Friday Night NRL for Round 4 begins with an intriguing clash between the Panthers and Warriors at Campbelltown Stadium, before we head to Melbourne for an expected close clash between the Storm and Rabbitohs. Check out our NRL Round 4 Friday Night previews and NRL betting tips below.
NRL Round 4 Friday Betting Tips
Panthers vs Warriors (Friday, 5th June, 6:00pm AEST)
Penrith comes into Friday's clash on the back of a draw against the Knights which really shouldn't have happened. The Knights were cruelled by injury in the first half but the Panthers just couldn't hold them off in the second half, which just shows how important Nathan Cleary is for their attack. He'll be out again this week so the Panthers will need to be much better on Friday, especially on a short week. In team news, Liam Martin has been added to the bench in place of Billy Burns.
A huge win by the Warriors to kick off the new season has them up and about. They successfully shut out the Dragons on Saturday afternoon as they cruised to an 18-0 result. While the shutout was an incredible feat, the Warriors completed 46 of their 48 sets for the entire game which is something the Warriors have definitely not been known for! So maybe setting up camp in NSW will be a good move for this side as the season rolls on? They do have a few outs in team news. Hiku picked up a rib problem and will be replaced by Lawton. Meanwhile, Agnatius Paasi has been suspended.
The Warriors were fantastic last week but the question is whether they can back it up with the same gritty performance against Penrith. The Panthers weren't overly impressive against the Knights so we do like the chances of the Warriors continuing their defensive efforts. So we'll be backing the Unders in what should be a tough battle.
Storm vs Rabbitohs (Friday, 5th June, 7:55pm AEST)
The highlight of Friday night footy will be the Melbourne Storm hosting the South Sydney Rabbitohs at AAMI Park. For the Storm, they'll be disappointed in their attack against Canberra last week as they looked unusually rattled. They continually blew scoring opportunities near the try-line and just looked a bit out of sync. The 6 again rule has probably impacted their ruck tactics so that'll be an interesting factor to watch as the season progresses. But with Craig Bellamy at the helm, it's hard to back against a turnaround in form this Friday. They will miss the go-forward of Nelson Asofa-Solomona after his suspension, however a successful return from an ACL injury will see Christian Welch takes his starting spot. They've also added Ryley Jacks to the bench as a utility option.
Souths were no match for the Roosters last Friday night as they struggled to contain Sydney's attacking weapons or penetrating their defence in the 16 point defeat. We thought they could overcome the loss of Cody Walker but that performance proved how important he really is. They've also lost a wealth of experience from the last few seasons, such as Sam Burgess and John Sutton, so the Rabbitohs will need their younger guys to start stepping up. In team news, there's a chance that James Roberts could lineup in the centres but Souths will take a cautious approach at the moment.
With each side coming off a loss to start the new season, this is an important battle on Friday night. So we like the chances of a close finish after the 80 minutes. It's hard to forget the epic finals matchup between the two sides at this venue in 2018 when the Storm just won via a field goal, so we'll be hoping for a similar result.
Either Team by 10 or Less
$1.91
