Magic Round was a round to forget with more send offs than a Merv Hughes hattrick!
Sunday arvo looks to be the highlight of the weekend’s action with the Bunnies and Panthers doing battle before the Eels host the in form Sea Eagles.
Ladbrokes have $2 lines for Thursday and Friday’s games. Let’s find a winner or two, last week both our best bets got up!
Thursday
North Queensland Cowboys ($1.53) VS Newcastle Knights ($2.50) – QLD Country Bank Stadium
The Knights are really struggling for points without Kalyn Ponga and some of their defensive efforts in the middle of the field have been poor. The Cows can have success against a side down on troops and confidence.
Suggested Bet – North Queensland Cowboys -5.5 @ $2
Friday
New Zealand Warriors ($1.55) VS Wests Tigers ($2.45) – Central Coast Stadium
For mine, this game will be determined by the impact of Reece Walsh off the bench for the Warriors. The more minutes he plays the better. The Tigers were flattered last week and that win is likely to camouflage some serious deficiencies in their defence.
Suggested Bet – New Zealand Warriors -4.5 @ $2
Cronulla Sharks ($1.38) VS St George Illawarra Dragons ($3) – Netstrata Jubilee Stadium
The Dragons have been hit hard by injury and suspension with 4 players out from last week’s match. The Sharks have worries of their own with Shaun Johnson on the sidelines. I thought the Dragons loss last week was one of the better losses I had seen in a while, having to play a man down against the Storm. They can beat a Sharks team who has been very poor at stages lately.
Suggested Bet – St George Illawarra Dragons +7.5 @ $2
Saturday
Gold Coast Titans ($1.18) VS Canterbury Bulldogs ($4.80) – Cbus Super stadium
Even with the players missing, the Titans have one thing the Dogs do not and that is the ability to score points. If the Titans stay disciplined and complete their sets, they can score too many points for the Bulldogs to stay competitive.
Suggested Bet – Gold Coast Titans -13.5 @ $1.90
Sydney Roosters ($1.11) VS Brisbane Broncos ($6.50) – SCG
Pretty keen on the Roosters. They will be well drilled to combat the NRL crackdown on high contact and with Lachlan Lam back they can threaten on both sides of the field. Teddy will test the Broncos middles under fatigue and this looks like a game that could be over quickly. Bet of the round.
Suggested Bet – Sydney Roosters -19.5 @ $1.90
Canberra Raiders ($6) VS Melbourne Storm ($1.12) – GIO Stadium
With both teams having key players on the sidelines this might not be the prettiest of games. Although the Storm have quite a few things against them here, I have to favour them to cover the line. They still look to have a lot more firepower than Canberra.
Suggested bet – Melbourne Storm -16.5 @ $1.90
Sunday
South Sydney Rabbitohs ($3.50) VS Penrith Panthers ($1.30) – Apex Oval, Dubbo
This is a cracking game! The Dubbo locals are lucky enough to see the game of the round live. Penrith have been the benchmark this season but with the inclusion of Latrell Mitchell at fullback I expect to see a completely different Bunnies outfit. This can go right down to the wire.
Suggested bet – South Sydney Rabbitohs +10.5 @ $1.90
Parramatta Eels ($1.38) VS Manly Sea Eagles ($3) – Bankwest Stadium
This looks like another cracking game, Turbo up against King Gutho is worth the entry price alone. Should be a fast paced game and if any indiscretions creep in and players are sin binned or sent off, this game could really rack up the points.
Suggested bet – Total match points over 46.5 @ $1.90