The first Super Saturday of the new season begins with a crucial clash for the Warriors and Dragons at Central Coast Stadium. Then we head to Bankwest with another important matchup between the Sharks and Tigers. But the feature of Saturday’s NRL action will be the Storm up against the Raiders in what should be an entertaining top-four battle.
NRL Preview Round 3 Saturday Betting Tips
Warriors vs Dragons
(Saturday, May 30th 3:00pm)
Super Saturday kicks off on the Central Coast with two desperate teams looking for their first win of the season. Full credit goes to the Warriors for abandoning any home-field advantage in 2020 and setting up camp in NSW. However, they're tipped to struggle on the field with a lengthy injury list and a few players couldn't fly to Australia. Even Paul Gallen is keen to help them out. A few key outs include David Fusitu'a and Leeson Ah Mau. They've also made an interesting lineup move by dropping young star Chanel Harris-Tavita in favour of Nikorima in the halves.
Similarly to the Warriors, the Dragons are 0-2 and sit 13th on the ladder. They lost both games at home against the Tigers and Panthers so St. George really needs to win this. The 2-month break has helped them in the injury department as hooker Cameron McInnes is back from injury and they definitely missed his presence in the first 2 rounds. The Sims brothers also return from injury as well as flyer Mikaele Ravalawa.
While the Warriors have won the past 3 clashes with the Dragons, their poor performances in Rounds 1/2 make it hard to back them in, especially with their injury list. So we like the chances of a fairly low scoring clash between two struggling teams. It also helps that the Dragons are 5-1 against the Under away from Sydney and the Warriors have scored just 6 points in their last 2 games.
Sharks vs Wests Tigers
(Saturday, May 30th 5:30pm)
The NRL action returns to Bankwest Stadium on Saturday with a bottom 8 clash between the Sharks and Tigers. Once again, the Sharks are in the headlines after Bronson Xerri tested positive to performance-enhancing drugs and will obviously miss this clash. While the Sharks did start the season 0-2, they played in close losses against two finals teams from last year in the Storm and Rabbitohs. They do have one of the softest schedules from the new draw so they'll need to start the first month well to build some momentum. They also get some good team news with Briton Nikora back from a shoulder injury and Moylan could also return.
Meanwhile, the Wests Tigers are just outside of the top 8 after an up and down start to the season. Benji Marshall led the way in the 24-14 victory over the Dragons in Round 1. But the Tigers defence was no match for the Knights in Round 2 as they went down 42-24. In team news, they have made a few important changes. With Corey Thompson out, Doueihi moves to the fullback position and Moses Mbye is back in the centres. They've also lost Elijah Taylor and that will see Alex Twal move to lock.
The Sharkies have a great recent record over the Tigers with 6 straight wins and we feel they will be the more desperate of the two teams after starting 0-2.
Storm vs Raiders
(Saturday, May 30th 7:35pm)
The highlight of Super Saturday will be the finals rematch of last season when the Melbourne Storm meets the Canberra Raiders at AAMI Park on Saturday night. The Raiders caused a massive boilover in that final as they outlasted the Storm 12-10 and that win really setup their first Grand Final appearance since the early 90s. So you have to feel like the Storm will be eager for some revenge this Saturday. As usual, the Storm are sitting in a nice position after the first two games of the season where they beat the Sharks and Sea Eagles in Sydney. They pride themselves on defence and allowing just 14 points in 2 games could even crack a smile out of Craig Bellamy. They welcome back Christian Welch in the forward pack and Tui Kamikamica will miss as a result.
While the Raiders kicked off the season with a soft schedule, no games in the NRL are easy and they'll be very happy with a 2-0 start. Similarly to the Storm, their defence was the highlight as they allowed just 6 points in both clashes against the Titans and Warriors. The other positive is their injury list, which is one of the cleanest in the NRL. They get Jordana Rapana back from Japanese rugby and John Bateman could return soon with his shoulder injury.
Having won the last 2 against the Storm in Melbourne, the Raiders head south with massive confidence of another upset. So the Raiders do offer good value at the line of 4 points if you believe history will repeat itself. However, with two of the best defensive teams in the competition on show, this should be a low scoring / grinding type of clash. The Storm have gone Under the total in their 2 games this season and have allowed just 7 points per game. As mentioned, Canberra has allowed just 12 points this season and have the defensive structure to stop the likes of Cam Smith/Cam Munster.
