Round 20 is capped off by a desperate Titans teams hoping to keep their slim finals hopes alive, as they head to Sydney to take on the Eels at CommBank Stadium. The Eels suffered their biggest loss of the season last week, but with a host of big names back, should be too good at home for the Titans.
Below, we will dissect the matchup, supply our Best Bet, and suggest a Same Game Multi via Picklebet. Be sure to keep up to date with all the NRL fixtures, as we preview every single game all season long.
NRL Round 20 Preview & Betting Tips
Parramatta Eels vs Gold Coast Titans
CommBank Stadium, Sunday 16th July, 6:15pm (AEST)
As mentioned, the Eels suffered their biggest loss of the season in round 19, going down 46-10 at home to the Warriors. Whilst the loss is concerning for a team fighting for a place in the top 8, the fact they were without 3 Origin stars makes the loss a little easier to swallow for Head Coach Brad Arthur and the fans. They will be expecting to bounce back this week, and need to with how tight this finals race is becoming.
The Titans also lost at home in round 19, losing a Golden Point thriller to the Dolphins, 23-21. A massive penalty in Golden Point sealed the Titans’ fate, as they dropped to a 7-9 record and down to 12th place on the ladder. The statistics were understandably tight between the teams; however, the Titans would have to be disappointed with a loss at home to a team they are in front of on the ladder.
The Eels opened 8.5-point favourites for this clash, as they look to gain revenge on the Titans after their round 10 loss in Magic Round. The Eels have received the lions’ share of the love from bettors, moving out to 9.5-point favourites. This is closer to my fair, and probably is still a little short based off the Eels having to back up their fullback and halfback from Origin. However, the Titans also have three big names that have to back up from Origin, so I still see this number being a tad short. I’d predict a closing line of Eels -10.5/-11.5, so there is still value if you like the Eels.
The total, as expected, is large, given how these teams generally play, and how their recent matchups against one another have fared. The total opened at 50.5, and has been bumped up to 51.5. We have seen some huge totals over the past month, and some even bigger final score lines, however with two teams fighting for a top 8 spot, I’m a little scared off by such a high total, despite my fair being 52.5.
I like the Eels to cover here, and am getting a suspicion that the Titans might be on the decline heading into the final couple of months of the regular season. With the sacking of Head Coach Justin Holbrook, and the constant consternation over the future of Captain Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, things don’t seem right on the strip. The Eels will want to bounce back from a loss last week at home, and they have a history of rail roading lesser teams at CommBank. Eels by 13+.
Same Game Multi
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Eels (-2.5) – See above, the Eels should win this comfortably.
Maika Sivo (1+ try) – The big Fijian had a hat trick earlier in the season against the Titans, and currently sits second in the NRL for tries this season with 16.
Alofiana Khan-Pereira (1+ try) – Much like Sivo, AKF had a great game in round 10, crossing twice to help the Titans win. Khan-Pereira currently sits 3rd in the NRL for tries this season, with 15.
Clint Gutherson (1+ try) – Gutho will want to be involved early and often for this one, after only getting 3 minutes of action during State of Origin game 3. Has been in tremendous try scoring form this season, and will have a chance to add to his tally of 12 here.
