Sunday afternoon footy continues after the Spoon Bowl, with an equally uninspiring second matchup between the Eels (15th) and Cowboys (13th). The Eels will look to continue their uptick in form over the past fortnight, with the home side looking a whole lot better with Mitch Moses at halfback, while the Cowboys will be looking for a bounce back after a terrible loss to the Sharks last weekend. What a way to close out round 23.
Ben brings you his preview and best bets for this clash below and if you’re keen to play along, simply join Neds via this link!
Eels vs Cowboys Prediction & Tips: 2025 NRL Round 23
Eels Still Putting in for Rookie Coach
The Eels will be extremely happy to see the Cowboys on the other side of the field on Sunday afternoon, after an absolutely horror draw over the past month with games against the Panthers, Raiders, Broncos, and Storm. The last two matchups against the Storm and Broncos have seen plenty of positives for the Eels, and they will be looking to push away from the Wooden Spoon fight with a win here.
Last week, the Eels took on the Storm on Thursday night, and were in the contest until the final whistle, eventually succumbing 16-10. It was a remarkable effort to be anywhere near the best team in the comp, considering they completed at just 68%, missed 40 tackles, made 14 errors, conceded seven penalties and gave away three set restarts. The Eels were actually more potent in attack, making four-line breaks to one, but other than that were dominated statistically by the Storm. With some ordinary performances by their best players, there were plenty of positives to take from such a tight loss, with plenty of grit and determination being shown by Jason Ryles’ men down the stretch.
Todd Payten’s Seat Gets Hotter by the Week
The Cowboys came into their round 22 clash with the Sharks last week in desperate need of a victory to keep them in the hunt for the finals. What happened was another abysmal performance from Todd Payten’s men, and all but ended the Cowboys’ finals chances for season 2025. Todd Payten is surely on the hot seat given the plethora of elite talent at the club, and he really needs a strong end to the season to keep his job in my opinion
The Cowboys were horrible in the trying conditions last week, completing just 68% of their sets, missing 40 tackles, making 14 errors, and conceding 7 penalties. They were never in the contest, against a team that shouldn’t be that much better than the Cowboys.
Looking for positives, and Braidon Burns was busy throughout, running for 189 metres, busting 10 tackles and scoring a try, whilst Harrison Edwards busted himself all day, making 57 tackles and running for 113 metres in a real workman-like performance.
Eels vs Cowboys Recent History
This has been a tight rivalry over the recent past, with the Eels holding a slim 3-2 advantage over the past five matchups between the pair. The Eels have never lost a game at this venue to the Cowboys and should feel confident heading into the matchup.
The last time these teams met was back in round 6 last season at CommBank Stadium, where the Cowboys closed 2.5-point road favourites, with a total of 46.5. Despite being without Mitch Moses, the Eels got the better of the Cowboys, winning 27-20 in a tight back and forth battle.
Clint Gutherson led the Eels, running for 164 metres, setting up a try, breaking the line once, and busting three tackles, whilst Dylan Brown was also great in the 7 jersey. The Cowboys were close enough to full strength, and it was a poor loss for the Cowboys that was a bit of a microcosm for their season.
Eels to Prove Too Good for Struggling Cowboys
This matchup was lined as a pick em’ on the lookahead line, but that number shifted heavily at re-open, with the Eels opening 4.5-point favourites on Sunday evening. The number hasn’t wavered from 4.5 at the time of writing, and the decision that needs to be made is whether this is too much of a shift towards the Eels here.
My number sits at around 4.5 for the Eels, and I’m not even sure this is enough. From a numbers perspective, I can see people buying the Cowboys at +4.5, given how poor the Eels have been this season, and how good, on paper at least, the Cowboys have the potential to be. But the eye test tells an entirely different tale, and the Cowboys look shot for mine, whereas the Eels look to be buying into Head Coach Jason Ryles’ plans and appear to be finishing the season on a high. I love the Eels to cover this spread and would not at all be surprised to see them lap the Cowboys this weekend.
Looking towards the total, and it opened 48.5 and has been bet down to 47.5. I can’t say I agree with the move, as my fair sits at 49, but looking at how this match may play out, the under is definitely a consideration. The Eels have pushed hard at improving their defence at the back end of the season, and if the Cowboys can’t get early points on the board, the Eels might just squeeze the life out of them. No bet either way though for the total.
Eels (-4.5)
$1.95 (2.5 Units)
Eels vs Cowboys Player Prop Bet: JAC at the Double
Our Best Prop Bet: JAC 2+ Tries
Addo-Carr has always been a tremendous finisher, and this week against a terrible right edge defence in the Cowboys, look for the Fox to get a double dose of meat pie.
Josh Addo-Carr (2+ tries)
$3.80
Same Game Multi: Eels vs Cowboys
Leg 1: Eels -4.5 – See Best Bet.
Leg 2: J Addo-Carr (1+ try) – See Best Prop Bet.
Leg 3: J Nanai (1+ try) – Has had a quiet time of it in the try scoring market of late, scoring only once in the last five games. Is surely due, and always a solid bet to make in anytime try scorer markets.
SGM Odds: $9.00 at Dabble
Eels vs Cowboys Better Odds & Match Info
Date: Sunday, 10th August
Location: CommBank Stadium - Parramatta
Time: 4:05pm AEST
Weather: Showers, 14 degrees
Odds: Eels ($1.64) vs Cowboys ($2.30)
Line: Eels (-4.5)
Points: 47.5
Where to Watch Eels vs Cowboys
Watch the Eels vs Cowboys match on Channel 9, as well as live and ad free on Kayo Sports.
Tail our Eels vs Cowboys Tips at Neds!
Not familiar with Neds? Check out our full Neds review here, or by clicking the banner below.
