NRL Round 13 Preview
The first of the reduced rounds ahead of the Origin period occur with a number of key match ups across the weekend. All the teams look fairly evenly matched in what may throw out some tough betting propositions, however there is always a winner to be found.
St George Illawarra Dragons ($1.47) v Brisbane Broncos ($2.65)
Thursday 3rd June 7:50PM, Netstrata Jubilee Stadium
It’s been a miserable month for the Dragons, but one look at the ladder suggests things could be much worse, such is the congestion of teams between 7th and 12th. Despite the fact they’ve lost three on the trot, the Saints still find themselves sitting eighth on the ladder tied on points with the Warriors, Titans and Knights, however ahead of the three on points differential. As such a return to Jubilee for the Dragons to face an inconsistent Broncos side is just what the doctor ordered following last week’s blowout loss to the Tigers. On the other side, Kevin Walters’ men will be equally as desperate to forget about their 40-12 drubbing at home to the Storm, after showing so much promise the week prior when beating the Roosters at the SCG. Defensively, these two sides rank among the top three in missed tackles and handling errors, so it’s safe to say we’re in for a high-scoring game. Despite the Dragons having won four of their last five against the Broncos, a returning Alex Glenn will provide plenty of leadership for Brisbane and I’m looking to be with them at the line, though without a lot of confidence.
Recommended Bet: Broncos +6.5 $1.90
Wests Tigers ($2.50) v Penrith Panthers ($1.55)
Friday 4th June 7:55PM, Leichhardt Oval
Penrith remained undefeated on the season thanks to another masterful display at home, and although the Tigers have proven frisky in recent weeks with a couple of big wins over the Knights and Dragons, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where Michael Maguire’s young squad pulls off one of the upsets of the season, even with the large number of outs for the Panthers on account of representative selection. In what must be bittersweet for the team, seeing their team mates represent their state in the biggest spectacle on the sporting calendar must bring the Panthers a lot of pride, but consequently make them unavailable for this rivalry game against the Tigers. However, Wests have only defeated the Panthers only twice in their last 10 meetings and this is obviously a much tougher task than their previous two victories over the injury-depleted teams Knights and Dragons. Throw in the fact Wests have conceded 328 points to Penrith’s 88, and I believe the Panthers to cover the line here looks one of the best bets so far this season.
Recommended Bet: Panthers -4.5 $1.90
Melbourne Storm ($1.09) v Gold Coast Titans ($7.50)
Saturday 5th June 7:35PM, Sunshine Coast Stadium
The Titans will be desperate to head into Origin week on a high note, but the chances of an upset appear very unlikely against Craig Bellamy’s well-oiled machine, who despite missing plenty of players through injury in recent weeks have continued to dominate opposition. Many expected the Gold Coast to be well inside the top eight by this point in the season, but now sitting 5-7, things really haven’t gone to plan for Justin Holbrook’s crew. Last week’s 38-10 loss to the Sharks was reflective of how the Titans’ season has panned out so far and as the market suggests, things aren’t about to get any easier against a Storm side shooting for 10 wins in a row. The Storm have won the previous five encounters including a 42-6 win when these two sides met last year and judging by what we’ve seen from the Titans’ defence so far, it wouldn’t be surprising if we saw another cricket score on the typically fast Sunshine Coast Stadium surface. With Fifita, Fa'asuamaleaui, Brimson and Fotuaika all on rep duties, the Storm to cover the line looks good value here.
Recommended Bet: Storm -22.5 $1.90
Newcastle Knights ($3.65) v Parramatta Eels ($1.28)
Sunday 6th June 4:05PM, McDonald Jones Stadium
There’s plenty of footy left to play, but the importance of this game can’t be overstated.
For the Knights, a win could really go a long way to getting their season back on track after defeating Manly last week, while the Eels will also be desperate to keep their spot in the top four following back-to-back losses. Parramatta will be heavily boosted by the returns of Campbell-Gillard and Brown to offset Paulo being lost to Origin duties and will be less affected than their Newcastle counterparts with Saifiti, Klemmer and Frizell all set to miss the weekend’s game. The Eels season faltered heavily in 2020 similar to what they experienced in the previous two game slide, but I can see Brad Arthur and Mitch Moses switching on the team for this must win clash. Connor Watson has been integral for the Knights this year in the middle of the field and shifts to five eighth with Kurt Mann on the bench and will need to stand up if the Knights are too go close at home on Sunday.
Recommended Bet: Eels 13+ $2.10
