The 2017 NRL season is about to get underway and it is set to be a huge season with a lot of sides in contention for the title and a fair bit of player movement. Once again, we'll be bringing you a full preview for every round of the 2017 season starting below with our NRL Round 1 Preview and Betting Tips.
2017 NRL Round 1 Betting Tips
Cronulla Sharks vs Brisbane Broncos (Thursday 8.05pm AEDT)
The Sharks had a less than ideal offseason after winning their maiden premiership. Their star fullback Ben Barba was lost due to a drug scandal and he has since moved to French Rugby. Valentine Holmes is the obvious replacement but he is racing the clock to line up for the side and it is likely he will miss the opening match of the season. This will move either Jack Bird to the number 1 jersey or Gerard Beale will come into the starting line up. (Beale has been named to start at fullback).
Either are good options but it takes attacking weapons out of the side. James Maloney and Chad Townsend will have a good match up in the halves against Anthony Milford and Ben Hunt and the two Broncos players will be looking to have a terrific start to the year like they did a season ago. Milford was untouchable over the opening ten rounds of 2016.
The outside backs and forward pack of the Broncos have taken a hit in experience and skill level and it will be interesting to see how the younger players fair. We are predicting a tight contest but the defending premiers will earn the victory on their home soil.
TIP: Sharks to win at the margin (1-12) – $3.30 at Sportsbet
+ Sharks to win Hd-Hd using Ladbrokes boosted odds
Canterbury Bulldogs vs Melbourne Storm (Friday 6pm AEDT)
The Bulldogs won a trial match against the storm in the preseason but that can’t be looked into too much heading into this game. Brenko Lee is the front runner to replace the retired Sam Perrett while Kerrod Holland will replace Curtis Rona in the centres and he has a lot of experience having played half a season of first grade last year. The Bulldogs will be attempting to play a more attacking style this season after a lot of criticism over the offseason was placed on coach Des Hasler and the Dogs inability to score points or create opportunities. We are predicting the forwards to get less ball in their hands while more pressure will be put on the shoulders of Moses Mbye and Josh Reynolds.
The Storm will be without Tohu Harris and Billy Slater but the side is used to being without the latter. Cameron Munster will take to the fiveieghth after spending the preseason in the number six and he has proven to be a dominant player. It will be business as usual for Cooper Cronk and Cameron Smith and we beleive the fire of a grand final loss to end 2016 will be still burning in the bellies of these two champions and they will lead the side to victory.
TIP: Storm to win – $1.82 at CrownBet
South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Wests Tigers (Friday 8.05pm AEDT)
The Tigers and Rabbitohs head into the season with high hopes after a disappointing 2016 season. The Tigers have had a couple of off the field problems while they have recruited a great centre in Jamal Idris when his mind is on the job.
However, that will all be back stories to the real drama in this match which will be of course Robbie Farah facing off against his old club the Tigers. No doubt there will be a lot of emotion in this contest and we are expecting Farah to put on a performance of his life while he will want his teammates to lift to another gear with him. The Burgess brothers are back to full health and despite the side being without halfback Adam Reynolds they have enough playmaking and strong players in the side with Greg Inglis well rested too.
James Tedesco will be wanting to start the season strongly for the Tigers to retain his NSW fullback jersey and while he is a tremendous player he won’t be able to stop the onslaught in this one.
TIP: Rabbitohs to win at the margin (13+) – $3.25 at William Hill
St George Illawarra Dragons vs Penrith Panthers (Saturday 4.30pm AEDT)
The Dragons are at home for this contest but it is the Panthers who are the clear favourites. The boys from the mountain will be wtihout Josh Mansour and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak due to injury but they have Dean Whare and Peta Hiku returning from injury and they are both New Zealand internationals. The side is very strong with a lot of young and talented players including the halves pairing of Nathan Cleary and Te Maire Martin. It is still to be proven whether the two will compliment each others games but Cleary is definitely a superstar of the future.
Bryce Cartwright will return to the edges and will be an attacking threat and he should have worked on his defence during the offseason. That is all without mentioning their captain Matt Moylan at fullback.
Meanwhile the Dragons are a side that will struggle to score points this season. They have lost Benji Marshall at halfback which a lot of people would see as a positive but they lost their replacement in Drew Hutchinson. The side signed Ben Hunt but he won’t arrive until next season. We are predicting the Dragons to suffer a massive loss in this one with the Panthers making a statement in the opening round of the season.
TIP: Panthers to win at the margin (13+) – $2.55 at Sportsbet
North Queensland Cowboys vs Canberra Raiders (Saturday 7pm AEDT)
This is a big match up on Saturday night. The Cowboys and Raiders both have top four aspirations and it will be a big battle of the forward packs which will lead to the backlines doing their thing. The winner of the arm wrestle in the middle will go along way towards securing victory.
The Cowboys are without Australian and NSW representative James Tamaou who has moved to the Panthers and Ben Hannet also retired. They are two big holes to fill and they will need the inexperienced pack to step up to set the platform for Johnathan Thurston and Michael Morgan.
Meanwhile the Raiders will have no trouble with their forward pack. However, Junior Paulo is on suspension but Jeff Lima comes into the side to replace him. The Raiders scored the most points last season and we expect them to come with the same attitude under Ricky Stuart. However, their concentration over 80 minutes was questioned and we believe the Cowboys will be more clinical and earn the two competition points.
TIP: Cowboys at the line (-7.5) - $1.90 at William Hill
Gold Coast Titans vs Sydney Roosters (Saturday 9pm AEDT)
The Titans will unfortunately begin their season in the midst of an injury crisis. Jarryd Hayne will recover in time to take the field but they will be without Kevin Proctor, Koonrad Hurrell, Nathan Peats and Ryan Simpkins. It is big losses for the Titans and they will be outsiders in this one.
There are positives though with Kane Elgey returning from an ACL injury after missing all of last season and he will partner Ash Taylor in the halves. It is an exciting partnership and the Titans fans have a lot to look forward too if the club can lock them down on long term contracts.
The Roosters will be at close to full strength this weekend and they will be hoping to put a tough 2016 season behind them. The Roosters had a lot of controversy and injuries throughout the year but Mitchell Pearce will start the year with a boost after signing an extended deal with the club while Boyd Cordner is well rested. The side won the Auckland Nines with a lot of their younger players stepping up and the addition of Michael Gordon to fullback will take pressure off youngster Latrell Mitchell while it boosts their goal kicking.
TIP: Roosters to win - $1.70 at CrownBet
New Zealand Warriors vs Newcastle Knights (Sunday 2pm AEDT)
The Knights will enter this match on the back of two wooden spoons. Unfortuntaley for the club they haven’t had much success in the recruitment department and they lost a lot of big name players during the offseason.
Jarrod Mullen has been suspended due to taking performance enhancing drugs, Pauli Pauli was injured in a car accident and Korbin Sims walked away from the club and signed with the Broncos. It could be another tough season for the Knights but if they can avoid injuries the young squad should put together better performances and grow.
Meanwhile the Warriors expectations for a strong season are once again high. Roger Tuivasa-Scheck returns from injury. It is massive boost for the side and as the newly named captain he should have a big impact this season. The side will have Kieran Foran lining up for them but not for another two weeks. However, they won’t need him this weekend to earn the victory against the Knights on home soil.
TIP: Warriors at the line (-14.5) - $1.90 at Sportsbet
Manly Sea Eagles vs Parramatta Eels (Sunday 4pm AEDT)
The Sea Eagles have had another offseason of a lot of turnover at the club. They are going through a rebuilding period and the expectations placed on them are a bit unrealistic. However, there is a lot of strong young talent at the club and none better than Tom Trbojevic. The fullback will have the reigns loosened on him while he will start the year without any niggling injuries.
The Eels will be hoping to put a terrible season behind them and begin fresh this year. However, their players are still finding their names in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. The side is no where near as strong as they were prior to the salaray cap crisis that resulted in the side losing 12 competition points and missing the finals. We are predicting the side to struggle this season and the Sea Eagles will earn the win at home.
TIP: Sea Eagles to win - $1.80 at William Hill
