Sunday arvo footy kicks off on the glitter strip, as the Roosters head to the Goldy to take on the Titans. Coming off two straight losses, the Titans season is officially over, and could be ripe for the picking against a Roosters team who are galloping towards a top 2 spot on the ladder. We could be in for some fireworks in this one, and we have a full preview and tips below!
NRL Round 25 Preview & Betting Tips
Gold Coast Titans vs Sydney Roosters
Cbus Super Stadium, Sunday 25th August, 2:00pm (AEST)
Last Week
The Titans’ unlikely good form has come to a grinding halt, after being shut out by the Sharks in round 23, they were then comprehensively beaten last weekend by the Dragons 32-16. Their defence has nose-dived, and the fact that their season is now over doesn’t bode well for the attitude to be better this weekend. Last week, statistically they were every bit as good as the Dragons across the board in attack, however they missed a whopping 41 tackles defensively, whilst conceding 7 line-breaks, in a stinging indictment of where the Titans’ heads are right now.
As for the Roosters, they took one step closer to a sought-after top 2 finish last week, easily accounting for the Eels at Allianz Stadium in horrible conditions, 38-14. The Roosters, once again, took their opportunities well, managing to score 24 more points than the Eels despite extremely similar statistics from both sides. James Tedesco was at his best in the slippery conditions, scoring a try whilst setting up another, breaking the line twice, and busting 7 tackles. Dom Young was also a monster in attack, scoring three tries and breaking 12 tackles.
Match Preview
The Roosters have won the past 10 games over the Titans, with the most recent result being a 36-18 victory at Cbus Super Stadium in round 21 last season. The Roosters closed just 3.5-point favourites, showing exactly how poorly the Roosters were going last season compared to this year. The Roosters were actually far more dominant than the scoreline suggested, leading 36-0 after 48 minutes before taking their foot off the gas late in the game.
This weekend, the Roosters opened 12.5-point road favourites, with a constant stream of money continuing on the Roosters, who now sit as 14.5-point favourites. I make the Roosters a 16-point favourite, so I do see some value in the line here. The Roosters are an incredibly good team at running up a score on a team, and if they get away early here it could be lights out for the Titans, who have nothing more to play for this season.
As for the total, it opened 53.5 and it remains here, however the over is juiced heavily, and if the weather is decent on the coast on Sunday afternoon, I can see this bumping up. The Titans have been an unders team for most of the season, however if the Roosters get rolling, they could nearly cover this number by themselves.
I like the Roosters early in this game, and I like them to run away with things enough to cover an alternate spread here. They have been notoriously fast starters, so the first half spread will be the best bet, with an alternate spread thrown into the SGM.
Roosters (-7.5) 1st half
$1.88 (2.5 Units)
Same Game Multi
Roosters (-19.5) – As above
D Young (1+ try) – Young is a freak on the end of this backline, and if he doesn’t get injured, he will score at least one against this Titans defence.
A Crichton (1+ try) – 8 tries in 17 games this season, but none since round 18. He’s due and should be a great chance this weekend.
SGM Odds: $7.50 at Bet365
