Canterbury Bulldogs vs Newcastle Knights
Friday May 13 | Suncorp Stadium | 6.00pm AEST
Interesting clash to kick off Magic Round, with the Bulldogs surprisingly owning a strong overall record against the Knights. Despite losing three of the past five clashes, they’ve prevailed in eight of the last 11 fixtures with the Knights. They come off a loss to the Raiders after beating the Roosters the week before and have shown glimpses of improvement in 2022. I get the feeling they are on the brink of putting it altogether and stringing a few wins. However, the reality is they still sit at the bottom of the ladder. As for the Knights, their season has gone completely off the rails, losing their past seven after starting the season with two wins. I can’t see them turning it around here.
Suggested bet: 1u Bulldogs win at $1.74
Manly Sea Eagles vs Brisbane Broncos
Friday May 13 | Suncorp Stadium | 8.05pm AEST
A three-match winning streak has the Broncos in the top eight, with big scalps in the past two weeks after triumphs over Cronulla and Souths. They now come up against a Manly side which is tricky to assess. They returned to the winners’ circle with a strong win over the Tigers and have a good record against the Broncos, including
a 50-6 romp during Magic Round last season. But the Broncos get Payne Haas and Kurt Capewell back – two key inclusons. With that, I’m surprised they’re clear outsiders given their current form. Brisbane looks the value if they can keep up their recent form.
Suggested bet: 1u Broncos win at $2.35
New Zealand Warriors vs South Sydney Rabbitohs
Saturday May 14 | Suncorp Stadium | 3.00pmAEST
Two sides coming off poor performances last week, with the Rabbitohs going down to the Broncos and the Warriors unable to take advantage of an undermanned Sharks side. The Rabbitohs are now out the top eight and desperate to take the points as they look to reverse the downward spiral of their season. Warriors skipper Tohu Harris is an important inclusion, while Cameron Murray is a notable omission for the Rabbitohs. Nothing has driven me to think the Rabbitohs should be $1.40 against basically any side this year, and the Warriors are renowned for pulling off surprise wins. They will be keen to hit back after last week’s poor showing against Cronulla and can surprise.
Suggested bet: 1u Warriors win at $3
Gold Coast Titans vs St George Illawarra Dragons
Saturday May 14 | Suncorp Stadium | 5.30pmAEST
This shapes as an important clash for both sides, with the Dragons looking to get back in form after they were denied four straight wins by Melbourne last week. As for the Titans, they’ve now lost five straight and finals already seems out of the equation. If the Titans drop this clash, the top eight will almost certainly be out of reach. They’ve made some big personnel changes and have won the past two cashes against the Dragons. Whilst I’d have liked a slightly better price, I think they can make it three straight wins against the Dragons.
Suggested bet: 1.5u Titans win at $2
Melbourne Storm vs Penrith Panthers
Saturday May 14 | Suncorp Stadium | 7.30pmAEST
Mouth-watering clash between the two heavyweights of the competition. The Storm have found another gear in the past few weeks, scoring 42+ points in their last three wins. The Panthers had their eight-game winning streak to start the season snapped by the Eels last week, but the writing was on the wall the week prior. Can they hit back or is this ‘slump’ going to linger? Historically, there’s no clear advantage between either of these sides, with each winning four from the last eight meetings. The question is if the Storm can keep their steamrolling form without playmaker Ryan Papenhuyzen? If he was playing, I’m sure the Storm would be favourites. The market has this one right from my perspective, so let’s sit back and enjoy this blockbuster.
No suggested bet
Cronulla Sharks vs Canberra Raiders
Sunday May 15 | Suncorp Stadium | 1.50pm AEST
This looks a mismatch with the Sharks enjoying a strong start to the season as they take on a Raiders side which beat the hapless Bulldogs to avoid six straight losses. But the Sharks returning to Brisbane (the scene of easily their worst performance all year) is some cause for concern. It was only two weeks ago a mistake-riddled Sharks were beaten by the Broncos. They bounced back last week to beat the Warriors 29-10 – impressive with only 10 or 11 men on the field for most of the clash. Canberra has absolutely dominated the Sharks in recent clashes, but it’s clear this is under very different circumstances in 2022. Still, I can’t touch the $1.25 for the Sharks with their last showing here in Brisbane a complete disaster.
No suggested bet
Sydney Roosters vs Parramatta Eels
Sunday May 15 | Suncorp Stadium | 4.05pm AEST
The Roosters avoided three straight losses when they bet the Titans last week, but it’s safe to say they’re still far from their best in 2022. The Eels have also been up and down but reminded everyone their best can mix it with the competition’s best when they upset the Panthers last week. There’s some changes for the Roosters with Verrills and Collins out, while the Eels go in unchanged. If the Eels are anywhere near their best, they should account for Roosters.
Suggested bet: 1.5u Eels win at $1.71
Wests Tigers vs North Queensland Cowboys
Sunday May 15 | Suncorp Stadium | 6.25pm AEST
The surprise packet of the competition has undoubtedly been the Cowboys and they now occupy third sport. Most thought they’d drop off after the solid start, but they seem to be only getting better as they now ride a four-game winning streak. The Tigers have put in better performances in the past month, but succumbed to the
Dragons and Sea Eagles in recent weeks. The Tigers have won five of the last six encounters between these sides, but have also lost their last six outside of Sydney. The Cowboys juggernaut should continue here.
Suggested bet: 1u Cowboys -9.5 at $1.90