2017 NRL Round 1 Betting Tips
The 2017 NRL season kicks off on Thursday night and we will be previewing the best value matches every week with our NRL betting tips. This week our 2017 NRL Round 1 betting tips start with the season opener as the Sharks take on the Broncos!
Best NRL Round 1 Betting Tips
Cronulla Sharks vs Brisbane Broncos (Thursday, March 2nd at 7.30pm AEDT)
The Sharks are the defending champions after breaking a 50-year drought last season. The side has been able to maintain the majority of its players with only Michael Ennis and Ben Barba leaving. The latter was due to a lot of controversy and he will be missed. Valentine Holmes was going to replace him at fullback but he is injured for this match-up, which leaves Gerard Beale starting in the number one jersey.
The Broncos have had a bit more turnover and have new faces in the backline and forward pack with Corey Parker and Jack Reed hung up the boots. The spine is all the same though which will add stability to the side. They will be relying on their go forward to get them over the line in this one but unforutnaltey for them they are up against a much bigger forward pack. Ben Hunt and Anthony Milford have proven to fail when the forwards don’t win the battle which has us leading towards the Sharks in this one.
TIP: Sharks to win using Ladbrokes Price Boost – $2.50 at Ladbrokes
Or Sharks to win head-to-head – $2.10 with Sportsbet + 50% Boost if Over 6 Points
Canterbury Bulldogs vs Melbourne Storm (Friday, March 3rd at 6pm AEDT)
The Storm will return to the field for the 2017 with a fire in their belly. They missed out on the 2016 premiership by the slimmest of margins and a lot of people believed they were going to score on the final play to win the match. Cooper Cronk and Cameron Smith will have been mulling over that throughout the entire offseason and we are expecting big matches from both of them. Cameron Munster will be Cronk’s halves pairing and it will be interesting to see how he adjusts to his new role after starring at fullback.
The Bulldogs have a lot of pressure on them to perform after a disappointing 2016 season. The side managed to reach the finals but it was their attack that was criticsed all year. Moses Mbye and Josh Reynolds lack the creativity to spark their attack while the forwards get the ball in their hands far too often. We believe it will take more than an offseason for the side to adjust to their new style and the Storm will take advantage.
TIP: Storm to win head-to-head – $1.85 with William Hill
St George Illawarra Dragons vs Penrith Panthers (Saturday, March 4th at 4.30pm AEDT)
The Panthers are entering the season as equal title favourites. Their last two years have been brought undone due to injuries but they will be hoping that is behind them. They have young and talented halves, a brilliant fullback in Matt Moylan and the x-factor in Bryce Cartwright. They shouldn’t have any problem in creating opportunties and scoring points this season.
The Dragons on the other hand are a team that will struggle to find the try line. They had issues all year in that department in 2016 and they haven’t done anything to change that. Their new halfback Drew Hutchinson is out for the season with an ACL injury while Josh Dugan will line up at fullback and doesn’t know how to pass the ball. Defences will know he will run the ball and adjust accordingly. We are predicting this to be a white wash in favour of the away side.
TIP: Panthers to win by 13+ Points – $2.37 with Sportsbet
Manly Sea Eagles vs Penrith Panthers (Sunday, March 5th at 4pm AEDT)
The final game of the opening round of the season will put to old foes against each other. Both are coming off disappointing seasons and will want to turn things around. The Sea Eagles have had the better offseason and they have recruited a couple of halves pairings for Daly Cherry-Evans. Blake Green will partner him for the opening rounds but Jackson Hastings will be biding his time waiting for his opportunity if things don’t work out. The Sea Eagles have had a lot of turnover with experience and in the forward pack too.
The Eels lost a lot of their key players last year due to their salary cap issues and we can’t see them starting the season as well as they did in 2016. Nathan Peates, Keiran Foran and Junior Paulo were big contributors to their success and they will be missing the trio. We are predicting them to struggle and the home side will come away with the win.
TIP: Sea Eagles to win by 1-12 Points – $3.10 with William Hill
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