The Penrith Panthers will travel up to the sunshine state to take on the Gold Coast Titans at Cbus Stadium for the first time in 2023. The Panthers are roaring into the finals on a 7 game winning streak, while the Titans have already got their bags back for Bali, not playing footy in September for the second year running. We bring you our preview, best bet and value Same Game Multi below!
Also, we're providing previews and best bets for every game of the 2023 season, so make sure to check out our NRL Tips page regularly to stay up to date.
NRL Round 25 Preview & Betting Tips
Gold Coast Titans vs Penrith Panthers
Saturday 5:30pm AEST, August 19th, Cbus Stadium, Gold Coast
Saturday’s clash on the Gold Coast sees two teams at different ends of the spectrum in their seasons. On one end you have the Penrith Panthers who are building momentum heading into the 2023 Finals, while on the other side you have the Gold Coast Titans that are already looking to find something to build on in 2024 with three rounds left to play this season.
The Panthers have survived injury scares to their key men Nathan Cleary and Jahrome Luai and are on a seven-game win streak that has them sitting at the top of the NRL Ladder. Their recent form is terrifying for the rest of the league, with the Panthers averaging 29 points in attack and conceding just 10 points in defence over their last 5 games. The Panthers have been clinical since the return of their captain Nathan Cleary 4 weeks ago, with an average winning margin of 21.5 points since he has been back in the number 7 jersey, which is why we see such a large handicap in their matchup this week against the Titans.
Gold Coast’s season was done a couple of weeks ago in reality, even though they were still a mathematical chance to make the finals last weekend. The Titans have never really been a likely contender this year, especially since the Origin period where they have won just 33% of their games since the beginning of June. The Titans were able to get away with a few victories early on in the year on the back of some electrifying attack with 2023 recruit Kieren Foran at the helm. Things have really slowed down recently though, averaging just 17.5 points in attack in their last 5 matches, including a pitiful 6-point haul against Cronulla last week, who have had some defensive troubles in 2023. Speaking of defence, that is where the problem lies for the Titans, averaging 27.6 points against over the last 5 weeks, which would put them third worst in the NRL if you compare to current league averages. The Titans have now lost both of their starting halves this week with Tanah Boyd and Kieren Foran missing from the lineup, not to mention AJ Brimson who has been out for the last couple at fullback.
Looking at predicting this game you don't have to go past current for and against form and add in the weight of injuries to the Titans in key positions to be led down the path of a big win for the Penrith Panthers. The lads from the base of the mountain haven’t been great against the spread when playing away from BlueBet Stadium, but an exception can be made here when you consider that the Titans could be the second team in 4 weeks that the Panthers hold to 0.
Panthers -21.5
$1.90 (2 Units)
Same Game Multi
Penrith Panthers -16.5 - Tightening the line in by 5 points should make this a sure thing considering the lack of creativity outside of Jayden Campbell in the Titans team and the brick wall defence of the Panthers
Gold Coast UNDER 10.5 points - The Panthers are averaging 10 points against in their last 5 games and the Titans attack is regressing as the season goes on. With key injuries to their playmakers I don’t see where their points will come from.
Zac Hosking Anytime Tryscorer - The Titans have conceded 7 tries to back-rowers in their last 5 games. Hosking has come in late to replace Scott Sorensen and I see him as a try scoring danger going up against the weaker right edge of the Titans defence, which has conceded 40% of their tries.
SGM Odds: $7.50 at Bet365
