The game of the round sandwiches Super Saturday in Magic Round, as the Sharks and Roosters square off in a clash of heavyweights. With the two form teams of the competition set to go head-to-head, there’s nowhere else you’d rather be at 5:30pm on Saturday evening than in front of a screen watching this game.
Below, we will dissect the matchup, supply our Best Bet, and suggest a Same Game Multi. Be sure to keep to head over to our NRL Tips page regularly, as we preview every single game all season long, for free!
Also, if you’re new to sports betting or betting on the NRL, check out the following articles to help build your knowledge:
- Guide to Betting on the NRL
- Where to Bet on the NRL
- Factors to Consider When Betting on the NRL
NRL Round 11 Preview & Betting Tips
Cronulla Sharks vs Sydney Roosters
Suncorp Stadium, Saturday 18th May, 5:30pm (AEST)
Last Week
The Sharkies managed their biggest win of the season last week, running out 25-18 winners over the Storm in Melbourne. Even more impressive was the fact they did this without their superstar halfback Nicho Hynes, who was a late scratching with a hamstring injury. In a cracking back-and-forth battle, the Sharks finished the strongest, with a late field goal and converted try in the final 7 minutes to get the victory. The stats were extremely close between both teams, and it was remarkable to see rookie five eighth Daniel Atkinson being the difference in the end. A great display from the young man.
As for the Roosters, they continued their dominance, destroying another foe last week when they spanked the Warriors 38-18. To be honest, this could have been another half century for the Roosters, who seemed to coast in the final 25 minutes of this game after shooting out of the gates to lead 22-0 after 14 minutes. Yes, the Warriors are struggling, but the dominance shown by the Roosters indicates they are a force this season, and a genuine premiership contender. Dom Young was brilliant, scoring two tries, breaking 9 tackles, making five line-breaks and running for over 250 metres.
Match Preview
These teams met twice last season, once in the regular season and once in the finals. In round 7, the Sharks hosted the Roosters at PointsBet Stadium as 2.5-point underdogs, running out convincing 22-12 winners. The Roosters conceded a whopping 14 penalties and had three sinbins, distorting the result of this matchup to the point where very little can be taken away from it. Then, in week 1 of the finals, the Roosters opened 1.5-point favourites at PointsBet Stadium. In a crazy close game, the Roosters managed to sneak home 13-12 after a 73rd minute Sam Walker field goal proved the difference. Both teams struggled, burdened by the weight of the extra pressure of finals football, with the Sharks making 15 errors and missing 53 tackles, whilst the Roosters made 12 errors and missed 38 tackles.
As for this matchup, the Roosters opened 3.5-point favourites, with the Roosters somewhat surprisingly being backed to where they are now heavily juiced 3.5-point favourites. This, despite Nicho Hynes being named to return, and Joey Manu being ruled out for the Roosters. I make the Roosters a 2.5-point favourite, so unless this jumps to Sharks +4.5 and I get confirmation of Hynes playing, I don’t believe there’s any value with the spread here. This game could go either way, especially if Hynes plays.
As for the total, it opened 40.5, and has been bet up to 41.5. I agree with the move and make a fair total 44.5. The history of low scoring games between these teams scares me a little, however I would very much lean over and believe this will close between 42.5 and 43.5.
With no confirmation on whether Hynes will play, it’s tough to make a call here, however as he has been named, we have to handicap this as if he were playing. This game should be super tight, with the best attack taking on the best defence. A tight margin of 1-10 either way seems like a great play here, and that’s what we will go with.
Either Team By 1-10
$1.87 (2 Units)
