The 2016 NRL season continues this weekend with four games to be played due to the bye round. Continue reading for our NRL Round 15 Preview and Betting Tips.
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South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Parramatta Eels (Friday 7.50pm AEST)
The Eels bounced back last week to defeat the Titans in their home match that was moved to Darwin. It was a good fight back from the side as they trailed early after two quick tries to the Titans. Corey Norman had a great game at halfback whilst Kenny Edwards did a solid job at five-eighth, as he is a dangerous player with the ball in his hands. They will lose Michael Jennings this weekend to State of Origin duty, which will test their depth in the backs as they are already without a few key players through injury, but Vai Toutai should slot straight into the side.
The Bunnies have suffered back-to-back defeats and they have looked poor in both attack and defence for the majority of the season. They will be without Greg Inglis and Adam Reynolds who are playing for Queensland and New South Wales respectively but they also lost Bryson Goodwin to injury and could be without their famous big man Sam Burgess who sustained a collarbone injury in the loss to the Tigers. These are massive outs for the Rabbitohs and their win rate is very poor without Reynolds, Burgess and Inglis in the side, which leaves us backing the Eels to win.
TIP: Eels to win @ $1.88 with William Hill
St George Illawarra Dragons vs Melbourne Storm (Saturday 7.30pm AEST)
The Dragons had a disappointing loss on the weekend against the Bulldogs as they continued to look poor in attack whilst their defence was cracked far too easily. They need to play a more enterprising brand of football and whilst they were offloading the ball at a much higher rate and chancing their hand they weren’t able to trouble the scoring without a couple of lucky kicks and a solo break from Joel Thompson.
Meanwhile the Storm continued to show dominance and moved onto the top of the table after flogging the Roosters. They managed to keep their opponents scoreless and their defence has been by far the best this season, as they are averaging just 10-points against them per game. They will be without Cooper Cronk and Cameron Smith who will be playing for Queensland. It is obviously a massive loss as these two players steer the team around the field whilst they bring a lot of experience to the side.
The Dragons were able to defeat the Cowboys a couple of weeks ago when their side was depleted due to Origin duties but we don’t see that happening again. Coach Craig Bellamy has been through this period for over a decade without his stars and he will get the most out of his other players. The Dragons attack is far too poor to see them being able to crack the strong Storm defence enough to claim victory and Cameron Munster is coming off a monster performance.
TIP: Storm to win @ $2.80 with Ladbrokes
New Zealand Warriors vs Sydney Roosters (Sunday 4pm AEST)
The Warriors have stayed true to years past and are lifting their game throughout the State of Origin period. After a big win against the Broncos they were able to back that performance up by handing the Knights another humiliating defeat on their home soil. They will be without their big winner Manu Vatuvei who left the field with a hamstring injury but Shaun Johnson should be fit to play after coming from the field early with a calf injury. Their performance was made even better as Johnson didn’t have a huge impact on the match and generally the side relies on him to earn a victory.
The Roosters season has continued to spiral downwards as they were smashed by the Storm on home soil. They weren’t able to defend for long periods of time and if the Warriors are able to put them under a lot of pressure this weekend it is highly unlikely that they won’t be able to sustain it. They will be without Aiden Guerra who will be playing for Queensland which is another hit for their forward pack but Mitchell Pearce could return to the side this weekend. However, that inclusion won’t be enough to change the fortune of the club as they will be on the wrong end of another big score.
TIP: Warriors 13+ @ $2.72 with CrownBet
Gold Coast Titans vs Manly Sea Eagles (Monday 7pm AEST)
It looked as if the Sea Eagles were going to pull off a massive upset as they were leading the Panthers 24-4 early in the second half on Sunday. However, what happened next can only be described as a complete capitulation as the Panthers scored 27-points in under 30-minutes to claim victory. To make matters worse for the Sea Eagles it was in front of their home fans. The injuries to their star players will be compounded this weekend as they will be without Dylan Walker who looked dangerous at times but he needs to be able to develop his playmaking ability if coach Trent Barrett continues to persist with him in the halves.
The Titans looked exhausted in their loss against the Eels. They came out firing and scored two quick tries but having travelled to Perth and back to the Gold coast and then to Darwin could have taken its toll on the side, including the match against the Rabbitohs going into the 87th minute. The inexperienced side still showed a lot of fight in the contest and they will be able to defeat the Sea Eagles on home soil this weekend despite being without Greg Bird who will be participating in origin for New South Wales.
TIP: Titans 1-12 @ $3.00 with William Hill
Take note: Any of the tips in this article are simply the author’s opinion, so bet at your own risk and always gamble responsibly. Also be sure to check out the Before You Bet Twitter Page for all our thoughts in the lead up to bets! Happy punting!
