South Sydney v Gold Coast
ANZ Stadium
7:50pm Friday 16 June
South Sydney host an Origin and injury-ravaged Gold Coast side to kick-off an abbreviated round 15 in the NRL. The Titans lose the services of Jarrod Wallace, Nathan Peats and Jarryd Hayne due to Origin commitments while Kane Elgey and Karl Lawton have joined the ever-growing Titans injury ward. In more positive news, they’ll welcome back Kiwi international Kevin Proctor after his indiscretions following the ANZAC Test.
Neil Henry’s men suffered a third straight defeat last week, this time at the hands of the Warriors. They haven’t tasted victory since their incredible comeback victory over the Melbourne Storm in round 10. They’ve gone away from their hard running, no frills footy in the last few weeks and now languish on 13th place on the ladder.
The Rabbitohs have been in a form slump of their own dropping their last 3 matches. They’ve showed glimpses of their best just haven’t been able to put a complete performance together. Skipper Sam Burgess has been trying his heart out trying to carry the team but he’ll need support from the rest of his forward pack while half Adam Reynolds needs to improve his kicking game which has been below par by his lofty standards. Winger Adrian Gray has been a late omission from the Souths side with Brendon Burns taking his place.
Head to Head Record
Melbourne have won 4 of the last 5 between the two sides.
Stadium Record
Melbourne have won 7 of the last 8 at AAMI Park while the Cowboys have won 2 of 5 there
Tip: Both sides will be desperate to snap their respective 3 games losing streak. Taking into account their record, the +10.5 line looks big for the Titans despite their injury woes.
Best Bet: Titans +10.5 $1.90
Odds: South Sydney 1.30 Gold Coast 3.80
Melbourne v North Queensland
AAMI Stadium
5:30pm Saturday 17 June
This could easily be one of the marquee games of the season but fans have been robbed of the occasion with the scheduling of the game during the Origin period. The Storm are sitting pretty on top of the ladder after a hard fought victory over the Sharks last week while the Cowboys are in the log jam of teams on equal 4th with 18 competition points. Not bad considering they have been without the world’s best player in their side for the majority of the season.
Highly rated half Kyle Laybutt is tipped to make his debut for the Cowboys partnering Ray Thompson while regular centre Kane Linnett has been named in the second row for the first time. The Cowboys look skinny up front without Cooper and Hess. They’ll have their hands full containing the likes of Bromwich, Asofa-Solomona and Felise Kaufusi who had a break out game against the Sharks last week.
Head to Head Record
Titans have won 2 of the last 3 between the two sides but lost the 5 prior to this.
Stadium Record
Titans have won 4 of the last 6 at ANZ Stadium while Souths have lost 5 of their last 6 at their home ground.
Tip: Melbourne to be too strong up front for the Cowboys who will be backing up from their win in Darwin last week.
Best Bet: Melbourne -3.5 $1.90
Odds: Melbourne 1.63 North Queensland 2.28
Cronulla v Wests Tigers
Southern Cross Group Stadium
7:30pm Saturday 17 June
Sharks went down in a real dogfight against the high flying Storm last week. It was a high quality game of footy played with finals intensity. The Shire boys will be battered and bruised following that game and will go into this week’s round without their Origin quartet of Bird, Maloney, Fifita and Holmes. They’ll be keen to get back in the winner’s circle this week though don’t be surprised if they are a bit flat following their big grudge match last week.
The Tigers were outclassed by the Roosters last week. They didn’t have the answers for the speed and power and eventually went down by 22. They again lose the services of Woods and Tedesco but get the Sharks at the best possible time of year. The Sharks have played with some complacency throughout the 2017 season and this could be the Tigers’ chance of a major upset. Luke Brooks partners new recruit Tuimoloa Lolohea for the first time which should free the liverwire five-eighth to do what he does best – run the footy.
Head to Head Record
Sharks have won the last 3 encounters between the two sides.
Stadium Record
Sharks have surprising won just 4 of their last 9 at their home ground while the Tigers have lost 2 of their last 3 at Shark Park but won the last 6 at the venue prior to that.
Tip: Cronulla to come out a bit flat following their tough loss last week with the Tigers to find just enough points to get up with the start.
Best Bet: Wests Tigers +10 1.95
Odds: Cronulla 1.27 Wests Tigers 3.75
Parramatta v St George Illawarra
ANZ Stadium
4pm Sunday 18 June
This shapes up to be the best game of the round to close out round 15. The Eels are coming off a tough road trip in Darwin. They struggled to adapt to the conditions and were the victims of a Johnathon Thurston masterclass. It was a debut for the Norman/Moses combination and they’ll no doubt be looking to improve on that performance. Moses in particular had a game to forget and the pressure is mounting on the big mid-season signing to deliver. The match-up is normally a good one for the Eels and they possess a strong recent record against the Dragons.
The Dragons have dropped to 4th on the ladder after an upset loss at the hands of the Dogs last week. They hung in well but didn’t take their opportunities when they presented themselves and ultimately had their pants pulled down as the Dogs ran in 3 unanswered tries after the break. They’ve put in a couple of complacent performances in a row now and they will be looking to go back to what worked for them early in the season – running hard, tackling hard and playing the game at the other end of the park. Frizell and Dugan are the two big Origin outs for the Dragons.
Head to Head Record
Eels have won the last 5 against the Dragons including a 22-point round 2 victory in Wollongong
Stadium Record
Eels have won 4 of the last 5 at their pusedo home ground while Dragons have lost 6 of their last 8 at ANZ.
Tip: Expect a tight, hard fought game with points to come at a premium.
Best Bet: Under 37.5 points 1.90
Odds: Parramatta 1.71 St George-Illawarra 2.15
