Super Saturday again promises to be an exciting afternoon/night of NRL action. The first game has two bitter rivals in the Eels and Bulldogs doing battle at CommBank. Out of contention for the Finals, the Bulldogs will want to further disrupt the momentum of the Eels. There is no love lost between each side and each will want a victory after a disappointing display last week.
The second match is a ‘battle of the beaches’ with the Sea Eagles hosting the Sharks. Manly’s title hopes were dashed last Sunday at the hands of the last-placed Titans so ironically enough, they are playing for pride. There are no such issues at the Sharks; they 3rd on the ladder and are pushing to gain home ground advantage throughout the Finals series.
To conclude, the Roosters will be hosting the Tigers at the SCG for the last time before they move across to the redeveloped SFS. This game could get ugly for the Tigers if recent form is anything to go by and the Roosters will be out to further improve their points difference.
Not only will this preview aim to increase your interest by finding a winner, but so too will the tipsters at Before You Bet all weekend, so stay tuned to the website.
NRL Round 23 Saturday Betting Tips
Parramatta Eels vs Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
CommBank Stadium, Saturday 20th August, 3pm (AEST)
Squads
Parramatta Eels
1. Clinton Gutherson 2. Maika Sivo 3. Will Penisini 4. Tom Opacic 5. Waqa Blake 6. Dylan Brown 7. Mitchell Moses 8. Reagan Campbell-Gillard 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Junior Paulo 11. Shaun Lane 12. Isaiah Papali’I 13. Ryan Matterson Interchange: 14. Ofahiki Ogden 15. Bryce Cartwright 16. Oregon Kaufusi 17. Marata Niukore 18. Makahesi Makatoa
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
1. Jake Averillo 2. Jacob Kiraz 3. Aaron Schoupp 4. Braidon Burns 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Matt Burton 7. Kyle Flanagan 8. Max King 9. Jeremy Marshall-King 10. Paul Vaughan 11. Harrison Edwards 12. Raymond Faitala-Mariner 13. Josh Jackson Interchange: 14. Zach Dockar-Clay 15. Joe Stimson 16. Jackson Topine 17. Chris Patolo 18. Declan Casey
Match Preview
The Eels suffered their second loss to the Rabbitohs this season, shutout 26-nil in a display which showed a major gap in quality between the two sides. The loss also pushes them to 7th on the ladder and they’re desperate for an improvement in form. They were carved up through the middle and appeared powerless to stop it.
The Bulldogs were victorious over the Eels 34-4 back in Round 14 and will sense an opportunity to cause another upset. An improved performance will be needed after they were defeated 42-18 by the Warriors on the road last week. Even their improvement in form and confidence could not change the result with possession (42%) working against them.
Odds on this game are heavily favouring the home team ($1.32 vs $3.40) and a lot of it could have to do with the return of Moses at 7; his experience has been missed in recent weeks. Such is the inconsistency of this side, they have defeated the Panthers and Sea Eagles in this same period. One would’ve thought they were capable against the Rabbitohs, but their season has had a similar theme throughout; they are consistently inconsistent. It makes selecting a winner in this game difficult, hence confidence is low. The Eels should be too strong and given the finals are just 3 weeks away (and the slight possibility that they could slip out of the Top 8), an improved performance should be produced. It will be tight though, with the Eels pushed by the Bulldogs for majority of this match.
Prop: Sivo & Brown to Score @ $4.30 – 1 Unit
Eels -9.5
$1.90 (1.5 Units)
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles vs Cronulla Sharks
4 Pines Park, Saturday 20th August, 5:30pm (AEST)
Squads
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
1. Reuben Garrick 2. Tolutau Koula 3. Brad Parker 4. Morgan Harper 5. Christian Tuipulotu 6. Kieran Foran 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Josh Aloiai 9. Lachlan Croker 10. Martin Taupau 11. Haumole Olakau’atu 12. Andrew Davey 13. Dylan Walker Interchange: 14. Ben Trbojevic 15. Josh Schuster 16. Ethan Bullemor 17. Toafofoa Sipley 18. Kurt De Luis
Cronulla Sharks
1. Kade Dykes 2. Lachlan Miller 3. Jesse Ramien 4. Connor Tracey 5. Ronaldo Mulitalo 6. Matt Moylan 7. Nicholas Hynes 8. Braden Hamlin-Uele 9. Blayke Brailey 10. Royce Hunt 11. Briton Hunt 12. Wade Graham 13. Dale Finucane Interchange: 14. Teig Wilton 15. Cameron McInnes 16. Aiden Tolman 17. Andrew Fifita 18. Braydon Trindall
Match Preview
The Sea Eagles only have themselves to blame after their finals hopes were ended at the hands of the Titans 44-24. It was another poor defensive display, with the Sea Eagles now conceding 80 points in the past 2 weeks. This is a far cry from the team that was on the edge of the Top 8. They face a tough test against the Sharks too; a team that has won 8 of their past 9 matches. They were at their dominant best defeating the Tigers 36-12 last week, jumping to a 26-6 HT lead and easing down in the second half to win comfortably. They are a team that is only going to get better with the likes of Finucane returning and Talakai also waiting to come back into this team.
Perhaps the bookies are thinking that the home ground advantage will lift the Sea Eagles because the Sharks should be far shorter on the form and quality of the two sides ($3.80 vs $1.27). Sitting 3rd on the ladder, this is a game that the Sharks should win and do so by giving their opponents minimal opportunities. When their confidence is high, they play strongly through the middle and control the speed of the match. There is no doubt that they are well placed to build on their 34-22 victory over the Sea Eagles earlier in the year and win this game by more than 2 converted tries.
Props: Sharks 13-18, Mulitalo & Ramien to Score @ $14 – 0.5 Units
Sharks -11.5/Under 52.5 @ $3.60 – 1 Unit
Sharks 13+
$1.95 (2.5 Units)
Sydney Roosters vs Wests Tigers
Sydney Cricket Ground, Saturday 20th August, 7:35pm (AEST)
Squads
Sydney Roosters
1. James Tedesco 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Paul Momirovski 4. Joseph Manu 5. Joseph Suaalii 6. Luke Keary 7. Sam Walker 8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 9. Sam Verrills 10. Matthew Lodge 11. Angus Crichton 12. Nat Butcher 13. Victor Radley Interchange: 14. Connor Watson 15. Egan Butcher 16. Drew Hutchinson 17. Terrell May 18. Kevin Naiqama
Wests Tigers
1. Daine Lauire 2. Brent Naden 3. Starford To’a 4. Asu Kepaoa 5. Ken Maumalo 6. Adam Doueihi 7. Jock Madden 8. James Tamou 9. Fa’amanu Brown 10. Zane Musgrove 11. Luke Garner 12. Kelma Tuilagi 13. Joe Ofahengaue Interchange: 14. Fonua Pole 15. Austin Dias 16. Tom Freebairn 17. Alex Seyfarth 18. Jake Simpkin
Match Preview
The Roosters are the form team of the competition; they’re on a 5-game winning streak and have not lost since Round 16 when they were competitive with the Panthers (defeated 26-18). They outplayed the Cowboys 32-18 last week, overcoming a few setbacks (mainly errors) to produce an exciting attacking display. They’ve defeated two teams in the past few weeks who are higher above them on the ladder. There is still a sense that more is to come from this side, while the quality of their opponents remains questionable. They should make it six straight wins over the Tigers here and this is reflected in the odds ($1.05 vs $10).
The Tigers were powerless to stop the Sharks attacking onslaught last week, losing 36-12 with minimal positives coming out of the match. They’re down on quality players and the burden is falling on those few remaining who would start for other teams in the competition.
There isn’t much to look at in this game other than a Roosters blowout victory. It may make value difficult to find in this game or a large training load for the Roosters in a week where they should win may close the margin of victory, but it would be very surprising to see the Tigers compete with their opponents over 80 minutes in this game.
Prop: Roosters 30+ & Suaalii to Score 2 Tries @ $2.80 – 1.5 Units
Roosters -22.5
$1.90 (2.5 Units)
