Almost two months into the NRL season the ladder is beginning to take shape, and Round 8 will see a number of significant games take place. It starts with a clash between the Broncos and a Sharks side trying to prove they belong in the top four, before a Preliminary Final replay between the Rabbitohs and Sea Eagles headlines Friday night. The NRL heads to Darwin Saturday night for an Eels vs Cowboys clash, before the Storm try to keep their winning ways going against the Knights on Sunday.It’s a big round of footy, and we’ve previewed each and every game set to take place over the weekend on this page.
Brisbane Broncos vs Cronulla Sharks April 28 – Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane – 7.50pm The Broncos returned to form with a thumping win last Friday night, though their opponent this Thursday will pose a significantly greater challenge than the struggling Bulldogs outfit they feasted on last weekend. The Sharks continued their brilliant start to the season last round with their most impressive win in 2022 yet, putting up 34 points on the Sea Eagles en route to a 12-point victory. That win took their record to 5-2, and saw their Premiership odds shorten significantly with Aussie bookmakers. No longer are they an improving side enjoying a purple patch to begin the season; they appear to genuinely have the makings of a top four side and potential contender, and if that is the case they should be able to dispose of the Broncos on Thursday night. Bet on the Sharks to win @ $1.28 (Palmerbet) Gold Coast Titans vs Penrith Panthers April 29 – Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast – 6.00pm After a solid start to the season, the Titans unravelled last Saturday, being pummelled from pillar to post by the Cowboys. The 30-4 loss was the first time they’ve lost by over eight points this season, and suggested that their run of close defeats may finally have impacted on their confidence. Though they have been competitive in every game of the season with the exception of last weekend, they now find themselves at 2-5 and with a clash against the best team in the league to come. That team, the Panthers, remained the only undefeated team in the NRL with a 36-6 win over the Raiders, their third consecutive win by 20 points or more. Last year’s Premiers look even better in 2022, and it’s hard to imagine the Titans being good enough to inflict their first defeat of the season on them this Friday evening. Bet on the Panthers to win @ $1.07 (Bet365) South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Manly Sea Eagles April 29 – Central Coast Stadium, Gosford – 7.55pm Friday night is headlined by a 2021 Preliminary Final replay when the Rabbitohs welcome the Sea Eagles to Central Coast Stadium. At this point in time, however, both sides appear up against it to get back to that same stage of the season after indifferent starts to their 2022 campaigns. The Rabbitohs find themselves just hanging on to a spot in the top eight with a 3-4 ledger following a disappointing one-point loss to the Tigers last weekend, a loss which came after they appeared to have been working their way into some form following consecutive wins. The Sea Eagles also suffered a disappointing loss in Round 7, going down by 12 points to the impressive Sharks to take their record to 4-3. Like the Bunnies, they’d been in good form themselves, and the loss ended a run of four wins in a row. Both teams are in need of a win if they want to keep touch with the top four so expect a fiercely contested game, and it’s the Sea Eagles who can cause something of an upset in a close one. Bet on the Sea Eagles to win @ $2.15 (BoomBet) New Zealand Warriors vs Canberra Raiders April 30 – Moreton Daily Stadium, Redcliffe – 3.00pm The Warriors had enjoyed a fairly reasonable start to the 2022 season, winning three of their first six games, but much of that good work was undone on ANZAC Day in their most difficult matchup of the season. Playing the Storm at AAMI Park is one of the hardest tests in the NRL, and the Warriors well and truly failed, conceding an extraordinary 70 points and losing by 60 points. That would have put a fairly hefty dent in their confidence, but fortunately they come up against a side facing plenty of issues of their own this weekend. The Raiders endured a 36-6 loss at the hands of the Panthers last Sunday, and now sit ahead of only the Bulldogs on the NRL ladder. There are certainly likely to be higher quality games than this one this weekend, but this one should at least be close. In what is almost a flip of the coin, the Warriors can sneak over the line on Sunday afternoon. Bet on the Warriors to win @ $1.95 (PlayUp)
Canterbury Bulldogs vs Sydney Roosters April 30 – Accor Stadium, Sydney – 5.30pm The Bulldogs continued to frustrate last weekend in a season in which they were expected to improve significantly on their three wins last year. After winning their first game of the season they’ve now lost six in a row, the latest a 20-point loss to the Broncos which marked their fourth consecutive loss by at least that margin. The Roosters aren’t going nearly as well as they’d like and suffered a surprise loss to the Dragons last weekend, but if an easy kill is what they need to get their year back on track then they might just get it against the Bulldogs. Sydney is not exactly playing like a top four side at the moment, but a big win this weekend might be just what they need to get back to playing their best football. Bet on the Roosters to win @ $1.20 (Bet365) Parramatta Eels vs North Queensland Cowboys April 30 – TIO Stadium, Darwin – 7.05pm The NRL heads to Darwin on Saturday night for a game between the rampaging Eels and a Cowboys side which has exceeded expectations, albeit on an inconsistent basis, so far this season. The Eels ran out a 39-2 winner against the Knights last Sunday in what was their biggest of the season, and took their record to 5-2; enough to have them sitting in third place on the NRL ladder. The Cowboys, surprisingly, are not far behind. They are sitting in fifth following a hugely impressive 30-4 win over the Titans last weekend; the third time this season they’ve won a game by 20 points or more. Unfortunately those results have been surrounded by a number of significant losses, but inconsistency is to be expected for a young team like the Cowboys and the quality of football they’ve shown themselves to be capable of has deservedly inspired plenty of confidence in their future prospects. The Eels should be able to get the chocolates in this game, but if they play at the best the Cowboys can certainly make it a close contest. Bet on the Eels to win @ $1.25 (BoomBet) Newcastle Knights vs Melbourne Storm May 1 – McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle – 2.00pm Sunday afternoon kicks off with a clash between two teams which could hardly have endured more contrasting results last weekend if they tried. The Knights were woeful, managing just two points in a 37-point loss against the Eels, while the Storm flexed their proverbial muscle in an astonishing second half against the Warriors on their way to the equal highest score in their history. That 70-10 win took their record to 6-1, and they shouldn’t have too many troubles making it 7-1 this weekend. The mind shudders at what’s in store for the Knights if these two sides both perform like they did last weekend; hopefully they can put in an improved showing, but regardless it’s hard to see them being a match for the Storm. Bet on the Storm to win @ $1.10 (PlayUp) St. George Illawarra Dragons vs Wests Tigers May 1 – WIN Stadium, Wollongong – 4.05pm Neither the Dragons nor the Tigers are expecting to be competing for any silverware this season, but they both enter this game on the back of consecutive close wins and will have their tails up. The Dragons followed up their five-point win over the Knights with a thrilling and very impressive two-point defeat of the Roosters, a major surprise in what was comfortably their best performance of the year. The Tigers, meanwhile, were also fantastic in defeating the Rabbitohs by one-point. Incredibly, that was their second consecutive one-point win following five losses in a row to start the year, the first having come against the Eels. Those two sides are a significantly greater challenge than the Dragons, and if they repeat that form they might be able to cause an upset to end the round. Bet on the Tigers to win @ $2.45 (Palmerbet)
NRL 2022 Round 13 – Betting tips & Predictions Check out our previews of all four games in what is a bye-affected Round 13 of the NRL; the last round before Game 1 of the State of Origin series. 5 Jun 22 06:05NRL Betting Tips Check out our previews of all four games in what is a bye-affected Round 13 of the NRL; the last round before Game 1 of the State of Origin series.
NRL 2022 Round 12 – Betting tips & Predictions Take a look at our preview of all eight games set to take place in Round 12 of the NRL season, including the Panthers vs the Cowboys and the Sharks vs the Roosters. 29 May 22 06:05event endedNRL Betting Tips Take a look at our preview of all eight games set to take place in Round 12 of the NRL season, including the Panthers vs the Cowboys and the Sharks vs the Roosters.
NRL 2022 Round 11 – Betting tips & Predictions There’s a number of big games in Round 11 as the season edges towards its halfway point, and we’ve previewed each of them on this page. 22 May 22 06:05event endedNRL Betting Tips There’s a number of big games in Round 11 as the season edges towards its halfway point, and we’ve previewed each of them on this page.
NRL 2022 Round 10 – Betting tips & Predictions Round 10 of the NRL will see all eight games played at Suncorp Stadium as part of Magic Round, and we’ve previewed each and every one of them. 15 May 22 08:25event endedNRL Betting Tips Round 10 of the NRL will see all eight games played at Suncorp Stadium as part of Magic Round, and we’ve previewed each and every one of them.
