Friday Night Football for Round 13 sees the depleted Panthers taking on the Bulldogs. The Panthers will be missing 6 stars through Origin, however, are still heavy favourites as they take on the struggling Bulldogs, in a 1v16 clash that could give the Bulldogs an actual shot of beating the top team in the competition.
As always, stay tuned throughout the 2022 NRL season to get the best betting value when taking on the bookies, with our NRL Tips page previewing all the NRL matches in 2022.
Penrith Panthers vs Canterbury Bulldogs
BlueBet Stadium, Friday 3rd June, 7:55pm (AEST)
Squads
Penrith Panthers
1. Dylan Edwards 2. Taylan May 3. Izack Tago 4. Robert Jennings 5. Charlie Staines 6. Kurt Falls 7. Sean O’Sullivan 8. Moses Leota 9. Apisai Koroisau 10. James Fisher-Harris 11. Viliame Kikau 12. Chris Smith 13. Matt Eisenhuth. INTERCHANGE: 14. Mitch Kenny 15. Scott Sorensen 16. Spencer Leniu 17. Jaeman Salmon. RESERVES: 18. Soni Luke 19. J’maine Hopgood 20. Lindsay Smith 21. Sunia Turuva 22. Preston Riki
Canterbury Bulldogs
1. Matt Dufty 2. Jacob Kiraz 3. Aaron Schoupp 4. Jake Averillo 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Matt Burton 7. Kyle Flanagan 8. Luke Thompson 9. Jeremy Marshall-King 10. Paul Vaughan 11. Josh Jackson 12. Raymond Faitala-Mariner 13. Max King. INTERCHANGE: 14. Zach Dockar-Clay 15. Corey Waddell 16. Chris Patolo 17. Ava Seumanufagai. RESERVES: 19. Jackson Topine 20. Bailey Biondi-Odo 21. Joe Stimson 22. Corey Allan 25. Kurtis Morrin
Match Preview
The first bye round of the season, and with one of these sides destroyed by Origin, handicapping these matches is fraught with danger. Last season, the Panthers faced the Tigers in the first bye round, where they were hammered 26-6 at Leichhardt Oval. It is to be anticipated that the Panthers will handle the Origin period more effectively this season, however it will still be difficult to overcome the amount of talent they have lost.
The number has bounced between 9.5 and 10.5 since open, with the look ahead listing the Panthers as 13.5 point favourites. The market ratings for these sides at full strength would have the Panthers close to 30 point favourites, so the question we must ask ourselves is are the 6 Origin players worth 20 points to the Panthers? Let’s take a look at the changes.
The Panthers team list is markedly different to the 17 we have become used to this season, with Brian To’o, Stephen Crichton, Jarome Luai, Nathan Cleary, Liam Martin and Isaah Yeo all missing through Origin. They are replaced by Charlie Staines, Robert Jennings, Kurt Falls, Sean O’Sullivan, Chris Smith, and Matt Eisenhuth. 6 huge stars missing then for the Panthers, with their replacements under pressure to perform.
There has been a development in the team list for the Bulldogs since Tuesday, with Matt Dufty set to be dropped. It is anticipated that Jake Averillo will shift to fullback, with big money 2021 signing Corey Allan returning on the wing, and Jacob Kiraz moving to centre.
As stated above, handicapping this contest is very difficult, and with the only recent similar game to this being last season’s loss to the Tigers, it must be anticipated the Panthers will struggle to cover the spread. However, I prefer to look at the total. I like the Bulldogs to score a try or 2 and potentially cover, but I don’t see a cricket score here. The Panthers are missing 3 of their most influential attacking players in Cleary, Luai and Yeo, and I can’t see them piling on the points.
As such, I’m attacking the unders. I also see a Josh Addo-Carr try after his Origin snubbing. Panthers 20-10.
Prop Bets:
Bulldogs (+10.5) ($1.91 at Ladbrokes)
Josh Addo-Carr (Anytime Tryscorer) ($2.40 at Bet365)
Panthers (Team Total) Under 24.5 ($1.80 at Ladbrokes)
Under 39.5 Points
$1.91 (2.5 Units)
