2017 NRL Round 20 Betting Tips
The 2017 NRL Season continues this weekend and we take a look at the best value matches for our NRL Round 20 Preview and Betting Tips.
Brisbane Broncos vs Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs (Thursday 7.50pm AEST)
The Broncos will field their strongest side in months on Thursday night and it will be the beginning of their finals push post origin. The Queensland players will all be riding a high and full of confidence after their come from behind series win against the Blues. The only player they are missing from their starting line up is Darius Boyd. Anthony Milford made his return to the NRL last week after dislocating his shoulder 5 weeks earlier. He played a starring role in the sides victory over the Newcastle Knights while Ben Hunt will play alongside him in the halves, earning the nod over Benji Marshall and Kodi Nikorima.
The Bulldogs will enter this game on the back of a bye from last week. The week earlier they looked poor against the Newcastle Knights. The side has lacked attack all season and it is no surprise they have the lowest points scored of any team in the competition. We can’t see them worrying the Broncos at Suncorp who have a strong defence and are a great attacking team.
TIP: Broncos at the margin (13+) – $2.25 at Sportsbet
Canberra Raiders vs Melbourne Storm (Saturday 5.30pm AEST)
The Raiders kept their season alive with a golden point victory over the Dragons last week. It shouldn’t have been that hard for them, playing in front of their home fans and with an under strength opponent. However, the Raiders haven’t been able to find their rhythm this season and they have struggled to click. They will need to continue their winning ways to keep their season alive but their task will be a lot harder on Saturday night.
The Storm will enter this game with all of their origin stars back on deck. Cameron Munster is coming off the biggest game of his short career as he earned man of the match honours in his debut game for Queensland against New South Wales in the game 3 decider. It is remarkable to have a good game under those situations but to stand out from the rest of the pack is amazing. He will continue to grow alongside Cooper Cronk, Cameron Smith and Billy Slater. We can’t see the Storm losing this one as the side is flying high at the top of the table.
TIP: Storm at the margin (1-12) – $2.90 at CrownBet
St George Illawarra Dragons vs Manly Sea Eagles (Sunday 2pm AEST)
The Sea Eagles inter this match after climbing into third spot on the ladder. There is some off-field distractions surrounding the club but they haven’t let that affect them this season. They weren’t at their best in their last match against the Wests Tigers but they essentially went into cruise control after the 10th minute. They held on for victory after a surge in the second half and if Daly Cherry-Evans can continue to play at a high level then this side can continue to climb the ladder, especially with the Trbojevic brothers doing their thing.
Meanwhile the Dragons are on a downward spiral and are only just holding onto their eighth spot on the ladder. The side has one win from its last six matches and they don’t look like a side that will make the finals. We are predicting the team to lose this one, on the back of their stuttering attack that hasn’t been able to click in recent weeks. The off-field attention around Josh Dugan could spark him into action but we believe it will do the opposite.
TIP: Sea Eagles at the line (-1.5) – $1.90 at William Hill
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TIPS ARE SIMPLY THE AUTHOR’s OPINION. ALWAYS GAMBLE RESPONSIBLY
