Round 21 of the NRL season gets underway this Thursday and we are back with a full betting preview of all the Round 21 matchups below.
NRL Round 21 Betting Tips
Canterbury Bulldogs vs Brisbane Broncos (Thursday, Aug 2 7:50pm AEST)
The round kicks off at ANZ Stadium with the Broncos looking to continue their winning ways. They’ve won 5 of their last 6 and outlasted the Sharks 12-10 last week. Sitting 7th on the ladder, they’ll be searching for a top 4 spot and they should beat the Dogs. While the Bulldogs upset the Tigers 16-4 last round, their attack isn’t up to the Broncos standard as they’ve scored under 20 points in their last 5 at ANZ. So the betting angle and the trend is the unders at ANZ, especially with the Bulldogs. Under is 5-0 when the Bulldogs play here since Round 12.
Total points UNDER 39.5
$1.90
Newcastle Knights vs Wests Tigers (Friday, Aug 3 6:00pm AEST)
Friday night starts in Newcastle with two disappointing sides it’s fair to say. The Tigers probably blew their chance at finals with a 16-4 defeat against the Bulldogs. The Knights were held scoreless in the second half as they went down to the Cowboys 20-18. The Tigers rarely score over 20 points and the Knights have played in 3 straight games under a 7 point margin. So this looks like another close matchup. They also met in Round 7 and the result was a 2 point margin in the Knights favour.
Either team win by 10 points or less
$1.72
South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Melbourne Storm (Friday, Aug 3 7:50pm AEST)
Finals come early to ANZ Stadium with the top of the ladder clash between the Rabbitohs and Storm. Both sides are 8-1 in their last 9 and this should be one of the best games of the season. Arguably the Storm are coming into this clash with better form as they’ve won 8 straight. The Rabbitohs haven’t been overly impressive in their last 2, just beating the lowly Eels by 6 and losing to the Tigers. The side from Melbourne has also won 5 straight against the Rabbitohs and smashed them 64-6 at AAMI Park in 2017. However, this will be closer as the Rabbitohs are a much better side in 2018. So I can’t see a large margin in this one. The Storm have won their last 3 on the road by an average of 2 points and they only score 16.8 points per game away from Melbourne. Meanwhile, Souths are 7-2 in home games and rank in the top 4 for points scored.
Either team win by 8 points or less
$2.10
St George Dragons vs New Zealand Warriors (Saturday, Aug 4 3:00pm AEST)
The Dragons and Warriors meet at an interesting time. They’re both struggling for consistency as they begin to prepare for a finals campaign. The Dragons are 1-3 in their last 4 and the Warriors are 1-4 in their last 5. But the difference in this one should be the venue. The Dragons are 4-0 here this season and average 30 points per game in attack. While in defence, they’ve allowed 14.5 points to the opposition. They’ve also won 3 in a row against the Warriors at WIN Stadium since 2011. So after the Warriors allowed 36 points to the Titans in day football last week, the Dragons should enjoy themselves in attack.
Dragons Handicap (-6.5)
$1.92
Parramatta Eels vs Gold Coast Titans (Saturday, Aug 4 5:30pm AEST)
NRL action heads back to ANZ with the Eels taking on the Titans. Last week, the Eels pushed the Rabbitohs in a 6 point defeat. On the Gold Coast, the Titans thrashed the Warriors in the second half on their way to a 36-12 win. So with the season over for both sides, attacking football should be on the cards with both sides scoring over 15 points. The Eels have scored 15+ in 5 of their last 6. The Titans are 5-2 against it.
Both teams to score 15+
$1.90
Sydney Roosters vs North Queensland Cowboys (Saturday, Aug 4 7:30pm AEST)
Super Saturday ends at Allianz Stadium as the Roosters host the Cowboys. The home side is looking ominous at the moment after 3 straight wins. In back to back weeks, they’ve made the Dragons and Sea Eagles defence’s look very average as they’ve cruised to victory. In total, they’ve scored 92 points in those 2 wins. The Cowboys have won just 2 of 7 on the road this season and will likely struggle to keep up with the Roosters attack. So while I see a Roosters victory, the overs is a better bet. The total has averaged 67 in the Roosters last 2 games and the Cowboys last away game totalled 50 points.
Total points OVER 42.5
$1.90
Cronulla Sharks vs Manly Sea Eagles (Sunday, Aug 5 2:00pm AEST)
Sunday’s NRL action begins at Shark Park with the Sharks up against the Sea Eagles. The end of the season can’t come quicker for Manly, who seem to have checked out already. They’ve lost 3 straight and somehow lost to the Panthers last week. In just 6 minutes during the latter stages, Penrith scored 4 tries to win by 4 in the end. So with the Sharks coming off a tough 12-10 loss in Brisbane, this should be a perfect rebound opportunity. They’ve gone 6-3 at home this season and should easily lead at HT on their way to another home victory.
Penrith Panthers vs Canberra Raiders (Sunday, Aug 5 4:10pm AEST)
The round ends in Penrith with the 5th placed Panthers against the 10th Raiders. Both sides have been wildly inconsistent lately, making this a hard tip. The Panthers somehow escaped with a 28-24 win at Brookvale last week. Canberra were no match for the Storm in a 44-10 crushing defeat. The two sides played in a 1 point margin in Round 14. Interestingly, this matchup will see the best home defence in the Panthers take on the best away scoring team in the NRL. But in the end, I’m not confident in either side at the moment.
TIP: No Bet
