Indigenous round of the NRL kicks off on Thursday with a big clash between the Tigers and Cowboys and we are back with a full betting preview of all the Round 10 matchups below.
NRL Round 10 Preview & Betting Tips
Wests Tigers vs North Queensland Cowboys (Thursday, May 10 7:50pm AEST)
The round begins at Leichhardt Oval as the Wests Tigers take on the 12th placed Cowboys. After a 3rd consecutive loss, the Tigers will be desperate for a win in this clash. They got smashed by the Warriors last week by 22 points and they’re starting to struggle for points in attack. They rank 12th in the NRL for points scored. Meanwhile for the Cowboys, they survived against the Panthers last week and have stayed in Sydney for the week. They’re just 2-3 in their last 5 matches but have been favoured in the betting to win this. Looking at the last clash, they beat the Tigers in Sydney 22-14 and that was without JT. So I’ll back them to win this with Thurston in the lineup and off the back of a confidence building win.
Newcastle Knights vs Penrith Panthers (Friday, May 11 6:00pm AEST)
Round 10 continues with the Knights hosting the Panthers at McDonald Jones Stadium on Friday. The Knights are coming off a pretty poor 36-18 loss against the Rabbitohs at home, which ended a 2 match winning streak. As a result, they’ve made a stack of team changes, highlighted by Brock Lamb at halfback. Speaking of team changes, the Panthers must be getting tired of injuries and suspensions. Merrin is out, Leota is gone for 8 weeks and Hetherington got suspended. Last week, they suffered a close loss to the Cowboys by a margin of 6 points but still sit 3rd on the ladder. The good news is they still have Maloney at halfback and he should be able to take advantage of the Knights poor defence. In the end, they’ve won the last 4 against the Knights so they should be able to outscore them once again.
Canterbury Bulldogs vs Parramatta Eels (Friday, May 11 7:50pm AEST)">
It’s the bottom of the ladder clash as the Bulldogs play the Eels at ANZ Stadium on Friday. Last week, the Bulldogs were unlucky against Broncos at Suncorp Stadium in a 2 point defeat. The Eels found their attack in the last 10 minutes but it was too late as they went down by 2 points as well. This matchup is usually low scoring and you’re looking at the two worst points scoring teams in the NRL this season. The last 6 meetings have fallen under 36.5 points. So get on the unders.
New Zealand Warriors vs Sydney Roosters (Saturday, May 12 3:00pm AEST)
Mt Smart Stadium plays host to the 7-2 Warriors and 5-4 Roosters in NRL action on Saturday. The Warriors are coming off a huge win over the Tigers 26-4. Which was pleasing after their embarrassing Anzac Day performance in Melbourne. But injuries have hit them hard this week with Shaun Johnson (out) and Issac Luke in doubt. Meanwhile, the Roosters just beat the Sea Eagles at Allianz Stadium, which wasn’t overly impressive considering Manly’s form. In the last meeting, the Warriors trashed the Roosters 30-6 in Sydney, which was their 4th straight win against them. Over in NZ, they’ve won the last 2 by a combined total of 3 points. So this should be close but I will side with the home team. They did beat the Roosters without Johnson last time and they’re 4-1 at home this season.
New Zealand Warriors to Win
$1.77
Melbourne Storm vs Gold Coast Titans (Saturday, May 12 5:30pm AEST)
Melbourne takes their home match against the Titans up to Suncorp and they’ll be looking to rebound after the Dragons beat them by 20 points. The loss ended a 3 match winning streak but they do enjoy scoring points against the Titans. In the last 4 meetings, they’ve scored over 30 points and with the likes of Josh Addo-Carr in career best form, they’ll be hard to stop again. Meanwhile, the Titans were well beaten versus the Raiders by a margin of 14 points, which extended their losing streak to 4 matches. Their problem is defence as they rank last in the NRL (26 points allowed per match). But they did win this clash last year, 38-36. So I’ll be getting on the over total after that total of 74 points.
Manly Sea Eagles vs Brisbane Broncos (Saturday, May 12 7:30pm AEST)
The Sea Eagles will aim to break a 5 match losing streak when they take on the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium this Saturday. They only just lost against the Roosters last week by 2 points, which was an improved performance. Meanwhile for the Broncos, they held on last match against the Bulldogs at this venue. In team news, they’ve put Bird back into the centres and Nikorima is back at halfback. In the head to head, the Broncos have won the last 2 by 10 or more points when the Sea Eagles bring this match to Brisbane. However, the Broncos were down 14-0 in the last matchup and scored 24 unanswered points in the second half. In the end, the Broncos weren’t overly impressive last week and who knows which Sea Eagles team will turn up. So I’m going to leave this match as a no bet.
TIP: No Bet
South Sydney Rabbitohs vs St George Dragons (Sunday, May 13 2:00pm AEST)
The rivalry between the Rabbitohs and Dragons continues this Sunday at ANZ Stadium. For the Rabbitohs, they trashed the Knights last week by 18 points and Sam Burgess is back just in time for this clash. Their ranked 3rd in the NRL for points scored and could keep up with the red-hot Dragons. However, they easily handled the Storm last week in a 34-14 statement win. They’re the best scoring team in the league but also concede the least points as well. So they’re well on their way to the finals at the moment. Their defence should be the difference in this clash. They kept the Storm quiet last week, especially on their goal line, and they beat the Rabbitohs 16-12 earlier this season. So I can see the Dragons holding them in defence and leading throughout this contest. They have a 77% record against the HT/FT bet so I believe that offers a bit of value.
Canberra Raiders vs Cronulla Sharks (Sunday, May 13 4:10pm AEST)
Round 10 concludes in Canberra with an interesting clash between the Raiders and Sharks. Both sides are in decent form as the Sharks have won 3 in a row and the Raiders are 3-0 at home. For the Raiders, they were victorious against the Titans last week by 14 points. Meanwhile, the Sharks just survived against the Eels in the end. Looking at the head to head, it’s 8-8 since 2010 but the away team has amazingly won the last 9 meetings. But I will be getting on the overs here as I can see both teams scoring 20+ points. The Sharks beat them 42-16 in the last meeting in Canberra so they should be able to get opportunities against an average Raiders defence. The Raiders are the 4th best scoring team in the NRL and generally play attacking footy at home.
