The final match of NRL Round 24 will see the Gold Coast Titans host the Newcastle Knights at Cbus Super Stadium. Scooby previews the match and provides his match prediction and best bets!
Also, be sure to check out our NRL Tips page to find our best bets for each and every NRL fixture in the 2022 season!
Gold Coast Titans vs Newcastle Knights Betting Tips
Cbus Super Stadium, Sunday 28th August, 4:05pm (AEST)
This game will test the patience and interest of even the most faithful rugby league fan. The Titans are 15th on the competition ladder, 4 points behind the 14th placed Knights. If their respective performances last week are anything to go by, perhaps an exciting match will be delivered. The Titans came up against the Dragons and were competitive for majority of the match. It wasn’t until the Dragons were reduced to 12-men that their opponents began to kick clear, eventually prevailing 46-26. In the remaining 20 minutes, the Titans were outscored 16-6. Even with a lower share of possession (46% vs 54%), the Titans had a high completion rate (78%), had 18 offloads and 10 line breaks. Unfortunately, their defence let them down as they missed 49 tackles. This team is desperate for a poor season to end and will sense an opportunity to move clear of the dreaded wooden spoon against a fellow underperforming team. Similarly to the Titans, the Knights had some positives in their performance but were eventually defeated.
In front of a passionate home crowd, the Knights were strong in the first half, leading 22-8 at HT. A different team returned to the field though, and they were powerless to stop the momentum of the Raiders in their 28-22 defeat. They completed well (84%), had 10 offloads, made 7 line breaks and committed just 7 errors; for a team which is sitting down the bottom of the table, there is enough to suggest they’re capable of improvement, even without some of their key players. Strap yourself in, this game could produce anything.
Squads
Gold Coast Titans
1. Jayden Campbell 2. Jojo Fifita 3. Brian Kelly 4. Phillip Sami 5. Greg Marzhew 6. Alexander Brimson 7. Tanah Boyd 8. Jaimin Jolliffe 9. Sam McIntyre 10. Tino Fa’asuamaleaui 11. David Fifita 12. Beau Fermor 13. Isaac Liu Interchange: 14. Paul Turner 15. Herman Ese’ese 16. Moeaki Fotuaika 17. Klese Haas 18. Corey Thompson
Newcastle Knights
1. Tex Hoy 2. Edrick Lee 3. Dane Gagai 4. Krystian Mapapalangi 5. Dominic Young 6. Anthony Milford 7. Adam Clune 8. David Klemmer 9. Jayden Brailey 10. Daniel Saifiti 11. Tyson Frizell 12. Brodie Jones 13. Sauaso Sue Interchange: 14. Phoenix Crossland 15. Jacob Saifiti 16. Pasami Saulo 17. Mat Croker 18. Jack Johns
Match Prediction
Toss a coin and come up with a winner; you would have a better chance of investing on either team with confidence. Each demonstrated an improvement last week to suggest they can perform well here and ultimately, it will come down to which team is still ‘switched on’ at the end of the season. The Titans have the advantage in this area; playing at home can lead to a distraction for a visiting team at the best of times, let alone when one is out of contention for the Finals. The 38% winning record for the Knights here also leans the selection towards the Titans, who are listed as favourites ($1.47 vs $2.70). Furthermore, the home side has an 100% record in the past 10 matches. This was the case back in Round 16 when the Knights (at home) defeated the Titans 38-12. Expected a similar margin of victory here with the poor defence of both sides leading to a free-flowing game. This could be the win the Titans need to finish their season off on a positive (even with one game remaining.
Props: Titans 13+ @ $2.55 – 1.5 Units
Titans -7.5/Over 56.5 @ $3.50 – 1.5 Units
Titans -6.5
$1.90 (2.5 Units)
