2023 NRL Round 3 Betting Predictions
Round 3 begins at Brookvale Oval with a highly-anticipated matchup between the Sea Eagles and Eels on Thursday night footy.
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles (1st) vs Parramatta Eels (16th)
The Sea Eagles thrashed the Doggies 31-6 in Round 1 as the Tommy Turbo/DCE combination was back in full force. They do come off the bye after Round 2 and should get a good matchup against the leaking defence of the Eels. Josh Schuster is also back in the halves.
The Eels are looking for their first win of the season after two close losses against the Storm & Sharks. Their defence has been very concerning as they've given up an average of 23 pts so that will need to improve to beat Manly. They're unchanged for this clash.
Manly are a tough side to beat when Tom Trbojevic and Daly Cherry-Evans are on the park, especially at Brooky. They should win this home game against the struggling Eels.
Stadium Record
Manly are 6-4 in their last 10 at Brookvale. Parramatta has won 4 of their last 7 at this venue.
Head to Head Record
Since 2020, both sides have won 3 games against each other.
Best Bet
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles -3.5 = $1.95
Newcastle Knights (11th) vs Dolphins (2nd)
The Knights pulled off a great win over the Tigers last week despite a number of injuries & a send-off. However, it may cost them against the Dolphins as they're missing a huge amount of experience with the likes of Ponga, Brailey, Saifiti and Frizell on the sidelines.
The Dolphins first season in the NRL could not have started better after two impressive wins. They rallied to beat the Roosters in Round 1 and outlasted the Raiders in wet conditions last week. Their first road trip to Sydney could be a challenge but their confidence will be high.
With the Knights missing a heap of experience, the Dolphins should be able to win their first away game in this favourable matchup.
Stadium Record
Newcastle has lost 5 straight at home. The Dolphins are yet to play at this venue.
Head to Head Record
These two sides are yet to meet in the NRL.
Best Bet
Sydney Roosters (9th) vs South Sydney Rabbitohs (6th)
The Roosters held off the Warriors for their first win of the season but they don't look at their 100% best at the moment. This has been mainly due to injuries but they'll get a boost with Waerea-Hargreaves and Radley returning to boost their forward pack.
Souths battled hard against the Panthers last week but just couldn't get their attack going against a tough defence. However, they have a good recent record against their arch-rivals and get Tatola back into their forward pack.
South Sydney have the wood over the Roosters at the moment. It's fair to say the Roosters have struggled in the first two rounds as well. So I like Souths to cover in what should be another bruising encounter.
Stadium Record
Both sides are 1-1 at the new SFS stadium.
Head to Head Record
Souths are 5-1 against the Roosters since 2020.
Best Bet
South Sydney Rabbitohs -2.5 = $1.85
Gold Coast Titans (8th) vs Melbourne Storm (12th)
The Titans will play their first home game of the season after splitting their first 2 games in Sydney. They should be disappointed with their performance against the Dragons last week after letting a lead slip away in the 32-18 result.
The Storm were simply outplayed by the Bulldogs last week in the 26-12 defeat at AAMI Park. However, they get a wealth of experience back this week with Olam, Coates, Kamikamica and Sims all named to return. They have a good record against the Titans and Craig Bellamy will have them fired up to bounce back.
Melbourne have an excellent record against the Titans and will be hurting after last week. Expect them to bounce back with a better defensive performance.
Stadium Record
Gold Coast are just 3-7 in their last 10 at Cbus. Melbourne have won 7 in a row at this venue.
Head to Head Record
The Storm are looking for a 9th straight win over the Titans.
Best Bet
North Queensland Cowboys (13th) vs New Zealand Warriors (7th)
The Cowboys are back on their home turf in Round 3 and will be looking to respond after losing to the Broncos. They will miss Drinkwater at fullback to suspension but they have enough experience to cover him.
The Warriors are coming off a close loss against the Roosters and they'll rue some costly errors throughout the 80 minutes. They've also lost their starting fullback Nicoll-Klokstad and Jackson Ford to injury.
With the Cowboys holding a 4-0 ATS against the Warriors and New Zealand not winning a game in Australia in their last 13, the Cowboys at the line looks like the best play.
Stadium Record
North Queensland are 4-1 in their last 5. New Zealand are yet to win in their 2 games at this venue.
Head to Head Record
The head-to-head is squared at 3-3 since 2019.
Best Bet
North Queensland Cowboys -9.5 = $1.85
Brisbane Broncos (4th) at St. George Illawarra Dragons (3rd)
The Broncos have started 2023 in perfect fashion with wins over the Panthers and Cowboys. Reece Walsh will look to build on an impressive performance against North QLD and the Broncos should be eager to go 3-0. They will be without Corey Oates on the wing but their backline still looks strong.
The Dragons kicked off their season with a nice comeback win over the Titans. They stormed home to score 5 of the last 6 tries in the 32-18 victory.
Brisbane are 2-0 against the 1-12 margin this season and their defence should be key in keeping the Dragons attack quiet in what should be a fairly close game.
Stadium Record
Brisbane are 7-3 in their last 10 at Suncorp. St. George have lost 5 straight at this venue.
Head to Head Record
The Dragons have the wood over the Broncos with 6 wins in the last 7 meetings.
Best Bet
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (14th) vs Wests Tigers (17th)
The Doggies thrashed the Storm 26-12 last week and will look for a similar performance against the Tigers. Big-name recruits Reed Mahoney and Viliame Kikau were impressive along with Jacob Kiraz scoring a double.
The Tigers are sitting last on the ladder after a poor start to their 2023 campaign. Their attack has been well off the mark as they're averaging just 11 pts per game. They'll also need a reshuffle to their lineup with 5 changes at the moment.
There's a lot to like about the Bulldogs after last week's upset and the Tigers attack just isn't there at the moment.
Stadium Record
Canterbury are just 2-8 in their last 10 at Belmore. The Tigers are yet to play at this venue.
Head to Head Record
Since 2018, the head-to-head is tied at 5-5.
Best Bet
Canberra Raiders (15th) vs Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks (10th)
The Raiders are winless to the start the season but they've been close against the Dolphins/Cowboys. This will be their first home game of 2023 so the Raiders faithful will be right behind them.
The Sharks will be content with a 1-1 start as Nicho Hynes sits on the sidelines. They come off an entertaining win over the Eels but will need to overturn a poor recent record against Canberra. Hynes will also be out again with an injury.
Canberra have been involved in two close games this season and the Sharks are giving up plenty of points. So I like the Raiders to cover as home underdogs.
Stadium Record
Canberra are 7-3 in their last 10 at home. Cronulla has lost their last 3 in Canberra.
Head to Head Record
The Raiders are 8-0 against the Sharks since 2019.
Best Bet
