Brisbane Broncos v South Sydney Rabbitohs

The Broncos head into this match following one of their largest wins in recent memory, a 53-nil whitewash of the Knights at Suncorp Stadium. Even with a day less to prepare for this game, they will be full of confidence and ready to turn out a similar result. This now means that their past two wins at home have been by 79-nil! The Rabbitohs remain in Queensland, after their disappointing loss to the Cowboys. Even with Reynolds returning, the Rabbitohs were barely able to get within a chance of winning the game; demonstrating how much improvement is still to come for their side. You can expect them to be better here and hopefully for the Broncos, last weeks effort will not lure them into a false sense of security. It appears as though the home side is going to be capable of winning this match, maintaining their unbeaten run at home this season. As for the margin, last weeks effort from both sides suggests that this match will be a blowout but the Rabbitohs should be more competitive. Their defensive structure has been poor in the past two weeks and something needs to change for them soon. It may push the boundary of the 2-converted try margin, but it would be surprising to see it get beyond that.

Suggested Bet

Broncos 1-12

Line it up = Rabbitohs +14.5 @ $1.90 – Going by the above selection, the Rabbitohs should be able to use the line to their advantage. The Broncos have only won several times beyond 13, but the visitors will be renewed in their defensive attitude here.

Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs v Gold Coast Titans

The Bulldogs suffered a dose of reality last Saturday, struggling to back up from a spirited MNF match against the Storm, to go down to the Warriors. The travel across to Wellington for their match took its toll and they will need every chance to recover for this match. The Titans also suffered a loss, this time to the Dragons in a close encounter. Even with a spirited fightback, they again proved how their slow starts were hampering their efforts at winning matches. They can ill-afford the same thing to occur here and need to take the match to the Bulldogs from the opening whistle. The home side will be ready for what is coming and it again time for their halves to prove their value. So far, they’ve been too inconsistent and continually playing lateral rather than direct. Just how this works for them here remains to be seen and they will need their forwards to set a strong platform in the middle of the field for them. Greg Birds inclusion for the Titans will add much-needed experience, but he cannot do it alone. In the end, the home side should scrape home in a very scrappy and tight encounter.

Suggested Bet

Titans +10.5

Canberra Raiders v Wests Tigers

Both teams head into this game desperate to avoid a similar outcome to last week, whereby they were unable to win their respective matches. The Raiders were very disappointing at home, proving that while they have spark and flair, they need to match opponents in the middle of the field and limit their errors. In the end, the Sharks were too strong for them and dominated majority of the contest. It was a different story for the Tigers, going down in Golden Point after looking very strong early. That loss extended their losing streak to 5-games now and they are in desperate need of a form reversal, following a strong start to the season. Here, the Raiders will head into this game as strong favorites but there are still question marks lingering around their chances. Consistency is still a problem for them and the Tigers will know that they need to seize their chance early. While it may not mean that they win this match, the game is destined to go down to the closing minutes of the match and with that in mind. Given 4 out of the last 5 match have been decided by 8-points or less (3 of which were below 5), the line is too good to go past.

Suggested Bet

Tigers +7.5

North Queensland Cowboys v Parramatta Eels

The Cowboys domination at home continued last week, handing the Rabbitohs a 44-18 loss and if it wasn’t for a late Rabbitohs try, the margin would’ve been a lot more damaging. It was another game where the Cowboys were brilliant and they will be out for revenge here against the Eels, a team that had a 4-point victory over them in Round 2. Confidence for the visitors will be high too, following a 12-point win over the Sea Eagles. They looked in trouble at one stage of the match but were able to fight their way out of it and get home comfortably in the end. This is perhaps their biggest test of the year thus far and they will need to reflect back on what worked well for them in Round 2; running plenty of traffic at JT and limiting their mistakes. However sides have struggled in Townsville for a reason this year and they have a habit of making things very difficult for opposing teams. Expect a similar, hostile reception for the Eels as the Cowboys again put on an impressive display. The difference in the odds is perhaps a little unfair but the margin of victory should still be beyond 2 converted tries, although not much more than that.

Suggested Bet

Cowboys 13+

Cronulla Sharks v Penrith Panthers

The Sharks head home for this game after a strong display against the Raiders in Canberra. Their 40-16 win again silenced the thoughts that their attack was weak and uncreative when attacking their opponent’s line. The problems that were evident a few weeks ago appear to be solved and since their struggles in Round 3, they’ve gone on a 4-game winning streak. The Panthers were also victorious, although their dour contest left a lot to be desired. It was tight in the second half but the Roosters failed to muster anything that would trouble a strong defensive team like the Panthers. It was a win that was certainly needed and the 4-point margin was again testament to how close all of their matches have been so far in 2016. Here, the Sharks are deserving of favoritism given their strong record at home. Combine that with the fact that the Sharks appear to have a better pack of forwards that are lead by a great hooker and a positive halves pairing; and winning appears as though it’ll be difficult for the Panthers. Nevertheless, the Panthers have made a habit of having close matches this season and the margin should not get beyond 2-converted tries.

Suggested Bet

Sharks 1-12

Newcastle Knights v Many Warringah Sea Eagles

Both sides head into this game desperate for a win following their performances last week. For the Knights, it was a very poor performance from them against the Broncos, beaten 53-nil away from home. It was a performance that didn’t surprise, given how the Knights have played at times this year but the final score line was. The Sea Eagles were also unfortunate, as they went to the Eels where their opponents kicked clear in the closing 15minutes. It wasn’t meant to be for them and still, many questions linger about their chances in 2016. Time is running out and they will need to make the most of the opportunity they have here against a struggling team. The Sea Eagles possess more strength in the forwards and with little change to their pack, they should aim to take the battle to the Knights in this area. The home side will bounce back though, something that is always expected from teams following a large loss. Whether or not that will be enough to grab a win, is the question many are pondering. Investing on them at this stage is far too risky and the Sea Eagles are rightly deserved of favoritism. As for the margin, the Sea Eagles demonstrated two weeks ago that they can run up a large tally when everything clicks together and while this will not be a blowout, the visitors should be able to get home comfortably.

Suggested Bet

Sea Eagles 13+

St George-Illawarra Dragons v Sydney Roosters

The Dragons finally grabbed a win on their Queensand road trip and more importantly, they were able to score some points. It was ugly in the end, but take nothing away from how they executed when it mattered. The Titans were coming home strong and they were able to hold them off. Whether or not that performance will turn around their season remains to be seen and the Roosters will be out to seize a rare opportunity for them to grab another win this season. The win against the Rabbitohs the previous week was quickly forgotten as they fell short against the Panthers; a dour match that tightened up in the second half with limited scoring opportunities. If they turn out a similar effort to the ones that they have in the previous two weeks, they can count themselves as a chance of winning this game. The Dragons win only quickly patched over their problems, while the fight is evident in the Roosters. Some of their key forwards will be ready for this emotional contest and they only know how to lead with their actions. Given the history between these two sides on this amazing day, expect the score to stay close enough so that both teams have a chance of winning the match in the dying stages.

Suggested Bet

Roosters 1-12

Melbourne Storm v New Zealand Warriors

The Storm head into this game following a 1-point win over the Tigers in Golden Point at Leichhardt Oval. While it was a frustrating match, they proved again how they are able to grind away at a team and produce a result. They are still to turn out a comprehensive performance, meaning that they can only improve as the season progresses. Finally for the Warriors, they had another win that somewhat reflected consistency. It was frustrating at times with the level of mistakes that were made and they also benefitted by catching the Bulldogs during a vulnerable period. They will need to improve again here if they are to beat the Storm, especially considering their record at AAMI Park recently. The loss of RTS hurts the Warriors chances and makes them vulnerable at the back, but they are always a chance during this particular fixture given the high level of emotion. The Storm should still be able to scrape home, having greater discipline when in attack and ensuring that they limit their opponents try scoring opportunities when in decent field position. All things considered, this will be a very tight match but the Storm will just get over the line.

Suggested Bet

Storm 1-12