Round 5 of the NRL kicks off on the Central Coast with an expected blowout between the Manly Sea Eagles and Brisbane Broncos on Thursday night. We have a dedicated preview and betting tips for the round opener below.
NRL Round 5 Betting Tips
Sea Eagles vs Broncos
(Thu, Jun 11 7:50pm)
A heartbreaking forward pass call in the last minute of the Sea Eagles 19-16 defeat against Parramatta was the major storyline last Saturday. While it was a tough call, Manly's poor first half truly cost them as they were down 12-2 at half-time. However, they will be happy with their second-half comeback against a tough team in Parramatta at Bankwest. So they'll look to get back on the park this Thursday and continue the Broncos defensive woes. DCE, Tommy Turbo and the massive Manly forward pack will be licky their lips for this matchup, especially considering the Broncos have conceded 93 points in the last 2 weeks. Once again, Manly come into this clash with a settled lineup with no team changes.
A 59-0 crushing defeat on last Thursday night against the Tedesco-less Roosters has raised serious questions about this team's commitment and desire, which is a huge concern in just Round 5 of the season. They have plenty of experience sitting on the sidelines due to injuries/suspensions so they do have an excuse. But the facts are, they've lost 59-0 and 58-0 in 2 of their last 5 NRL games. So we fear for their defensive structure if they don't turn up against Manly this Thursday. In team news, they've made a very interesting move with Corey Oates moving into the 2nd row from the wing. Kotoni Staggs is a welcome addition to the centres after suspension and Matt Lodge/Joe Ofahengaue join the starting lineup.
We fully expect Manly to expose Brisbane's defence on Thursday, especially considering bad teams are getting exposed with the new rules. So we'll be getting on the Overs as Manly can easily score 30+ points of the 40.5 point total on offer at BetEasy.
Anytime Tryscorer
Jorge Taufua
After scoring a double against Parramatta, Jorge Taufua is very well priced at Sportsbet to find the try-line against the Broncos. He enjoys scoring tries at Central Coast Stadium as he's found the line in 3 of his last 4 games.
Joel Thompson
Brisbane have conceded 5 tries to forwards in their last 2 games so finding the line against a tired forward pack is something Manly will look to expose. Joel Thompson has a good try-scoring record when the Sea Eagles play outside of Sydney as he's scored a try in 3 of 4 games.
