NRL Sunday kicks off with two teams who struggled out of the gate in round 1, as the Wests Tigers host the Newcastle Knights at Leichhardt Oval. A loss here, despite it only being round 2, could spell curtains for either team, with only 4 teams who started the season 0-2 making the top 8 in the past 3 years.
Then, in the final game of the round, the Dragons kick off their 2023 season as they host the Gold Coast Titans at Kogarah. The Titans were impressive last week, defeating the Tigers 22-10 at Leichhardt, and it’ll be interesting to see if it was their level, or that of their opponent that decided the result in that one.
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2023 NRL Round 2: Sunday Preview & Betting Tips
Wests Tigers vs Newcastle Knights
Leichhardt Oval, Sunday 12th March, 4:05pm (AEDT)
The Tigers were disappointing last week, going down 22-10 to the Titans in a game they were never really in. When looking purely at the box score, it’s difficult to figure out how the Tigers weren’t in this one, running for 300 more metres, making 6 line breaks to 2, recording 20 offloads to 4, and were on the receiving end of 6 more penalties than their opponents. Despite this, the Tigers struggled in the redzone, and without more cohesion in attack, the Tigers will struggle to put points on the board.
The Knights were in a dog fight with the Warriors, leading 12-10 after 47 minutes, however, were eventually overran by the Warriors, losing 20-12. The Knights will find positives from this result, with Kalyn Ponga looking solid in his first outing this season at five eighth. This week we should get an even better look at whether this experiment will work.
Even after only seeing one week of both these teams, it’s hard to see either of these sides making a push for the top 8 this season. Both sides struggled last week against teams that don’t figure to be Premiership contenders this year, and as mentioned above, a loss here will be a bad sign for either club.
The market has soured on the Tigers, with the number going from Tigers –4.5 on the lookahead, to now sit at Tigers -2.5. Whilst I agree the Tigers should receive a downgrade for last week’s performance, I still like them in this game.
For one, Api Koroisau did not start last week, sighting a niggling calf issue as the reason behind his benching. He has said this week he’s good to go, and with him managing the ruck, the Tigers should look far better in attack. Late mail is suggesting that Shawn Blore (concussion) will likely miss out, but I don’t see that being a major issue. As for the Knights, Tyson Frizell must come through concussion protocol too, and his loss will be felt far more for the Knights. With Dane Gagai (hamstring) also in doubt, I like the Tigers to get the job done here at home.
Wests Tigers (-2)
$1.86 (1.5 Units)
St George Illawarra Dragons vs Gold Coast Titans
Netstrata Jubilee Oval, Sunday 5th March, 6:15pm (AEDT)
The Titans were impressive last week, despite only having 46% of possession and conceding 9 penalties to 3. David Fifita was immense, running for 217 metres, with a line break, try assist, and 4 tackle breaks to his name. He was backed up well by his fellow forwards, with Tino Fa’asuamaleaui (171), Mo Fotuaika (164), and Isaac Liu (103) all running for over 100 metres. I was also impressed by their new look spine, with recruits Kieran Foran and Sam Verrills looking right at home.
The Dragons were on the bye last week, and will play their first game for the season on Sunday.
The Dragons will look to get their season off on the right foot, after enjoying the bye in round 1. They take on a Titans outfit that looked much improved last week, with veteran addition Kieran Foran looking very good in his first Titans game. David Fifita looked engaged, and that can only be a good thing for the Titans moving forward.
This game opened with Titans +3.5 on the look ahead, and it’s been all market support for the Titans, as it now sits as a pick em at most books. I have the Titans as a small favourite in this one, and I don’t believe I can give the Dragons any points for the bye, as there’s no advantage in having the bye in round 1. The Dragons will be playing their first game in three weeks, whereas the Titans will be closer to 100% match fit and their combinations have had that extra week to build.
I like the look of the Titans, and I think they take care of business at Kogarah on Sunday evening. We stick to small staking this early in the season, however I don’t trust this Dragons team to be good this year, in fact I see them being quite bad. And their bad season starts here at home, with a loss to the Titans.
GC Titans to Win
$1.97 (1.5 Units)
