Round 15 of the NRL gets underway on Thursday night with a great game between the Wests and Souths from 7.50pm! We have a full preview and betting tips for all of the Round 15 action below!
NRL Round 15 Betting Tips
Wests Tigers vs South Sydney Rabbitohs (Thursday, Jun 27 7:50pm)
NRL action returns on Thursday with the Wests Tigers hosting South Sydney from Bankwest Stadium. The Tigers haven't enjoyed success thus far at the new stadium with heavy losses against the Raiders (28-0) and Eels (51-6). So the Rabbitohs will be another tough ask. They bring back halfback Adam Reynolds and they'll be eager to end a 3 game skid over this Origin period. The two sides met just four weeks ago and Souths easily won that encounter 32-16. In the last 2 meetings, they've outscored Wests 83-26 so it does look like a one-sided affair here. But the best bet looks to be the Overs, which has saluted in the Rabbitohs last 8 Thursday games. The Tigers haven't shown much defence lately so Souths should score the bulk of the total here.
Total points OVER 38.5
$1.90
St George Dragons vs North Queensland Cowboys (Friday, Jun 28 6:00pm)
This is a crucial matchup for both the Dragons and Cowboys as they just sit outside the top 8. St. George were no match for Manly last time out as they went down 34-14 but they do have a good record at WIN Stadium (21-10 SU since 2010). Games involving the Cowboys have been nailbiters lately, which includes a golden point loss against the Tigers at home before the Origin break. They do have a number of injury concerns with Hess and McGuire on the sidelines. But they will unleash Scott Drinkwater at fullback, who was released by the Storm mid-season. In the end, this looks like a fairly low scoring game considering the last 2 meetings have fallen well under the total for this matchup. As well as the 2-0 Unders record at WIN this season.
Total points UNDER 40.5
$1.90
Sydney Roosters vs Melbourne Storm (Friday, Jun 28 7:55pm)
The game of the round headlines Friday night football as the Storm and Roosters reignite their rivalry at the Adelaide Oval. Both lineups are looking strong for this one and hopefully, we see a repeat of the Round 6 golden point encounter. In fact, the last 2 meetings in Adelaide have finished with a single point margin! For the Storm, they are doing what they do best in 2019 as they sit atop the ladder. Their 34-4 win over the in-form Knights wasn't an overly impressive performance but they did shut down the likes of Ponga/Pearce. Meanwhile, the Roosters ended a 3 game skid with a 38-12 thrashing of the Bulldogs at the SCG. Be wary of Latrell Mitchell who'll be out to prove a point to the NSW selectors in this clash. Ultimately, I can't see a blowout margin in either direction based on the last few meetings between these two similar teams. They both focus heavily on defence, completion rates etc and that will be the key in a fairly low scoring contest.
Either team by 10 or less
$1.80
Gold Coast Titans vs Manly Sea Eagles (Saturday, Jun 29 3:00pm)
Super Saturday begins on the Gold Coast as the Titans host the Sea Eagles. This matchup is usually an entertaining affair with the last 3 games all going over 50 total points. But the soggy Gold Coast weather may impact scoring this time. Manly will be out for revenge after the Titans stunned them in late May with a 36-18 thrashing at Brookvale. They will be coming off an impressive 34-14 crushing win over the Dragons and Tom Trbojevic will be dangerous after his hattrick in Game 2 of Origin. For the Titans, Jai Arrow is a big loss for their forward pack and I'm not sure their defence will be able to contain Manly's attacking weapons. So I'll take the safe bet of Manly to win this one.
Newcastle Knights vs Brisbane Broncos (Saturday, Jun 29 5:30pm)
The Knights are back in Newcastle on Saturday and they'll look to get back on track. They were very poor in a 34-4 loss against the Storm and the likes of Pearce/Ponga will look to make amends. Especially after Ponga was quiet in Origin and Pearce is looking for NSW Game 3 selection at halfback. For the Broncos, they've lost back to back games to the Titans and Eels. Their away record in 2019 is poor with a 2-5 record and they've been smashed in both trips to Sydney. They do get the benefit of Andrew McCullough returning to the side but they're still be relying on young halfback Sean O'Sullivan. Despite the Knights last performance, Ponga and Pearce should be the key in Newcastle getting back on the winners' list.
Parramatta Eels vs Canberra Raiders (Saturday, Jun 29 7:35pm)
NRL action returns to the Northern Territory as the Eels take their home game against the Raiders to TIO Stadium. The Eels obviously love playing at Bankwest Stadium but they need to show something elsewhere if they want to be considered a legit top 8 side. So a matchup against the tough Raiders defence will be interesting. Canberra shut them out in mid-April this year 19-0 and the last meeting went to the Raiders 18-2 as well. The Raiders also receive a massive boost with Josh Hodgson returning from injury. So looking at the last 2 games between the sides, this one should go Unders. The Under also a good record at this venue with 5 of the last 7 games falling under the total.
Total points UNDER 39.5
$1.90
New Zealand Warriors vs Penrith Panthers (Sunday, Jun 30 2:00pm)
The Warriors and Panthers meet at Mt Smart on Sunday with both sides looking for a top 8 spot. Penrith have suffered a huge blow with halfback Nathan Cleary out with an ankle injury and that will see James Maloney take the reins of this side. The Panthers are really starting to heat up after 4 wins on the trot and they do offer good value against the usually inconsistent Warriors. New Zealand have lost their last 2 at home against the Storm and Broncos. So hopefully the break will help them improve. At Mt Smart, the Panthers do have a decent 4-4 SU record and it's usually a high scoring affair with the Over going 6-2. So you would figure both sides can score over 13 points this Sunday.
Both teams to score 13+
$1.78
Canterbury Bulldogs vs Cronulla Sharks (Sunday, Jun 30 4:50pm)
ANZ Stadium features the 3-11 Bulldogs up against the 7-6 Sharks on Sunday afternoon. Cronulla have enjoyed a long break since their 22-20 loss against the Raiders on the 13th so they'll be massive favourites to continue the Bulldogs woeful season. Canterbury continues to mix up their lineup and 4 straight losses sees them at the bottom of the ladder. The Sharks do hold a 5-0 SU record over the Bulldogs but they have all been via the 1-12 margin. However, the Bulldogs have been smashed by the Roosters and Dragons in recent weeks, so it's hard to back them at the line with any confidence. In the end, the Sharks should comfortably win but there's not much value in this one.
No Bet
