Penrith Panthers vs Melbourne Storm
Thursday August 11 | BlueBet Stadium | 7.50pm AEST
A blockbuster clash between two competiton heavyweights to kick off the round. The Panthers look set to claim the minor premiership after they beat the Raiders last week, even without star players Nathan Cleary, Jarome Luai and Viliame Kikau. They now face a Storm which has been far form convincing despite steadying the ship with two wins to follow up an uncharacteristic string of losses. The Storm are back in the top four but only off the back of those wins against low opponents in the Titans and Warriors. Jahrome Hughes is a big loss this week for the Storm, however Nick Meaney and Justin Olam are strong inclusions. Penrith smacked Melbourne by 26 points earlier in the season, and with home ground advantage, should be way too good for the Storm here.
Suggested bet: 1u Penrith -4.5 at $1.90
New Zealand Warriors vs Canterbury Bulldogs
Friday August 12 | Mt Smart Stadium | 6.00pm AEST
The Warriors are back at home but come into this off four straight losses, and only one win from their past 12 outings. The Bulldogs have improved considerably with the new coach bringing a renewed style of play, but had a reality check in last week’s loss to the Cowboys. While the Warriors should have motivation in front of their home fans, the Bulldogs are playing a solid brand of football. They tested the Cowboys for the most part last week before letting in some late tries. The Bulldogs will be keen to continue their competitive month of football and should have too much firepower for the Warriors.
Suggested bet: 1u Bulldogs -4.5 at $1.90
Parramatta Eels vs South Sydney Rabbitohs
Friday August 12 | CommBank Stadium | 7.55pm AEST
An important match for both sides as they look to stay alive in the hunt for a top four spot. Souths own a brilliant recent record against the Eels, winning the last five encounters by convincing margins, and that includes a dominant 30-12 display earlier this season. The Eels are again without Mitch Moses, but that mattered little last week as they toppled Manly on their home deck. As for the Rabbitohs, they rebounded from their golden point disappointment against the Sharks by putting the Warriors to the sword with a 48-10 win. Despite the Eels poor record against the Rabbitohs, I’m surprised there’s such a big difference in the market.
Suggested bet: 1u Parramatta +3.5 at $1.90
Sydney Roosters vs North Queensland Cowboys
Saturday August 13 | SCG | 3.00pm AEST
The Cowboys come into this clash with only two losses from their last 15 outings but face a Roosters side on the march after four wins on the trot. Sydney have won the past four encounters with the Cowboys, but it’s clear this 2022 North Queensland side is very different to previous years. However, it will linger in the Cowboys’ mind that they were handed a hiding by the Roosters at home earlier in the season. Jordan McLean and Reuben Cotter are solid inclusions, but they’ll need to be at their best to hold out a Roosters side with huge momentum from the past few weeks. This is an important clash for both sides – the Roosters can lock up a top eight spot while the Cowboys could almost shore up a top two berth with a win. The Roosters are playing better footy but it’s hard to imagine they are favourites after only recently finding their form in recent weeks.
Suggested bet: 1u Cowboys +3.5 at $1.90
Wests Tigers vs Cronulla Sharks
Saturday August 13 | Scully Park | 5.30pm AEST
The Tigers’ mini resurgence has been seemingly short-lived, unable to back up recent impressive performances when going down to the lowly Knights last week. The Sharks got past the Dragons last week but they were far from at their best. They’ll be keen to hit back and reinforce their credentials as a genuine premiership contender. Cronulla have won eight of the last nine meetings between these two, including a dominant 26 point win in Round 5. Dale Finucane is back for the Sharks and there’s too much at stake for them to drop this one.
Suggested bet: 1.5u Sharks -12.5 at $1.90
Brisbane Broncos vs Newcastle Knights
Saturday August 13 | Suncorp Stadium | 7.35pm AEST
I’m very keen to stay right out of this clash from a betting perspective. It has danger game written all over it for the spluttering Broncos. Whilst the Broncos have won six of their last seven home games against the Knights, there’s serious concerns about whether they warrant their spot in the top eight after two hefty losses. The Knights will likely also have their tail up after last week’s win over the Tigers. The -17.5 for the Broncos seems excessive, but it’s hard to predict what the Knights will bring. Staying out of this one.
No suggested bet
Canberra Raiders vs St George Illawarra Dragons
Sunday August 14 | GIO Stadium | 2.00pm AEST
This is basically a must-win for the Raiders to keep their finals chances alive, while the Dragons appear out of the top eight race after last week’s loss to the Sharks. That was the Dragons fourth loss in five games, but they’ve all been against top eight sides. They’ve also won two of the past three against the Raiders, but they’ll be without enforcer Tariq Sims through suspension. Joseph Tapine and Nick Cotric are big losses for the Raiders, however they do regain Corey Horsburgh and Xavier Savage. It’s been a tricky week off-field for the Raiders, but they should hit back with a win at home.
Suggested bet: 1u Raiders -5.5 at $1.90
Gold Coast Titans vs Manly Sea Eagles
Sunday August 14 | Cbus Super Stadium | 4.05pm AEST
The cellar-dwelling Titans return home to face the Sea Eagles who are playing to keep their top eight chances alive. The Titans have rarely looked like getting the points in losing their past 10 games, while the Sea Eagles have also lost their past three. Manly have also won the past three games against the Titans, including some absolute wallopings. The Sea Eagles were strong against the Eels last week, before letting strong position disappear when going down 36-20. There were enough positives from that performance to suggest the Titans won’t be troubling them.
Suggested bet: 1.5u Sea Eagles -6.5 at $1.90