2017 NRL Finals: Week 3 Betting Tips
The 2017 NRL season is one week away from its peak, with four sides remaining. We take a look at the two games on this weekend in our NRL Preliminary Finals Preview and Betting Tips below.
Melbourne Storm vs Brisbane Broncos (Friday 7.55pm AEST)
There has been one side, which has sat above the rest all season – the Melbourne Storm. They are one win away from a shot at redemption after they lost the 2016 NRL grand final in a tight contest against the Cronulla Sharks. Can we see them falling one game short? No. The Storm have been a cut above and they will have plenty of motivation with Cooper Cronk playing his last season for the Storm and possibly in the NRL while Billy Slater still hasn’t announced what he will do next season. The team wants to send the two champions out on a high and Cameron Smith will want his two buddies to add another grand final victory to their accolades.
Meanwhile the Broncos earned their way to the preliminary final on the back of a terrific defensive effort against the Panthers last week. The side spent the majority of its time its own half and despite missing more tackles than the Panthers, they scrambled well to only concede one try. They receive a massive boost with Darius Boyd back in the side, as he was named to start at fullback. It pushes Benji Marshall to the bench with Kodi Nikorima shifting from number 1 to halfback. However, the Broncos will need Anthony Milford and Ben Hunt to shine in attack if they are to win while they will need their forward pack to lay a strong platform.
The Storm have been the favourites to reach the grand final and win the premiership all year. They haven’t showed any signs of faulting and we aren’t brave (or stupid) enough to back against them. We are predicting a tight match with the Broncos’ desperation keeping the match close but ultimately the Storm will prove too strong.
TIP: Storm at the margin (1-12) – $2.88 with Sportsbet
Sydney Roosters vs North Queensland Cowboys (Saturday 7.40pm AEST)
The Cowboys head into the preliminary final as underdogs for the third week in a row. They showed during the opening two rounds of the finals that they have plenty of heart and aren’t going to die wondering. The Cowboys clawed their way back into the contest against the Sharks and earned the victory after extra-time. However, the Cowboys did it with ease last week against the Eels. The side showed defence, which is capable of winning a premiership as they held out onslaught after onslaught. Meanwhile Michael Morgan was terrific in attack and controlled the side perfectly. He will need to be even better this weekend, as the Cowboys look for a place in the grand final. Matt Scott has been named on an extended bench and it shocked nearly everyone. He was ruled out for the season after the opening rounds due to an ACL injury and we believe he won’t play despite being named.
Meanwhile the Roosters were able to play their get out of jail free card to defeat the Broncos in the opening weekend of the finals. The side dominated the opening 30-minutes but they allowed the Broncos back into the game. They will need to put together a better performance to earn the victory on Saturday night. They need direction from their halfback Mitchell Pearce, when he switches off, the side loses their structure and falls away in contests. Pearce is the key to the side and he will need contributions from the rest of the star studded line up. We are predicting the Roosters forwards to match it with Jason Tauamalolo and the Cowboys’ forwards and lay a platform for the Roosters to earn a narrow win. The loss of Johnathan Thurston earlier in the season will prevent the Cowboys from reaching a grand final.
TIP: Roosters at the margin (1-12) – $2.80 with William Hill
TIPS ARE SIMPLY THE AUTHOR’S OPINION. ALWAYS GAMBLE RESPONSIBLY
