Sunday afternoon football sees two of the Premiership heavyweights in the Parramatta Eels and the Penrith Panthers. They will be taking on two teams that have struggled to get going this season, with neither having a win between them since round 3.
We kick things off with the Newcastle Knights hosting the Parramatta Eels. Fresh off locking up their star fullback Kalyn Ponga to a rich 5-year deal, the Knights will be looking to move on from this off the field distraction and start playing the football they were playing in the first two weeks of the competition. Next up, the Panthers host the Raiders, with the reigning premiers looking to extend their record to 7-0. The Raiders are a week removed from a public lashing from coach Ricky Stuart, and he has not shied away from axing players, with a new look squad for this week’s clash.
As always, make sure you keep up to date with our match-by-match previews throughout the 2022 NRL season, where we will give you all the best bets to beat the bookie throughout the year.
NRL Round 7 Sunday Betting Tips
Newcastle Knights vs Parramatta Eels
McDonald James Stadium, Sunday 24th April, 2:00pm (AEST)
Squads
Newcastle Knights
1. Kalyn Ponga 2. Edrick Lee 3. Dane Gagai 4. Bradman Best 5. Enari Tuala 6. Jake Clifford 7. Adam Clune 8. David Klemmer 9. Chris Randall 10. Daniel Saifiti 11. Tyson Frizell 12. Brodie Jones 13. Kurt Mann. INTERCHANGE: 14. Phoenix Crossland 15. Jacob Saifiti 16. Leo Thompson 17. Sauaso Sue. RESERVES: 18. Simi Sasagi 19. Pasami Saulo 20. Tex Hoy 21. Hymel Hunt 22. Jack Johns 23. Dylan Lucas 24. Jaron Purcell
Parramatta Eels
1. Clint Gutherson 2. Hayze Perham 3. Will Penisini 4. Tom Opacic 5. Bailey Simonsson 6. Dylan Brown 7. Mitchell Moses 8. Reagan Campbell-Gillard 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Junior Paulo 11. Shaun Lane 12. Isaiah Papali’i 13. Nathan Brown. INTERCHANGE: 14. Makahesi Makatoa 15. Ryan Matterson 16. Oregon Kaufusi 17. Jakob Arthur. RESERVES: 18. Bryce Cartwright 19. Mitch Rein 20. Wiremu Greig 21. Ky Rodwell 22. Samuel Loizou 23. Elie El Zakhem 24. Zac Cini
Match Preview
The Knights host the Eels in the first clash between these sides since they met in the first week of the Finals last season. The Eels ran out 28-20 winners, however the game was a back-and-forth contest that ended in a Will Penisini try late for the Eels to move on.
So far this season, one team has maintained that finals level, whilst the other has fallen away quite dramatically. Despite starting the season well, with a 20-6 victory over the Roosters followed by an impressive 26-4 win over the Tigers, the Knights have struggled since, losing their last 4 matches. Dig a little deeper into those two opening matches though, and the optimism for the Knights may have been ill-advised. The Roosters and Tigers both completed at less than 68%, which for any team places their chances at winning well below what would normally be expected.
The Eels have two losses this year, a tight 2-point loss to the Sharks, and last weeks 1 point loss to the Tigers. The first is forgivable, with the Sharks being one of the most improved teams this season, however Brad Arthur will not accept his team’s performance last week against the lowly Tigers, and I expect the Eels to be right up for this game.
Statistically, the Eels should dominate this game through the middle, and with the more clinical spine, should prove too much for the Knights, who have struggled against the better packs this season. Whilst the weight seemed to have lifted from Ponga last week against the Dragons, the Knights will need every bit as good a performance this week to have a chance against the Eels, and I do not see it happening.
Prop Bets:
Over 39.5 Points ($1.90 at Palmerbet)
Enari Tuala Anytime Try ($2.80 at Palmerbet)
Eels -7.5
$1.90 (2 Units)
Penrith Panthers vs Canberra Raiders
Bluebet Stadium, Sunday 24th April, 4:05pm (AEST)
Squads
Penrith Panthers
1. Dylan Edwards 2. Charlie Staines 3. Izack Tago 4. Stephen Crichton 5. Taylan May 6. Jarome Luai 7. Nathan Cleary 8. Matt Eisenhuth 9. Apisai Koroisau 10. James Fisher-Harris 11. Viliame Kikau 12. Liam Martin 13. Isaah Yeo. INTERCHANGE: 14. Mitch Kenny 15. Scott Sorensen 16. Spencer Leniu 17. Jaeman Salmon. RESERVES: 18. Robert Jennings 19. Chris Smith 20. J’maine Hopgood 21. Lindsay Smith 22. Soni Luke 23. Christian Crichton 24. Sean O’Sullivan
Canberra Raiders
1. Jordan Rapana 2. Nick Cotric 3. Matthew Timoko 4. Semi Valemei 5. Xavier Savage 6. Jack Wighton 7. Brad Schneider 8. Josh Papali’i 9. Tom Starling 10. Joseph Tapine 11. Corey Harawira-Naera 12. Elliott Whitehead 13. Ryan Sutton. INTERCHANGE: 14. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 15. Harry Rushton 16. Adam Elliott 17. Corey Horsburgh. RESERVES: 18. Hudson Young 19. Matt Frawley 20. Jarrod Croker 21. Emre Guler 22. Trey Mooney 23. James Schiller 24. Peter Hola
Match Preview
Can a Ricky Stuart inspired blow up help the Raiders cause a massive upset at Penrith on Sunday, or will the Panthers win their 21st straight at Bluebet Stadium and keep this juggernaut floating?
The Raiders have shown glimpses of a team that could play finals football in 2022, however those glimpses have been rare. With a first up win over the Cronulla Sharks and a win two weeks later over the Titans, the Raiders looked to be in decent shape. However, the loss of skipper Josh Hodgson seems to be catching up with them. Added to this, there has been calls from media and fans alike to blood some young players in the squad, namely Xavier Savage, which is getting on the nerves of the coach and the other players.
The Panthers meanwhile have looked very solid in their title defence, with coach Ivan Cleary managing to name the same 17 for the past 4 weeks. They look every bit the machine they did last season, and Cleary looks back to his best after another masterclass last week against the Broncos.
There is not a statistic that would give you any confidence for betting the Raiders in this one, and it seems that some form of bet on the Panthers is inevitable. The Panthers are 4 from 4 at home this year with an average margin of victory just a tick over 20 points per game. The Raiders are 0-2 away from home this year, with an average margin of defeat being 19.5 points. My numbers all say Panthers by 18-20. Given this, if you can find Panthers -17.5 or better, get on board.
Alternate Bet:
Panthers -18 ($1.91 at Bet365)
Panthers Over 29.5 Total
$1.83 (2 Units)
