2016 NRL Round 21 Betting Tips
Some big games coming up to look at with our NRL betting tips this week – starting with Thursday night’s Roosters vs Broncos! Make sure to read on for our 2016 NRL Round 21 betting tips
Sydney Roosters Vs Brisbane Broncos (Thursday, 28 July)
The Broncos are in a downward spiral. They’ve only won 3 of their last 10 after being predicted as one of the top teams in the competition this season and after being extremely competitive in the last two seasons. Origin definitely takes its toll on Brisbane, but Origin is over and last week the 8th place Panthers dismantled the Broncos.
Against the Panthers, it took a staggering 58 minutes for the Broncos to cross the line. In the 57 minutes preceding, the Panthers never let up. The main issue is simply incomplete sets and wasted opportunities. The Broncos also have a tendency to give away penalties – eight against the Panthers, five against the Rabbitohs and four against the Storm. Seventeen penalties in 3 games is undisciplined and certainly not what you’d think Wayne Bennett is preaching. This lack off discipline will see the Broncos without the services of forwards Josh McGuire and Sam Thaiday who are both suspended for dangerous tackles.
The Roosters are consistent. Sure they don’t win, but they do what we expect. Since Mitchell Pearce’s return the Roosters have been improving. Pearce is still an elite footballer and he’s showing it. He isn’t the most destructive halfback when it comes to crossing the line and scoring tries, what he is though is a playmaker. He steers the ship and elevates his teammates.
The Broncos don’t deserve to win this week and the Roosters are probably in the best position to take it to them. They certainly started strong against the Storm last week. They crossed the line first with a Blake Ferguson try in the 4th minute and remained competitive for most of the first half against potentially the most well rounded team in the league.
This one will be close. Despite their issues, the Broncos are still stronger and more efficient then the Roosters. They’ll walk way with the two points, but it shouldn’t be a big margin.
Tip: Brisbane Broncos 1-12 – $3.00 at CrownBet
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Vs St. George Illawarra Dragons (Friday, 29 July)
Last week I said the Bulldogs would struggle in Townsville, but I still expected them to show up. They didn’t and as a result suffered a brutal 36-0 drumming by a solid Cowboys outfit. This week back at ANZ we expect the Dogs to bounce back and put up a strong performance against the Dragons. The Dogs are sticking with the same starting lineup.
The Dragons aren’t exactly the best team going around. They’re coming off a tough loss to the Tigers which saw them on the back foot for the majority of the 80 minutes. They did attempt to stay competitive and managed a late try but it simply wasn’t enough. Ah Mau Leeson has been suspended for three weeks after a careless high tackle on Tim Grant with Will Matthews replacing him on the bench.
While the Dogs are still in the hunt for a top 4 finish, the Dragons are one loss away from not playing finals at all. Historically the Dogs have the advantage having won the last three against the Dragons and the last four they’ve hosted. With the Dragons in questionable form, we’ll take the Bulldogs at the line.
Tip: Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs -15.5 – $1.90 at Ladbrokes
North Queensland Cowboys Vs Melbourne Storm (Saturday, 30 July)
This could have been the game of the round and maybe a preview of this season’s Grand Final. 2nd Vs 3rd. Two of the strongest sides in the league. Now don’t get me wrong this will still be an epic game of football. The Cowboys are coming off a big win against the Bulldogs and the Storm an expected victory against the Roosters. So what went wrong… Well. JT is out. Thurston strained his hamstring against the Bulldogs and will miss the next two weeks. Missing JT will have a massive impact for the Cowboys. JT isn’t regarded as the one of if not the best player in the league for no reason. With JT out, Ray Thompson will be thrust in to the spotlight at halfback.
Melbourne are on fire. They are currently on a 4 game streak and they’ve only lost three games this season. When these two teams faced off in Round 10 Cameron Smith played a monster game. He made 61 tackles, converted all his attempts at goal and kicked the game winning field goal in the 71st minute. Melbourne have made no line up changes ahead of Saturday night’s game.
The Cowboys at home is one of the toughest assignment in the NRL. Melbourne, however, travels well and have a very good record against the Cowboys. This will still be a thrilling battle, but losing JT means a loss of some of this games’ prestige. The loss of JT will effect the Cowboys but Michael Morgan and Lachlan Coote should be able to make sure it isn’t an all purple blowout.
Tip: Melbourne Storm 1-12 – $3.00 at CrownBet
Gold Coast Titans Vs Cronulla Sharks (Monday, 1 August)
Cronulla seem to have it all this season. They are crushing. With 15 straight wins in the bag they are having the best season in club history. Last week they easily defeated the Knights and this week will look to do the same against the Titans.
James Maloney has been named to return from injury, resulting in a full strength Sharks line up. Ben Barba and Valentine Holmes were the standout performers on Sunday afternoon, both scoring two tries and running for a combined 386 metres.
Greg Bird and Ryan Simpkins will return for the the Titans, while they will lose the services of Nathan Friend. Nathan Peats is also in doubt as he has been struggling with a hamstring injury. The Titans have been up and down all season. Last week they overpowered the Eels with excellent performances from Ashley Taylor and Chris McQueen.
Most people think the pressure is on the Sharks as they’ve got the streak to worry about ect. I believe the pressure is entirely on the Titans. Can they beat a team that no other team has been able to defeat in 15 long rounds? That’s a heavy weight to carry and I don’t think they’ve got what it takes.
Tip: Cronulla Sharks 13+ – $2.62 at CrownBet
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