As usual, Super Saturday in the NRL features three intriguing matchups. How will the Storm respond to Cameron Smith’s injury against the Bulldogs? Both the Knights and Tigers are desperate for a win as they clash in Newcastle. But the highlight of Saturday and Round 13 will be the clash between the high-flying Panthers and in-form Raiders.
NRL Round 13 Saturday Betting Tips
Storm vs Bulldogs
(Sat, Aug 8 3:00pm)
Melbourne are flying at the moment after 6 straight wins and they sit comfortably 2nd on the ladder with a 10-2 record. However, it's a very rare sight to not see Cameron Smith in the lineup after he suffered a shoulder injury in the win over Newcastle last Sunday. But the Storm's depth is good enough to cover the GOAT with workhorse Brandon Smith stepping up into the hooker role. Bellamy has also opted to rest young star Ryan Papenhuyzen and that'll see Nicho Hynes move to fullback. In the centres, Olam is back for Seve as well.
The poor Doggies can't take a trick in 2020 after another close defeat, this time against the Eels at ANZ Stadium, 18-16. The major talking point was the strange decision by Aiden Tolman to opt against taking a penalty goal that would've locked the scores at 18-18. So Tolman has copped the axe as he'll start from the bench on Saturday. Jeremy Marshall-King has also been moved to the bench and Katoa will get the start. Meanwhile, Ofahiki Ogden gets his chance at prop for Tolman.
With the Storm missing Smith and Papenhuyzen, this is a tough game to get a read on. We don't mind the Bulldogs at the line considering the Storm's injury issues but we're just not 100% confident as the Storm are playing well at their second “home” on the Sunny Coast.
No Bet
Knights vs Wests Tigers
(Sat, Aug 8 5:30pm)
After 3 defeats in the last 4 weeks, the Knights are now in a tough position. While they're still 7th on the ladder, there are a few sides outside the top 8 that can challenge their position. So Newcastle will need to improve at home against the Tigers here. They continued their poor record against Melbourne last week in a 10 point loss and have now lost impressive young centre Bradman Best to injury. But in good news, they've added the experience of Blake Green from the Warriors and he'll get the start at 5/8th. So Mann will move to hooker. In the centres, Gehamat Shibasaki and Star Toa get their chance in the starting side.
The Tigers suffered a critical loss to the Warriors last week 26-20 as their inconsistent season just continues to frustrate their fans and coach. Adding to their woes is a few important injuries. Young star Harry Grant will miss this clash and so will AlexTwal/Oliver Clark. So Moses Mbye will play at hooker and Luke Brooks will come back into the side at 5/8th. In the back row, Matthew Eisenhuth and Sam McIntyre return to the starting side.
Generally, clashes between these two teams have been high scoring and we're sticking with the trend. In mid-March, the Knights won 42-24 and last season, the Tigers smashed them 46-4. So we like the chances of the total beating 38.5 points here.
Panthers vs Raiders
(Sat, Aug 8 7:35pm)
In the game of the round, we have the top of the table Penrith Panthers taking on the Canberra Raiders. For the Panthers, they're riding a 7 game winning streak and thrashed Manly 42-12 last week at Brookvale Oval. So with the likes of Nathan Cleary and a strong forward pack, this Penrith team is going to be hard to stop as the finals near. Last week's performance was also a good sign after they were below their best against the Titans / Cowboys. It's also hard to remember a better two games then Charlie Staines after 6 tries thus far but he will unfortunately miss this clash with a hamstring injury.
The Raiders weren't at their best last week in an error-riddled 14-12 win over the Cowboys but they'll take the 2 points, especially away from Canberra. They've now won 3 games on the trot and with John Bateman back in the lineup, Canberra are well-positioned to threaten the premiership contenders. There's more good news in team selections as they get fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad back from a hand injury and that'll see Rapana back in his preferred wing position.
We're expecting an intense battle for the 80 minutes in a matchup between two top 8 teams. So we like the value for a close game and either side winning by under 10.5 points, which has saluted in 3 of the last 5 meetings.
Either Team by 10 or Less
$1.83
