The curtain is drawn on the 2025 Magic Round with a huge top 4 clash between the Storm and Raiders. Whilst the Storm were expected to be inside the top 4, the Raiders have been a huge surprise to start the season, and you cannot fault them. They have been as good as their place on the table suggests, and this should be a cracking matchup on Sunday evening.
Also, don’t forget to head to our NRL tips page for more previews, analysis and betting tips for every NRL match of every round!
Melbourne Storm vs Canberra Raiders
Location: Suncorp Stadium - Brisbane
Date: Sunday, 4th May
Time: 6:25pm AEST
Odds: Storm ($1.48) vs Raiders ($2.65)
Line: Storm -5.5
Points: 47.5
Odds and lines provided with thanks to Ladbrokes. Note that odds and lines can fluctuate throughout the week and are correct at the time of writing.
Match Preview
The Storm are coming off two rather uncharacteristic performances in a row, being blown out by the Dolphins in round 7, before sneaking by the Rabbitohs last week, 24-16. They have struggled without their superstar hooker Harry Grant, and they will once again be without him this week. It was a sound performance from the Storm last week, but not what we are used to, as everyone chipped in to get them over the line, but there were no standout performances. Must be better this week.
The Raiders meanwhile racked up 30 points for the third week in a row, as they managed another come-from-behind victory over the Dolphins, 40-28. After trailing 28-10 at halftime, Ricky Stuart put a rocket up his team at the break, which lit the fuse needed for the Raiders to run in five unanswered second half tries to get the win. Hudson Young once again led from the front for the Raiders, running for over 200 metres and making 29 tackles.
These teams met just the once last season, in round 17 at AAMI Park in Melbourne, where the Storm closed 10.5-point favourites, with a total of 50.5. Despite missing their Origin contingent, the Storm managed to secure the two points with a 16-6 victory. It was a dominant performance, despite lacking polish, as the Storm ran for 650 metres more than the Raiders and made 7-line breaks to 3.
Looking forward to this game, and the Storm were 5.5-point favourites on the lookahead, and the line hasn’t budged all week. It’s close to the perfect number in my opinion, and I can’t touch the line. I kind of like the Raiders to cause the upset, but I’ll steer clear for now.
The total is where I will look to bet this week, with an opening total of 47.5 not moving yet throughout the week. I make a fair total here north of 50, and whilst the Storm attack hasn’t been great without Grant, they will be forced into scoring points this week by the Raiders, who are scoring for fun right now. These are the two leading teams in the NRL this season regarding points per game, and I’ll gladly take the over here.
Over 47.5 points
$1.91 (1.5 Units)
Same Game Multi
Throughout the 2025 NRL season we’ll be putting together a fun same game multi for every match at BoomBet using their BetShare feature.
To follow our multi, just click on the BoomBet BetShare button below and our same game multi selections will be added straight into your bet slip on BoomBet. You can then enter how much you wish to wager, and with a single click, your bet has been placed!
Leg 1: Raiders ML – As mentioned above, I don’t mind the Raiders to give the Storm a real scare here. Let’s throw it in the multi for a nice little price bump.
Leg 2: H Young (1+ try) – Didn’t score last week, but you have to keep putting him in your multis.
Leg 3: E Katoa (1+ try) – Whilst he’s not quite Hudson Young when it comes to scoring tries, Katoa knows how to find the try line, and I like him to go across here.
SGM Odds: $15.00 at BoomBet
