attack. We are predicting a tight one but with Tedesco back in the line up we think he will be too dangerous and hand the Knights the loss, putting them back on the bottom of the table.
TIP: Tigers at the margin (1-12) – $3.40 at CrownBet
South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Penrith Panthers (Sunday 4pm AEST)
The Panthers let two points go begging against the Cowboys last week as they couldn’t put the nail in the coffin. They had the majority of possession and territory but they couldn’t make it count on the scoreboard. However, if they string the same attacking moves together in this contest we are predicting them to pick a part the Rabbitohs who have at times been terrible in defence. The experiment of Matt Moylan at five-eighth continues this week. He has been great with Dylan Edwards also superb as his replacement at fullback. Peter Wallace remains on the sidelines but Mitch Rein is a great replacement in the number 9.
Meanwhile the Rabbitohs are boosted by the return of Sam Burgess who missed their last contest with a glute injury. The side had a bye last week and should be well rested after their last start, which was a victory over the Titans. Angus Crichton scored a hat-trick in that one as he continues to impress on the right edge. However, we can’t see the Bunnies producing a victory in this one as the Panthers continue to push for a top-eight spot.
TIP: Panthers at the margin (13+) – $3.20 at William Hill
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