NRL Round 14 action concludes on Monday with the Bulldogs hosting the Eels on the Kings Birthday public holiday. Few would’ve expected that the Bulldogs would be sitting higher on the competition ladder than the Eels, but a 4-point gap highlights the different fortunes experienced by each thus far. Whether the Bulldogs can maintain their winning form against a rejuvenated Eels outfit is unknown but Before You Bet is here to comprehensively preview the contest and ascertain just how this match will play out.
2024 NRL Round 14 Preview & Betting Tips
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs vs Parramatta Eels
Accor Stadium – Monday 10th June – 4:05pm (AEST)
Match Preview
The Bulldogs are a team in form, with their most recent 32-2 victory over the Knights gaining a lot more than just 2 competition points. Outsiders heading into the contest, they were gritty in their approach and handled everything their opponents sent at them. The concerns around the omissions of key players mattered little as others stepped up to fill the void. The 6-try performance was established on the back of 52% possession, an 84% completion rate and 4 line breaks. Despite missing 56 tackles, they scrambled well and kept their opponents tryless. They will want to improve in this area should they want to maintain a high standard and compete with the better teams in the competition.
The Eels delivered a terrific performance to coincide with the return of Gutherson and Moses to their team. Expected to perform well, the Eels had poise in their attack, with Moses’ kicking game adding experience to the end of attacking sets. It was clear that both players are crucial to the success of their team. The win was also established on the back of a strong platform; with 54% possession, they completed at 81%, averaged 10.3m per carry, made 655 PCM’s and had 6 line breaks. Much like the Bulldogs, they had a high number of missed tackles (40) and will need to address this to continue to improve.
Match Prediction
The Bulldogs and Eels are two improving teams in this competition. They are both well placed to fight it out for victory, but each are equally capable of a poor performance. The returning quality for the Eels lifts their chances of winning; it would be a major reason why they are listed as favourites ($2.15 vs $1.70). This is somewhat offensive to the Bulldogs, who have displayed a stronger attack (22ppg vs 20ppg) and an impressive defence (16ppg) which is far superior to the Eels (29ppg). The visitors can often leak large amounts of points in bunches and despite being able to outscore the Sharks, still were vulnerable at certain points of that match.
The Eels have a strong recent record over the Bulldogs too, winning 8 out of the past 10 matches; the Bulldogs are a much-improved team on those who featured in previous outings. There is a large chance that they could come out and cause an upset in this contest. While one victory isn’t enough to completely change the Eels’ narrative, their change in attitude and execution was noticeable last week. With an outside chance of some of their players now featuring in the next Origin match, they will be out to prove a point.
Overlook the fact that the average winning margin in the past 5 matches sits at 25.2 points (no match under 18 points) and take the Eels to cover a (very) narrow line on offer.
Eels -2.5
$1.95 (2 Units)
