2017 NRL Round Finals: Week 2 Betting Tips
The 2017 NRL season continues this weekend and we take a look at both of the semi final clashes in our Finals Week 2 Preview and Betting Tips below.
Brisbane Broncos vs Penrith Panthers (Friday 7.50pm AEST)
The Broncos and Panthers face off in the opening finals match and we believe it will be the home side coming away with the victory.
The Panthers are a young side and while they entered the season as premiership favourites alongside the Melbourne Storm, their inexperience has shown throughout the season. To add to that, their highest rated player Matt Moylan will be watching on from the sidelines for various reasons. It leaves Peter Wallace as the only experienced player in the spine which places a lot of pressure on the shoulders of Nathan Cleary. The 19-year-old halfback has been excellent in his opening two seasons in the NRL and he has been marked as the NSW halfback for the next decade. However, he still is only 19 and he has two young players joining him in the spine in Tyrone May and Dylan Edwards. The side will compete but they will need to be perfect to upset the Broncos.
The Broncos were far from their best against the Roosters but they almost came away with the victory, and on the road. The side trailed 14-0 early but managed to hold a lead heading into the final 5-minutes of the contest. Fortunately for them, they will be welcoming back their captain Darius Boyd this week. He was named on an extended bench and they will almost certainly name him to return. He will be a big inclusion for the side as they missed the cohesion he brings to their attack and defence. We are predicting the Broncos’ experience to prove the difference in the contest as they hold on for a narrow victory.
TIP: Broncos at the margin (1-12) – $3.00 at Sportsbet
Parramatta Eels vs North Queensland Cowboys (Saturday 7.50pm AEST)
If you had of asked Eels coach Brad Arthur what he wanted to see in the elimination final between the two sides he was going to face the following week, he would have said exactly what happened during the Cowboys and Sharks match. The two sides played in a physical match which went into extra-time and to make Arthur happier, he will face the injury plagued Cowboys as opposed to the defending premiers the Sharks.
Obviously, we are backing the Eels to earn the victory in this one and we believe it will be by a double digit margin. The Eels pushed the Storm to the limits last week and almost earned a massive upset. A few calls went against them and ultimately it proved the difference. The side was creative in attack while they were clinical in defence. It took a couple of miracle tries to crack their defence and we can’t see the Cowboys doing the same this Saturday night.
The Cowboys have struggled to find the try line in recent weeks and even one of their two tries on the weekend was controversial. Jason Tuamalolo was a monster in the victory and they will need him have an even better game. He lays the platform for Jake Granville to dart out of dummy half while Michael Morgan will also excel on the back of good go-forward. However, the Eels are a good side at slowing down the play-the-ball. We can’t see this contest ending in anything other than an Eels victory and we think they will do it comfortably, pulling away in the final 20-minutes.
TIP: Eels at the line (-8.5) – $1.90 at William Hill
TIPS ARE SIMPLY THE AUTHOR’S OPINION. ALWAYS GAMBLE RESPONSIBLY
