We kick off Round 6 of the 2020 NRL season with the Knights taking on the Broncos at Central Coast Stadium for Thursday Night Football. We welcome Scooby to the BYB NRL team for the first time, as our BYB team continues to grow, as we look to provide you with in-depth coverage of every match of the season. Read on for our NRL tips for Thursday night's action!
NRL Tips Round 6 - Thursday Night Football
Newcastle Knights v Brisbane Broncos
(Thursday, June 18th, 7:50pm AEST)
This game promises to be a great fixture to kick off Round 6 of the NRL. Following a strong performance against the Raiders in Round 4, the Knights had their momentum halted against the Melbourne Storm last week. Despite the loss, it was a performance you could be proud of. They never let their opponents completely dominate them (an 82% completion rate with 47% possession) and they continued to fight until the end of the match. Their opponents in this game, the Broncos, can certainly take something away from their rivals in this respect. After 59-nil thrashing by the Roosters in Round 4, the Broncos bounced back with a strong 31 minutes of football. Unfortunately, their inexperience halted their progression as the Sea Eagles scored 20-unanswered points to grab a 2-point victory. There were some positives in that effort, including an 85% completion rate and missing only 11 tackles for the match. The recent form of each team has the Knights as strong favourites for this contest and there is little the suggest otherwise.
The Knights have scored the 4th most points in the competition (122 at an average of 24.4 per match), they have the 5th highest linebreaks (3.6 per game), have the 3 rd highest post-contact metres (608.2m per match) and 4th in try assists (3 per game). The most troubling point for the Broncos is that they only average 14 points per game in attack, while conceding 30 each week; a 59-nil loss to the Roosters didn’t assist but the fact that they are scoring so little is very concerning. They also have conceded the most penalties of any other team thus far.
Everything, including the odds for this match, suggest that the Knights are primed to win this match. However, you cannot underestimate the past 3 matches that the Knights have had on this team; they’ve had a 14-all draw when losing players, a stirring win over the Raiders and a tough game against the Storm. It takes a tough team to remain at that intensity each week and the Knights also have a short turnaround ahead of this match. The Broncos have a two key players returning in second rowers Alex Glenn and Tevita Pangai Jnr. This strengthens their pack and there is also the chance that Issac Luke may feature off the bench. If he does, this will reinforce the middle of the field for them and cause the Knights defensive issues around the ruck. The fact of the matter is that the NRL is almost a third of the way through the season and time is running out for the Broncos to generate momentum within their campaign. This is a test for the Knights. If they are a different team compared to recent years, this is a game that they should win and win well. With that still yet to be achieved, taking the visitors with the start appears to be the way to go.
Alternatively, if you’re considering the suggested bet, then also consider taking either team by 6 points or less. It plans for a tight contest but it may be risky considering the speed of play with the recent rule changes.
