2025 NRL Round 18 Betting Predictions
It's a short week in the NRL this weekend due to Origin 3, but there's plenty of enticing Round 18 action. It starts with a top 8 battle between the Doggies and Broncos on Friday night footy in Sydney.
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (2nd) vs Brisbane Broncos (5th)
The Bulldogs head into this clash against the Broncos sitting second on the ladder with a strong 11-3 season record. They've been solid both home and away, going 5-1 at home and 6-2 on the road. Their form over the past five games has been decent with three wins and two losses, though they’re coming off a tough 8-6 defeat to the Panthers at Western Sydney Stadium. That loss snapped a short winning run, but overall, the Bulldogs are tracking well and will be looking to bounce back quickly.
The Broncos take on the Bulldogs this week sitting fifth on the ladder with an 8-7 season record. They're in solid form with three straight wins, including a 26-12 victory over the Warriors at Lang Park last round. Offensively, they’ve been dangerous all year, ranked 4th in the NRL for both points and tries scored. However, errors have been a problem — they’re one of the worst in the comp in that area. While they've been strong at home with a 6-2 record, their form drops off on the road, winning just two of seven away games.
Stadium Record
Canterbury are 4-1 in their last 5 games at this venue. Brisbane are 2-8 in their last 10 games at Accor Stadium.
Head to Head Record
In the last 10, the Broncos are 7-3 against the Bulldogs.
Best Bet
The Over is 10-1 in the Broncos last 11 games and I think Friday night will go Over too.
Same Game Multi
The Broncos are one of the only teams to smash the Dogs this year, winning 42-18. They also have a 6-0 ATS record as a road underdog. So I think they can cover +7.5. Josiah Karapani has been on fire, scoring 5 tries in his last 3 games and that includes 2 doubles. He should offer nice value to cross the line.
Over 44.5 pts / Broncos +8.5 / Josiah Karapani Anytime Tryscorer = $5.40
Canberra Raiders (1st) vs St. George Illawarra Dragons (11th)
The Raiders are flying at the moment, sitting on top of the ladder with a 13-3 record and riding a six-game winning streak. They've been near unstoppable both home and away, boasting a 6-1 record at home and 7-2 on the road. Their attack has been on fire, ranking 3rd in the NRL for both points and tries scored, and they’ve kept things tidy too, sitting 16th for errors made — which is a good thing in this case. Last round they edged out the Knights 22-18, and with five straight wins in their last five games, they’re looking red-hot heading into this clash with the Dragons.
The Dragons head into this clash with the Raiders sitting 11th on the ladder with a 6-8 record for the season. They’ve been decent at home, winning four of seven, but their away form hasn’t been great at 2-5. They’ve won three of their last five and are coming off a solid 34-20 win over the Eels in Wollongong, which snapped a short losing run. While consistency has been a bit of an issue, the Dragons have shown they can put points on the board when they’re on.
Stadium Record
Canberra are 8-2 in their last 10 games at Canberra Stadium. St. George are 2-8 at this venue since 2010.
Head to Head Record
In the last 10 meetings, the Raiders hold a 8-2 record against the Dragons.
Best Bet
The Over is 4-0 in the Raiders last 4 home games and I think this will be a high scoring battle.
North Queensland Cowboys (12th) vs Melbourne Storm (3rd)
The Cowboys head into their clash with the Storm sitting 12th on the ladder with a 6-8 record. They picked up a much-needed win in Round 17, edging out the Titans 30-24, and will be hoping to build some momentum off that. Their recent form has been patchy, going 2-3 in their last five, and while they’ve been okay at home with a 3-1-3 record, they’ve struggled on the road, winning just three of eight. One area that continues to hurt them is handling errors — they rank 2nd worst in the league for that — and it’s something they’ll need to tidy up if they want to challenge the Storm.
The Storm are in red-hot form heading into their clash with the Cowboys, sitting third on the ladder with a 10-4 record and riding a four-game winning streak. They absolutely dominated the Sharks last round at AAMI Park, winning 30-6, and have been near unbeatable at home this season with a 7-1 record. Offensively, they’ve been the best in the comp — ranked first for both points and tries scored. They have had some trouble with errors, sitting 4th worst in that area, but their firepower usually makes up for it. With four wins from their last five, the Storm are looking strong.
Stadium Record
North Queensland are 6-3 (1 draw) in their last 10 games at QCB. Melbourne are 1-3 at this venue since 2010.
Head to Head Record
Since 2010, the Storm are 18-8 against the Cowboys.
Best Bet
The Storm still have plenty of talent despite Origin and the Over is 4-0 when these two sides meet.
Sydney Roosters (6th) vs Wests Tigers (14th)
The Roosters are starting to find some rhythm, coming into this clash with the Tigers on a two-game winning streak and sitting sixth on the ladder with a 7-7 record. They were dominant last round, smashing the Cowboys 42-8 at home, showing just how dangerous they can be when it clicks. Offensively, they’ve been solid all year — ranked 5th in the NRL for both points and tries scored. Errors have been a bit of a problem though, with the Roosters sitting 3rd worst in the league in that department. They’ve split their results both home (4-4) and away (3-3), so consistency will be key if they want to keep climbing.
The Tigers are doing it tough at the moment, sitting 14th on the ladder with a 5-10 record and stuck in a six-game losing streak. Their latest defeat came at the hands of the Sea Eagles at Brookvale, going down 28-10. Offensively, they’ve really struggled this season — ranked 14th in the comp for both points and tries scored. They've been slightly better on the road (3-4) than at home (2-6), but overall, it's been a rough run. They'll need a big turnaround if they're going to trouble the Roosters this week.
Stadium Record
Sydney are 5-5 in their last 10 games at SFS. Wests are 6-20 at this venue since 2010.
Head to Head Record
The Roosters are 22-2 against the Tigers since 2010.
Best Bet
Sydney have a dominant record over the Tigers and I think they'll do it easily at home.
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles (9th) vs South Sydney Rabbitohs (16th)
The Sea Eagles head into their clash with the Rabbitohs sitting 9th on the ladder with a 7-8 record. They got back on track last round with a solid 28-10 win over the Tigers at Brookvale and will be hoping to build on that momentum. While they’ve been strong at home with a 5-3 record, their away form hasn’t been as convincing at 2-5. One of their strengths has been discipline with the ball — they rank 14th for errors made, which is a positive stat in this case. They’ve gone 2-3 in their last five and will be looking to string some wins together to stay in the finals hunt.
The Rabbitohs are really struggling right now, sitting at the bottom of the ladder in 16th with a 6-10 record and coming off five straight losses. Their latest defeat was a high-scoring one, going down 50-28 to the Dolphins at Lang Park. Scoring points has been a big issue — they rank last in the NRL for points scored and second-last for tries. They've been slightly better at home (4-5) than away (2-5), but it’s clear they’re in a tough spot. Up against the Sea Eagles this week, the Bunnies will need something special to snap their losing streak.
Stadium Record
Manly are 6-4 in their last 10 games at Brookvale. South Sydney are 3-2 in their last 5 games at this venue.
Head to Head Record
In the last 10 meetings, the Rabbitohs have won 8 games against the Sea Eagles.
Best Bet
The Under is 6-0 when the Sea Eagles are in Sydney and Souths are missing Mitchell.
