Friday night footy in Round 3 should be a cracker as the NRL have scheduled back-to-back rivalry matchups in Queensland and Sydney. As usual, we have a full preview and betting tips for both games below.
NRL Round 3 Friday Betting Tips
Cowboys vs Titans (6:00pm)
In the first game of the Friday night double-header, we have the first of two rivalry matchups as the Cowboys meet the Titans in Townsville. North Queensland sit 7th on the ladder after recording a 1-1 record in their 2 games thus far. After the Broncos spoiled their home opener at the new stadium, the Cowboys will be keen to get their first win on the board at QCB Stadium this Friday. While in Round 2, they rebounded with a 24-16 win over the Bulldogs in Sydney as Jason Taumalolo dominated and the away side scored 4 tries in the first half. Considering their 9-0 record against the Titans and they haven't lost against them up north since 2012, North QLD are deserved favourites in the betting. However, they will miss the experience of Michael Morgan in the halves and Gavin Cooper is also out. But an exciting halves partnership between Drinkwater and Clifford should give Cowboys fans a glimpse into the future.
The Titans will be looking to forget their start to this season as they were no match for the Raiders and Eels. There are not many positives to write home about this Gold Coast squad after they managed to leak 70 total points and only found the try-line once in both matches. So Justin Holbrook really has his work cut out for him at the moment. They'll also be missing a few players due to injury, the drama of "anti-vaxxers" and a reshuffled backline. With AJ Brimson on the sidelines, Jamal Fogarty will debut at halfback. They've also moved Tyrone Roberts to fullback and Peachey/Copley will start in the centres.
While the Titans can surely not play much worse then what they dished up in Rounds 1/2, they do have an awful record against the Cowboys so we find it hard to back against the home side. However, there isn't much value in the Cowboys H2H so we like the chances of the Titans falling under 16.5 points. As mentioned, they've scored just 12 total points in their previous 2 games this season and with a reshuffled lineup, it could take a while before they start to gel.
Roosters vs Rabbitohs (7:55pm)
The feature of Friday night footy takes place at Bankwest Stadium with arch-rivals the Sydney Roosters taking on the South Sydney Rabbitohs. Starting with the Roosters, they find themselves in unfamiliar territory as sit 12th on the ladder after losing both games before the break. So it'll be interesting to see how they respond, especially against their former teammate in Latrell Mitchell. In good news for the home side, Boyd Cordner will return from injury and they really missed his leadership in the first 2 games. They've also added Josh Morris from the Sharks to give their backline more experience as well. Unfortunately, the versatile Mitchell Aubusson will miss the clash after his father passed away recently and Siosiua Taukeiaho will likely miss the clash with injury.
For Souths, all eyes will be on Mitchell as he faces his former side and it's fair to say the fullback experiment hasn't been a success thus far and the 2-month break probably hasn't helped him out either. As it sits, Souths are just inside the 8 after shaking off a late challenge by the Sharks in Round 1 and suffering a close defeat to the Broncos in Round 2. The task against the Roosters will be tougher without Cody Walker after his suspension so Troy Dargan takes over at five-eighth and he'll look to lean on the experience of Adam Reynolds. James Roberts is unlikely to play in the centres but that could change before kick-off.
It's always a tough battle between these two rivals and Friday night's clash should be no different. While the odds are heavily favoured in the Roosters at the moment, Souths do hold a 9-2 ATS record as a Friday night underdog. The super coach Wayne Bennett has also won 4 of his last 5 games against the tri-colours and I think they can overcome the Cody Walker out factor. So we like the chances of the Rabbitohs keeping it close for 80 minutes and maybe keeping the Roosters winless.
