NRL 2022 Round 12 – Betting tips & Predictions

Round 12 of the NRL season is Indigenous Round, and will see a huge number of massive games take place over the course of the weekend. It kicks off with a big game between a Storm side coming off consecutive losses and the Sea Eagles on Thursday night, before Friday night football begins with a top four clash between the Panthers and the Cowboys. The next evening, the Sharks take on the Roosters, before the round concludes with an intriguing clash between the Eels and the Raiders. There’s plenty on the line over the course of the weekend, so check out our previews of each and every game below.

Melbourne Storm vs Manly Sea Eagles

May 26 – AAMI Park, Melbourne (Home of the Wurundjeri People) – 7.50pm

After winning eight of their first nine games, the Storm have hit something of a rough patch, suffering consecutive losses over the past fortnight. They have, in fairness, been to the two other sides in the top three, but the nature of the losses has nonetheless been cause for some concern. They are still the biggest challenger to Penrith for this year’s NRL Premiership, but they’d want to arrest their losing skid this Friday night when they welcome the Sea Eagles to AAMI Park. The Sea Eagles also desperately need a win having lost four of their past five to fall outside the top eight, but they’ll have their work cut out getting it this weekend against a Storm side looking to bounce back into form on their own home turf.

Bet on the Storm to win @ $1.15 (Bet365)

Penrith Panthers vs North Queensland Cowboys

May 27 – BlueBet Stadium, Penrith (Home of the Dharug People) – 6.00pm

Friday evening’s NRL action kicks off with arguably the game of the round; a top four clash between the seemingly unstoppable Panthers and the impressive Cowboys. Penrith has lost just a solitary game all year and have knocked off a couple of fellow top four aspirants with consummate ease over the past fortnight, and in facing the Cowboys they get a chance to do the same to another one. North Queensland continues to defy any remaining sceptics, last week demolishing the Storm in perhaps their best performance of the year. If they can play like that again they are capable of giving the home side a run for their money, but the Panthers are clearly the best side in the competition at the moment and, particularly at BlueBet Stadium, it’s impossible to tip against them.

Bet on the Panthers to win @ $1.31 (BoomBet)

Brisbane Broncos vs Gold Coast Titans

May 27 – Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane (Home of the Yuggera and Turrbal Peoples) – 7.55pm

The Broncos continued their sparkling form last Thursday night, disposing of the Knights in a run of wins which has now stretched out to five games. Suddenly, they are in fifth place and just goal difference outside the top four, and they are every chance of jumping inside it this weekend. The Titans have been disappointing this year, and though the seven point loss to the Sharks last week looks like an improved showing on paper, two late tries when the game was over meant the scoreboard flattered them in the end. That made it five losses in the past six games for them, and it’s hard to imagine them having what it takes to beat one of the most in-form teams in the league right now.

Bet on the Broncos to win @ $1.28 (PlayUp)

New Zealand Warriors vs Newcastle Knights

May 28 – Moreton Daily Stadium, Redcliffe (Home of the Yuggera, Jinibara and Kabi Kabi Peoples) – 3.00pm

In what is an unlikely push for a spot in the finals, the Warriors suffered a disappointing setback last weekend when they went down by six points to the Dragons in what looked like a winnable game heading in. That sent their record to 4-7, and if they want to stay in touch with the top eight they’ll need a win this week after three consecutive losses. Fortunately for them, they have a great chance to get it against the Knights. After a bright start Newcastle have struggled all season, their only win in the past two months coming against the struggling Bulldogs, and those struggles continued when they were comprehensively beaten by the Broncos last weekend. This doesn’t exactly shape as a game for the ages, but the Warriors should be a little too strong.

Bet on the Warriors to win @ $1.60 (Palmerbet)

South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Wests Tigers

May 28 – Accor Stadium, Sydney (Home of the Wann-gal People) – 5.30pm

The Rabbitohs saw their record fall to 5-6 last weekend courtesy of a disappointing 32-12 loss in what is turning out to be an equally disappointing season. Last year’s Grand Finalists are just barely hanging on to a spot in the top eight, and have now alternated wins and losses for the past six weeks. That trend looks likely to continue this weekend when they take on the Tigers. Wests secured just their third win of the season last Friday night, jumping out of the blocks against the Bulldogs before warding off a challenge, but for all of the Bunnies’ woes they will pose a more difficult test for the Tigers this weekend. They aren’t exactly setting the league on fire with their current form, but the Rabbitohs should be able to take their record to 6-6.

Bet on the Rabbitohs to win @ $1.37 (Palmerbet)

Cronulla Sharks vs Sydney Roosters

May 28 – PointsBet Stadium, Sydney (Home of the Dharawal People) – 7.35pm

The Sharks bounced back from a disappointing loss to the Raiders a couple of weeks ago with a solid performance against the Titans on Sunday afternoon, and though a couple of late defensive lapses brought the margin to just seven points, they were the far better side throughout the game. This weekend they’ll attempt to win consecutive games for the first time since early April and maintain their hold on a spot in the top four, and with the side they’re playing jostling for a similar spot on the ladder this is a game with major repercussions. The Roosters were no match for Penrith last weekend – putting them in a category with virtually every other team in the league – but they are sitting just a game out of the top four and can jump into it with a big win in this game. This will be a fiercely contested game and probably a close one too, and the Roosters can cause an upset against a Sharks side which is beginning to show a couple of cracks after a strong start to the year.

Bet on the Roosters to win @ 2.00 (Bet365)

Canterbury Bulldogs vs St. George Illawarra

May 29 – Belmore Sports Ground, Sydney (Home of the Dharug, Eora and Bediagal Peoples) – 2.00pm

The Bulldogs’ calamitous season continued last weekend, conceding 36 points to a Tigers side which they would have given themselves a chance of beating heading into the game. For a period in the game they looked like turning things around, working their way back from an 18-0 half-time deficit to get within two points just 14 minutes into the second half, but they undid all their good work over the next 26 minutes. They’ll get another chance to earn a third win of the season against an average side this weekend, but the Dragons have at least been consistently competitive. They won their fifth game of the year on Saturday against the Warriors and have now either won or been within six points of their opponents at the final whistle in five of their past six games. As the Bulldogs showed last weekend, they are capable at their best, but the Dragons will be expecting to win this one.

Bet on the Dragons to win @ $1.54 (BoomBet)

Canberra Raiders vs Parramatta Eels

May 29 – GIO Stadium, Canberra (Home of the Ngunnawal People) – 4.05pm

Round 12 of the NRL season concludes with a game which looks a lot more interesting than it might have a couple of weeks ago. After an inauspicious start to the season, the Raiders have hit form in a big way with three consecutive wins. The last two of those have come by 20 points against first the Sharks and then the Rabbitohs, and all of a sudden they are just goal difference outside the top eight. The Eels, in contrast, have lost two in a row and three of their last four to drop out of the top four, and another loss would see them only just hanging on to a spot in the top eight. The Raiders’ significantly better form gives them a big chance to win this, but the Eels are still the better team and should be able to get the job done in an entertaining game.

Bet on the Eels to win @ $1.50 (PlayUp)