There’s plenty of action this Super Saturday in the NRL with three intriguing clashes. The Titans will look for a rare back to back win when they tackle South Sydney. Can the Storm stop the surging Knights on the Central Coast? The great Benji Marshall has been dropped and how will the Tigers respond against the fired-up Raiders?
NRL Preview Round 5 Saturday Betting Tips
Rabbitohs vs Titans
(Sat, Jun 13 3:00pm)
South Sydney will be eager to break a three-game losing streak this Saturday as they bring back some firepower. Cody Walker is back in the #6 jersey this week and James Roberts has also been included in the centres. Last week's 22-8 loss to the Storm in Melbourne continued their horror run in Victoria (0-16), but there were positives. Latrell Mitchell looked at his very best with plenty of tackle breaks and despite a few soft errors, he looks to be warming into the fullback position. Cam Murray was at his usual best in the middle of the park and Campbell Graham continues to impress in the centres. Braiden Burns can count himself as unlucky after he was dropped for Roberts but it does give Souths good depth if injuries occur. Other changes include, Patrick Mago and Bayley Sironen replacing Mark Nicholls and Keaon Koloamatangi on the interchange.
It's been a very long 12 months for the winless Titans but they finally broke through last Sunday night for an impressive comeback win over the Tigers. It was looking like another heartbreaking defeat at 23-22 with a few minutes remaining but the Titans got a lucky break on a short kickoff and as a result, Phillip Sami scored the game-winner in the 77th minute. Ash Taylor looked much improved in the #6 jersey and the move to bring in the experience of Jamal Fogarty at halfback has paid off. Forgotten outside back Young Tonumaipea also made an impressive debut for his new side after missing the last 2 seasons. At this stage, they've named an unchanged winning lineup. However, the Titans usually make late changes and do have some experience in the reserves.
The return of Walker/Roberts should see Souths improve their attack in the weeks to come. However, the Titans will be super confident after last week's effort and don't have a bad record against Souths. So we like the +12 line on offer for the Titans here.
Knights vs Storm
(Sat, Jun 13 5:30pm)
It was a massive win by the Knights last Sunday as they crushed the Raiders 34-18. The return of Ponga was a key difference-maker as their attack looked unstoppable at times, especially considering the Raiders had allowed just 18 points in their previous 3 games. Andrew McCullough also looked good in his Knights debut and Bradman Best continued his try-scoring form with a double. There are concerns for an injured Kurt Mann and he could be a late out for Phoenix Crossland. There's also a chance that Lachlan Fitzgibbon will return to the bench in another late change.
While you can't say the Storm were at their clinical best against Souths last week, they'll definitely take the 22-8 win over Souths in what was a bruising encounter. Cameron Munster was the major difference between the two sides with his playmaking ability on show. Credit also goes to Josh Addo-Carr for playing the 80 minutes with a rib injury. They will have a new halfback on Saturday with Hughes breaking his hand so Ryley Jacks will wear the #7 jersey. But they do welcome back giant Nelson Asofa-Solomona onto the bench and he could be moved into the starting lineup on Saturday as well.
Melbourne have absolutely dominated the Knights in the last 5 meetings as they've outscored them 186-52. But the Knights impressive win over the Raiders last week showed they can match it with the best teams in the competition. So with the Storm owning a 4-0 record against the Under this season, we like the chances of this game finishing Under 40 points. The Storm have the defensive structure to stop the Knights after they scored 34 points last week. Meanwhile, Melbourne haven't looked at their best in the points scoring department as yet.
Wests Tigers vs Raiders
(Sat, Jun 13 7:35pm)
The Tigers up and down season continued on Sunday night as they were rundown by the winless Titans at Suncorp in the 28-23 result. The defeat has forced Michael Maguire to make some massive team changes. Benji Marshall has been dropped along with the likes of Robert Jennings, Luke Garner, Oliver Clark and Billy Walters. So the Tigers are on notice this Saturday as Maguire is not scared of making changes it seems. So Josh Reynolds will take over at five-eighth, Tommy Talau comes into the side on the wing and Chris Lawrence/Zane Musgrove move into the starting pack.
Canberra were unusually poor defensively last week as the Knights ran all over them in the 34-18 defeat. But we're confident in Ricky Stuart's ability to get his team back on track. It's also hard to forget one of the highlights of the game as Josh Papalii scored a brilliant solo try in the second half as the Raiders tried to mount a comeback. In good team news, Jack Wighton looks to have recovered from a HIA and has been named at five-eighth. So at this stage, they'll be running with an unchanged lineup for Saturday night's clash.
It's hard to predict the Tigers at the moment and with plenty of team changes, the Raiders definitely have an advantage with their settled lineup. So we like the chances of the Under in night conditions as the Raiders defence should be the major difference between the two sides. The Raiders have conceded just 12 total points in their last 2 meetings with the Tigers as well.
