The 2017 NRL season continues this weekend and there are a lot of exciting match ups kicking off from Thursday night. We take a look at every game over the weeking in our NRL Round 6 Preview and Betting Tips below.
2017 NRL Round 6 Betting Tips
Brisbane Broncos vs Sydney Roosters (Thursday 7.50pm AEDT)
The Broncos are sitting with just two wins from their opening five games and their three losses have come from the narrowest of margins and are just six points combined. The side has been defending strongly in all of their matches, a part from Anthony Milford.
However, Anthony Milford was caught out on a couple of occasions against the Bulldogs which lead to their two tries. This could be an area the Roosters look to target this weekend as Ben Hunt is generally covered by the strong defence of Matt Gillett.
Meanwhile the Roosters suffered their first loss of the season. It took a try in the final minutes to break the deadlock between them and the Sydney Roosters. It is a bit of a wake up call for the Roosters who had been able to get the upperhand in the dying stages this season. We are predicting a tight battle in this one with the two halves pairings to have a strong battle while the forward packs will be just as tight. The Roosters will be tough to beat but we are leaning towards the home side in a tight one.
TIP: Broncos to win at the margin (1-12) – $3.00 at Sportsbet
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Newcastle Knights vs Canterbury Bulldogs (Friday 6pm AEDT)
The Bulldogs shocked a lot of people with their win against the Broncos and a lot of it came down to Moses Mbye being on the sidelines. We believe the Bulldogs were able to apply a lot more pressure due to the kicking game of Matt Frawley. The replacement halfback had the ball on a string as he forced a lot of drop outs and it eventually paid dividends for the side as the Broncos were worn out at the back end of the second half. However, it is unlikely he will play this weekend, with Mbye named back in the starting line up after serving his suspension. The pressure will be back on Mbye and Josh Reynolds to put together a better kicking performance.
Bulldogs coach Des Hasler is expected to announce shortly he has signed a two-year extension which will relieve pressure on him.
Meanwhile the Knights almost produced an even bigger upset as they challenged the defending premiers. The Knights came back from a deficit to level the scores but unfortunately for them James Maloney’s field goal proved the difference. It was a good bounce back from a side that showed no effort in a humiliating defeat to the Panthers a week earlier. The Knights have continued to improve but unfortunately for them they will meet the Dogs when they are on the rise.
TIP: Bulldogs to win at the line (-5.5) - $1.92 at Ladbrokes
Penrith Panthers vs South Sydney Rabbitohs (Friday 8pm AEDT)
It has been a hot and cold season thus far for the Panthers and it was the latter last weekend. They travelled to Melbourne with a lot of confidence after dismantling the Knights but they weren't able to crack the Storm’s defence with consistency. They return home for this one and if their form is anything to go by then they will be back to playing well this weekend. The Panthers have a lot of strike weapons across the park and they will be hoping Bryce Cartwright returns this weekend to add to that. However, the side has suffered a massive blow with Tyrone Peachey out with a rib injury while Matt Moylan, Peta Hiku and Waqa Blake will be dropped to reserve grade for disciplinary reasons.
Meanwhile the Bunnies are struggling to score points and the loss of Greg Inglis at fullback is beginning to show. Alex Johnston has been solid as his replacement but he doesn’t spark much in attack. Adam Reynolds is more of a controller than a creator which has put a lot of pressure on Cody Walker’s shoulders. Damien Cook will play 80-minutes this weekend with Robbie Farah expected to miss a week due to injury. This could spark their attack as Cook is excellent out of dummy half. However, it won’t be enough to see them cause an upset in this one and we are predicting Nathan Cleary to put on a strong performance as the Panthers win my a small margin.
TIP: Panthers to win at the margin (1-12) – $3.00 at William Hill
Manly Sea Eagles vs St George Illawarra Dragons (Saturday 3pm AEDT)
The Dragons are currently sitting in second position on the NRL ladder and nobody predicted that. They were expected to be the cellar dwellers of the competition, next to the Knights. However, their forward pack has played above expectations and the side that struggled to score points last season has scored the most of any team in 2017. Gareth Widdop is playing brilliantly in the halves with Josh McCrone playing solid. The big difference has been Paul Vaughn though. He only knows one way and he has taken everyone else with him. They will be without Josh Dugan due to injury this weekend with Kurt Mann slotting in at fullback.
Meanwhile the Sea Eagles have become one of the most inform sides in the competition and are on a three game winning streak that started with a victory over the Cowboys in Townsville. Daly Cherry-Evans has returned to his best form and Tom Trbojevic is stating his claims for an Origin call up as he has been killing it at fullback. It should be an entertaining battle with the Sea Eagles class to prove the difference in a tight battle.
TIP: Sea Eagles to win at the margin (1-12) – $3.00 at CrownBet
Gold Coast Titans vs Canberra Raiders (Saturday 5.30pm AEDT)
The Titans horror start to the season can be put down to their injury list. The side can’t catch a break at the moment and they were leading 22-6 on the weekend until they lost more key players. Ashley Taylor has been playing exceptionally and his halves partner Kane Elgey has been building up his confidence since missing last season to an ACL injury.
Meawhile the Raiders showed signs of their best against the Eels on the weekend as their attack is beginning to click. It was a gutsy win for them against a strong opponent but they proved their class. Jordan Rapana combined with his mate Joseph Leiluia for another great try which ended in the hands of Blake Austin. The Raiders truly can strike from anywhere on the field. The Titans will put up a fight in this one with coach Neil Henry doing a great job with an injury ravaged and inexperienced side, however the Raiders will prove a class above in this one.
TIP: Raiders to win at the margin (13+) – $2.65 at William Hill
North Queensland Cowboys vs Wests Tigers (Saturday 7.30pm AEDT)
The Tigers announced on Monday night Ivan Cleary would take over the helm of the side and unfortunately for him first assignments don’t come much tougher than this. A trip to Townsville to face Johnathan Thurston and the Cowboys. Cleary will be a great leader for this side and he should be able to get the halves pairing of Luke Brooks and Mitchell Moses focused on playing good football, however, he won’t be able to work his magic in under a week.
The Cowboys avoided another injury scare as Lachlan Coote was able to play on after what looked like he had reinjured his calf. They were clinic in terrible conditions as they eased their way passed the Rabbitohs. The side will be looking to repeat that effort and we are predicting a one sided performance as the Cowboys run away with this one.
TIP: No bet
New Zealand Warriors vs Parramatta Eels (Sunday 2pm AEDT)
The Warriors fans got what they had been waiting months for, Keiran Foran running out onto the field in their colours. He was worth the wait as he showed exactly what he will be bringing to the side – direction. The Warriors have been criticised in the past for attacking to sideways but Foran straightens up their attack on a lot of occasions and keeps the defence in two minds. He also brings a calm head to the side and will take a lot of pressure off Shaun Johnson.
Meanwhile the Eels are on a three game losing streak as they have lost confidence in their defence. The side still looks sharp in attack with Corey Norman playing well but ultimately the team hasn’t been able to show the spark they had in the opening two rounds of the competition. We are predicting a high scoring game in this one with both sides to exchange blows on the scoreboard. The Warriors have the home field advantage which has us leading towards them, however it won’t be by much.
TIP: Warriors to win at the line (-2) - $1.92 at Ladbrokes
Melbourne Storm vs Cronulla Sharks (Sunday 4pm AEDT)
NRL Round 6 wraps up with the grand final rematch from 2016. It will be a fiery contest after such a tight decider and there will be even more emotion in this one after the announcement on Tuesday this will be Cooper Cronk’s last year at the club. He has decided to head to Sydney to be closer to his fiance Tara Rushton. The Storm have proven in the past that they can get over the emotion of games and turn them into great performances, we expect the side to lift for this one.
Meanwhile the Sharks haven’t been up to scratch this season and captain Paul Gallen summed it up best on Saturday – they played shithouse. They will need to play at a much higher level this Sunday if they want to earn their second straight win over the Storm.
Melbourne have proven to be a tough side to crack and the Sharks will need some magic from their star players to get the job done. Valentine Holmes showed what he is capable of when returning the ball but he wasn’t flawless as he adjusts to the fullback position in the top grade. It should be an exciting match but we can’t see the Sharks ending the unbeaten run of the Storm to start the season.
TIP: Storm to win at the margin (1-12) - $3.00 at Sportsbet
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