The 2017 NRL season continues this weekend with the final bye round of the year due to Game 3 of Origin being played on Wednesday night. We preview all the weekend's action in our NRL Round 19 Preview and Betting Tips below.
2017 NRL Round 19 Betting Tips
New Zealand Warriors vs Penrith Panthers (Friday 6pm AEST)
The Warriors and Panthers head into this one both sitting on 18 competition points and four outside the top eight. The two are playing for their season with the loser unlikely to reach the finals series.
Fortunately for the Warriors they will have the advantage of playing on home soil and coming off a bye. However, in their last start they let a 16-0 lead slip against the Sea Eagles as they took their foot of the pedals and scored just six points over the final 60 minutes of the game. They will need to be more composed in this one and need more out of Keiran Foran, Shaun Johnson and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck.
Meanwhile the Panthers were able to get the job done against the Sea Eagles last week but it was far from convincing. Despite having a lopsided penalty count 14-4 favouring them, they will only managed 16 points. However, they were able to hold Manly to eight. We believe the Panthers will need to improve drastically in attack for this game but with the Warriors holding the home field advantage they will secure the win.
TIP: Warriors at the margin (1-12) – $3.00 at William Hill
Canberra Raiders vs St George Illawarra Dragons (Friday 8pm AEST)
The Dragons would have enjoyed the bye last week to try and get their form turned around. Other than their come from behind victory against the lowly Knights, the Dragons have been on a downward spiral. They have lost four of their last five matches and it will be hard for them to turn around on the road against the green machine.
A lot of experts predicted the Raiders would win the premiership this season and after their performances last year, it was justified. However, they sit six competition points outside the eight with seven rounds remaining and if they are any chance of reaching the finals they will need to win at least six of those matches. Therefore their season is on the line on Friday night and they should be playing with a lot of desperation. Due to this, we are predicting them to earn the victory in this one with their outside backs finally living up to their potential and putting points on the Dragons.
TIP: Raiders at the line (-3.5) – $1.90 at CrownBet
Newcastle Knights vs Brisbane Broncos (Saturday 5.30pm AEST)
The Broncos will have a number of stars backing up from origin and Wayne Bennett could see this as an opportunity to rest some of those players. However, it is two competition points he can’t afford to give up as they sit in a fight for the top four. This could lead to him playing his full strength side, despite his best players backing up three days after a game 3 decider.
The Knights will head into this one on the back of another heartbreaking loss. Their supporters are beginning to voice their frustrations as their side has become the unbackable favourites to win their third consecutive wooden spoon. Although the Bulldogs could have piled on the points early against the Knights, Newcastle held on to trail just 8-6 at the half-time break. They were then holding an 18-8 lead with five minutes remaining but coughed up the lead due to numerous errors. We are predicting them to have a long night against the Broncos.
TIP: Broncos at the margin (13+) – $2.10 at Sportsbet
Gold Coast Titans vs Cronulla Sharks (Saturday 7.30pm AEST)
The Titans and Sharks had a bye last weekend and both will be entering the match on the back of victories the week before. Both teams will also have a number of stars backing up from origin, with the Sharks having six players while the Titans have three.
The Titans season is all but over as they sit in 14th on the ladder, however, mathematically they are still a chance of making the eight if they win all of their matches. It will give them hope and something to play for in this one.
Meanwhile the Sharks have struggled throughout the origin period but in their last start against the Roosters they blew them off the park. Five of the Sharks representatives play for NSW and whether they win or lose, it will be hard for them to get up for this contest.
TIP: Titans at the margin (1-12) – $3.60 at William Hill
Manly Sea Eagles vs Wests Tigers (Sunday 2pm AEST)
The Sea Eagles suffered their first loss on the road this season and it is largely due to themselves. They gave away far too many penalties and despite their coach Trent Barrett pointing the fingers at the referee, his side was to blame. They will look to correct that area of their game this weekend and with none of their players selected for origin duty, they won’t have to worry about players backing up.
Meanwhile the Wests Tigers climbed off the bottom of the table in their last start victory over the Newcastle Knights. The side enjoyed a bye last week and it saw them move four points away from the wooden spoon bound Knights. James Tedesco and Aaron Woods will be backing up after representing New South Wales and we can’t see them contributing to a Tigers upset.
TIP: Sea Eagles at the line (-14.5) – $1.90 at Ladbrokes
South Sydney Rabbitohs vs North Queensland Cowboys (Sunday 4pm AEST)
We underestimed at the Cowboys in their last two starts as we backed them to lose without Johnathan Thurston. We won’t be making that mistake this week as we are predicting them to get their third in a row. They will have a couple of stars backing up from origin but the addition of Te Marie Martin at five-eighth has helped the side’s attack drastically. He isn’t anywhere near a replacement for Thurston but he is definitely a start.
Meanwhile the Rabbitohs inconsistent season continued again last week as they weren’t able to earn the victory over a Roosters side that was without its origin stars. They are now one loss away from being eliminated from the finals race but despite this we can’t see them getting up for this contest.
TIP: Cowboys at the margin (1-12) – $3.00 at Sportsbet
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