NRL Round 24 Preview
With only two rounds left in season 2022, there is certainly plenty to play for and what a lineup of games are on offer to round out the month of August. Read through for a look at the weekend’s best bets.
Brisbane Broncos ($2.20) v Parramatta Eels ($1.67)
Thursday 25th August 7:50PM, Suncorp Stadium
Round 24 of the NRL gets underway with one of the rounds most anticipated games, with the Broncos hosting the Eels in a game which could decide whether either side plays finals football. The Broncos form has dropped in recent week, culminating in a 60-12 defeat at the hands of the Storm in round 23. The side is continuing to miss Wally Lewis medallist Patrick Carrigan in the middle of the park, but will be confident of taking down Parramatta for a second time this season. The Eels dominated the Bulldogs last week with Mitch Moses looking in great form in his return to the side but their up and down form means I’m going with the Broncos at the more attractive odds.
Recommended Bet: Broncos $2.20
Penrith Panthers ($1.01) v New Zealand Warriors ($16.00)
Friday 26th August 6:00PM, BlueBet Stadium
The Panthers come up as unbackable favourites against the Warriors on Friday night at BlueBet Stadium and with the bookies setting the line at 29.5 points, this looks a tough game to find a bet I’m confident in. The Panthers still own the best defensive record in the competition having only conceded 280 points in 2022, whilst the Warriors rank in the bottom 5 for points scored means I couldn’t see total points scored being greater than 50. Combined with the fact that only 1 of the last 9 fixtures between these two sides has been greater than the total points on offer, then unders seems the bet for this game.
Recommended Bet: Under 51.5 $1.90
Melbourne Storm ($1.53) v Sydney Roosters ($2.50)
Friday 26th August 7:55PM, AAMI Park
Many had written these two sides off last month, but now, both coming off wins by more than 50, they clash in arguably the match of the round. The Storm appear to be peaking at the right time of the season with Cameron Munster’s shift to fullback as well as Nelson Asofa-Solomona typically lining up on the edge has brought an incredible dynamic to their attack and they are well and truely back in premiership content. Likewise the Roosters are timing their run to perfection, with the combination of Sam Walker and Luke Keary clicking as well as welcoming back Lindsay Collins and Siosiua Taukeiaho sees them also being a serious danger come finals time. I don’t have much between these two as the bookies seem to, and I therefore think that the value lies in backing the Roosters to cover the line as outsiders.
Recommended Bet: Roosters +5.5 $1.90
Canberra Raiders ($1.25) v Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles ($4.00)
Saturday 27th August 3:00PM, GIO Stadium
The Raiders continue in their quest to make the top eight when they host the Sea Eagles at home on Saturday afternoon in what is a must win game. They’ve been anything but a consistent performer this season, highlighted by almost capitulating against the Knights last weekend. Conversely, after having a finals sniff a month ago, the wheels have well and truly fallen off the Sea Eagles bus, with last week’s defensive effort against the Sharks highlighting the issues at the club. Nevertheless, I can’t ignore the line for a team that still possesses talent and firepower across the park to challenge most teams on their day.
Recommended Bet: Sea Eagles +14.5 $1.90
Cronulla Sharks ($1.05) v Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs ($10.00)
Saturday 27th August 5:30PM, Pointsbet Stadium
The Sharks resurgence under Craig Fitzgibbon has been incredible, led by Nico Hynes who is now one of the favourites for the Dally M medal and while I don’t think they quite have the class to lift the premiership, they can certainly go close. They have racked up some big wins in recent weeks, including against the Sea Eagles at Brookvale, a ground they typically struggle at. After a midseason renaissance of sorts, the Bulldogs have faltered in recent weeks and will be happy to put their feet up in 2 weeks time. Jesse Ramien has been in red hot form for the Sharks down their right edge and he matches up favourable against a left edge defence from the Bulldogs which can leak points.
Recommended Bet: Jesse Ramien $2.00
South Sydney Rabbitohs ($1.50) v North Queensland Cowboys ($2.60)
Saturday 27th August 7:35PM, Accor Stadium
Another potential match of the round awaits NRL fans on Saturday night as the Rabbitohs and Cowboys meet in Sydney. Despite a loss to the Panthers last week, the Rabbitohs are still playing excellent football and can certainly go all the way in 2022. The Cowboys have been outclassed against some of the better sides in the competition, including by the Roosters only a few weeks ago at the SCG but I’m confident they can cover the line here.
Recommended Bet: Cowboys +6.5 $1.90
Wests Tigers ($3.20) v St George Illawarra Dragons ($1.35)
Sunday 28th August 2:00PM, CommBank Stadium
I’m very surprised at the line on offer for this game and certainly see value in the Dragons at the line. The Tigers’ season hit a new low suffering a humiliating 72-6 defeat to the Roosters in Round 23 in what looked like a captain's run for the Roosters at some stages such was the lack of intensity in defence from the Tigers. The Dragons are also out of finals contention, but they did manage to put 46 points on the Titans in Round 23, and could very much do the same thing to the Tigers on Sunday afternoon. With Ben Hunt a Dally M favourite, expect another big performance from him to lift his team to a win.
Recommended Bet: Dragons -9.5 $1.90
Gold Coast Titans ($1.45) v Newcastle Knights ($2.75)
Sunday 28th August 4:05PM, Cbus Super Stadium
In a battle of the cellar dweller, the Titans have opened favourites to score a late season consolation win over the Knights in a game that will only have the die hards of each club keen. Having snuck into the finals in 2021 and subsequently only just losing to the Roosters in round 1, the Titans have floundered this year, and there must be questions of the coach and the entire squad as to what has happened in 2022. The Knights started the season with 2 wins but haven’t really looked likely since, recording just another 4 wins but do welcome back Tyson Frizell and Daniel Saifiti. The price difference should be much shorter between the two so I’m going with the Knights as value.
Recommended Bet: Knights $2.75
