A battle of the Queenslanders, as the Dolphins take on the Cowboys at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night. With the Cowboys in a must-win situation, and the Dolphins counting down the days until their Bali trip, the motivation should be with the Cowboys in this one. The Cowboys will also be looking for revenge, after the Dolphins got the better of the Cowboys in round 6, 32-22.
Below, we will dissect the matchup and supply our free NRL betting tips. Be sure to keep up to date with all the NRL fixtures, as we preview every single game all season long, for free!
NRL Round 26 Preview & Betting Tips
The Dolphins vs North Queensland Cowboys
Suncorp Stadium, Friday 25th August, 8:00pm (AEST)
Last Week
The Dolphins were involved in a tight back-and-forth with the Tigers last week, inevitably going down 24-23, after an Api Koroisau penalty goal from the sideline in the dying minutes getting the Tigers their first win since the 20th of May. This was the Dolphins’ 5th straight loss, and with only one win in their last 10 matches, the Dolphins are limping towards the end of the season. The Dolphins missed a whopping 47 tackles, against a team in the Tigers who make their opponents miss just 30 tackles per game on average. Work to be done this week.
As for the Cowboys, they hosted the Sharks on Thursday night, in a true litmus test for both teams. The Cowboys were never in the contest, with the Sharks running away with a 32-12 victory. The Cowboys have now lost 3-straight, and no longer have their finals hopes in their own hands. Statistically, the Cowboys weren’t far off the Sharks in their matchup, which is a little concerning to concede so many points, especially at home with so much on the line.
Match Preview
A massive game this one for the Cowboys, with a loss here all but consigning their season to the scrapheap. The Cowboys opened 10.5-point favourites for this massive clash, with a little money so far coming in on the Dolphins, as the number currently sits at 9.5. I’m struggling to get near 10.5, with my fair closer to Cowboys -6.5, so I do see some value on the Dolphins based purely on the line, and where I think it’s going.
As for the total, it opened 47.5, and remains 47.5. My fair is smack bang on 47.5, so I’m not seeing any value either side of the total. I don’t mind the Dolphins team total to go over though, if you can find a 17.5 I’d be recommending a bigger play, with the Dolphins having scored 32 in the pair’s previous meeting in round 6.
The Dolphins have been a solid play-on as underdogs, covering 11 of 18 matches as underdogs (61.1%) this season. Conversely, the Cowboys have only managed to cover 6 of 15 games as favourites (40%). I like the Dolphins to cover, but just small stakes, as the motivation must be low for the Redcliffe based side.
Other Bet
Dolphins (team total) over 18.5 - $2.00 @ Palmerbet (1u)
Dolphins +9.5
$1.91 (1 Unit)
