NRL 2022 Round 7 – Betting tips & Predictions

Round 7 of the NRL season will be spread over five days on ANZAC Day weekend, and includes many intriguing matchups between top eight contenders. It begins with a huge clash between the Sharks and the Sea Eagles on Thursday night, before the Broncos and Bulldogs clash the next evening. The rampant Panthers welcome the Raiders to their den on Sunday night, before the traditional ANZAC Cup between the Dragons and Roosters headlines ANZAC Day’s double-header. Most of the eight games this weekend loom as enticing encounters, and below we’ve previewed each and every one of them.

Cronulla Sharks vs Manly Sea Eagles

April 21 – PointsBet Stadium, Sydney – 7.50pm

Round 7 of the NRL season opens with a bang when two teams enjoying strong starts to the season go head to head at PointsBet Stadium. The Sharks were always going to be tested by the Storm last week despite having won their previous four games, and as many predicted they were no match for one of the Premiership favourites. Nonetheless, they are vastly improved this season and are at this point undefeated on their home turf, meaning the Sea Eagles have a significant task ahead of them if they are to continue their own winning streak. After losing their first two games of the season – albeit to the Panthers and the Roosters – they’ve won four on the trot, and can jump ahead of the Sharks and potentially into the top four with a win this weekend. With their form at home so far this year Cronulla will enter the game favourites with betting sites, but the in-form Sea Eagles might just be able to cause an upset.

Bet on the Sharks to win @ $3.00 (Palmerbet)

Brisbane Broncos vs Canterbury Bulldogs

April 22 – Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane – 7.55pm

A positive start to the season has slowly unravelled over the past month for the Broncos, who have now lost four in a row after their blowout loss at the hands of the Panthers last Friday. They started that game strongly but were again undone by an inability to keep opposing attacks at bay, conceding 40 points having given up 20, 20 and 38 in the three games prior. Fortunately, the side they are playing this Friday is not exactly an offensive juggernaut. The Bulldogs have struggled to score all season, and their 16 points last weekend was the most they’d managed in six rounds; unfortunately, it was all for naught as they gave up 36 to the Rabbitohs. That made it five losses in a row, the last three of which have been particularly disappointing for a side which was expected to make significant inroads this year. Neither of these teams can be tipped with any great confidence, but the Broncos on their home turf might be a little too good.

Bet on the Broncos to win @ $1.65 (Bet365)

North Queensland Cowboys vs Gold Coast Titans

April 23 – Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville – 5.30pm

Saturday kicks off with a clash between two teams who have endured roller coaster starts to the season, and Aussie bookmakers can’t separate them. The Cowboys, after a snorefest of an opener which saw them go down by two points to the Bulldogs, were brilliant in Rounds 2 and 3, thoroughly disappointing the next two weeks, and then bounced back with a strong win over the Raiders last Thursday night. The Titans, meanwhile, had each of their first four games decided by four points or less and won two of them. They’ve lost their last two, but both were close games against good teams. Their ledger might sit at 2-4 but it’s not all doom and gloom for the Titans, who have played some good footy this year. The home side has been all over the place this year and it’s hard to know which North Queensland will turn up, but the Titans are the better side despite their inferior ladder position and can get back on the winners’ list on Saturday evening.

Bet on the Titans to win @ $1.90 (PlayUp)

Wests Tigers vs South Sydney Rabbitohs

April 23 – CommBank Stadium, Sydney – 7.35pm

After a tricky start to the round in terms of tipping, Saturday evening brings a game which theoretically should be a little more one-sided, although after the Tigers’ performance last weekend maybe this is not the lay-down misère it may have appeared to be prior to Round 6. The Tigers were the only winless team heading into their clash with the Eels last weekend, but surprised everyone by sneaking over the line 21-20 in a thrilling game against a team with top four aspirations. If they can find a way to ensure that performance wasn’t a one-off they’ll trouble plenty more good teams, and they’ll need to do just that this weekend against a Rabbitohs outfit playing some good footy. Last year’s Grand Finalist have won three of their past four games by 12 points or more, including a 20-point drubbing of the Bulldogs last weekend. Despite Wests’ impressive win on Easter Monday, the Bunnies will surely be too good in this one.

Bet on the Rabbitohs to win @ $1.28 (Bet365)

Newcastle Knights vs Parramatta Eels

April 24 – McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle – 2.00pm

The Knights were the surprise packet of the first two rounds of the NRL season, putting together two big wins, but any respect they might have gained over that fortnight has been well and truly lost over the past month. They were uncompetitive in three consecutive games heading into Round 6, and though they got closer on the scoreboard last weekend, they still lost to the lowly Dragons. Now, they come up against a Premiership contender smarting after a shock loss last weekend. The Eels have been fantastic this season; they won four of their first five including one against the Storm and two against the Titans, but were beaten by the winless Tigers by a point last weekend in the biggest upset of the year. They’ll be looking to make sure that surprise result is a mere blip on the radar, and might just be able to put the Knights to the sword this Sunday afternoon.

Bet on the Eels to win @ $1.35 (BoomBet)

Penrith Panthers vs Canberra Raiders

April 24 – BlueBet Stadium, Penrith – 4.05pm

Can anyone stop the Panthers? Last year’s Premiers headed into this year the slight Premiership favourites, and six weeks in those odds have done nothing but shorten. They have destroyed virtually every team they’ve come up against, with the Broncos the latest victim in a 40-12 drubbing. Penrith is still yet to face many of their biggest contenders for the flag this year, but that does little to diminish how impressive their performances have been so far. The Raiders, having put in three pretty average efforts in succession, will not exactly be thrilled at the prospect of heading to the Panthers’ den. The Sea Eagles and the Storm are the best teams Canberra has faced this year and they’ve failed both of those tests dismally, and that doesn’t bode particularly well for their prospects this Sunday.

Bet on the Panthers to win @ $1.12 (PlayUp)

St. George Illawarra Dragons vs Sydney Roosters

April 25 – Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney – 4.00pm

The NRL’s ANZAC Day double-header begins with the 21st edition of the ANZAC Day Cup, which was inaugurated in 2002 and has been played every year since. The Dragons have a slight edge in the head-to-head, having won 11 to the Roosters 9, but they will have their work cut out to keep that trend going this year. They did enjoy their first win since Round 1 last weekend, but the team they beat in the Knights are going as badly as anyone, and that victory was preceded by three consecutive thrashings at the hands of good teams. They don’t have the talent to match it with the better sides in the league, and the Roosters are exactly that. After losing two of their first three, Sydney has won three in a row, and though those victories haven’t been anything to write home about, they should be too good for the Dragons.

Bet on the Roosters to win @ $1.25 (BoomBet)

Melbourne Storm vs New Zealand Warriors

April 25 – AAMI Park, Melbourne – 7.00pm

A five-day festival of NRL concludes on ANZAC Day evening when the Warriors head to AAMI Park for what will be their biggest test of the season. The Storm have been close to unbeatable at home for years, and though the Rabbitohs went close to upsetting the apple cart in Round 2 at AAMI Park, Bellamy’s boys have put up 78 points to 18 in their ensuing two games on their home turf. The Warriors have been competitive so far this season and have won plenty of fans over the past month courtesy of three straight wins and a respectable loss at the hands of the Roosters last Sunday, but the Storm are a different ball game entirely and should be able to take their record to 6-1 with a fairly comfortable victory on Monday night.

Bet on the Storm to win @ $1.10 (Palmerbet)