We head towards the finals as Round 20 kicks off on Thursday night.
The best best for the rest of the round are in.
Sydney vs. Parramatta
July 29th 7:50pm
The wounded Sydney Roosters take on a top four bound Parramatta come Thursday night for prime-time NRL in Mackay.
James Tedesco was the shining light in the win over Newcastle match and while the Roosters might be down on troops, the Tricolours do get veteran Josh Morris returning to the squad.
The Eels, meanwhile, need to bounce back into form quickly after being stunned by Canberra in a good old fashioned war of attrition where they fell short 12-10.
Tight tussle will likely ensue here and the Roosters, despite having a solid injury result, look the value.
Suggested Bets: Sydney Roosters +4.5 at $1.86
wests tigers vs new zealand
July 30th 6:30pm
Suncorp Stadium on Friday night is the venue for two teams in desperate need of win as both the Warriors and Wests Tigers have been disappointing case studies all season.
The Warriors are desperately wanting to raise their spirits after seven straight losses.
The last round was particularly hard with Nathan Brown’s men conceding 60 points (11 tries) to the Rabbitohs.
The Wests Tigers were on a high after charging back to a 42-24 win over the Broncos only to be beaten by nearly the same scoreline (44-24) a week later by the Manly Sea Eagles.
Suggested Bet: Wests Tigers -5.5 at $1.85
Brisbane vs. North Queensland
30th July 7:55pm
The Broncos and Cowboys beat their chests at each other this weekend when they do battle at Suncorp Stadium.
Both teams pushed the premiership favourites to within an inch last week.
The Broncos only stumbled near the end against the Panthers to go down 18-12, while the Cowboys hounded the Storm before slipping to a 20-16 loss.
Cowboys surely do look the value here over even money having already claimed the scalp of Brisbane in Round 19 with a narrow 19-18 win.
Suggested Bets: North Queensland head to head at $2.05
St George Illawarra vs. South Sydney
July 31st 3:00pm
The pressure is ratcheting up on St George Illawarra with the dogfight for the final playoff spots intensifying, COVID breach bans still to be served and the red-hot Rabbitohs next on their agenda.
South Sydney’s lethal attack will still be without try-scoring leader Alex Johnston in their battle for supremacy against the Dragons but his absence mattered little in their 11-try destruction of the Warriors.
The Dragons did nothing to suggest they will present a stiffer test given the way they capitulated to the Titans.
The Rabbitohs face a tough run home so they will be keen to live up to their status as favourites in this one.
Suggested Bet: South Sydney -17.5 at $1.90
Suggested Same Game Multi:
Leg 1: South Sydney head to head (SGM SPECIAL)
Leg 2: J. Mansour anytime tryscorer
Leg 3: J. Paulo anytime tryscorer
Leg 4: Total point scored under 55.5
Combined odds = $4.75
Newcastle vs. Canberra
July 31st 5:30pm
Both these teams are in that pressure-cooker environment of budding for a top-eight spot with only six rounds left.
The Raiders’ stunning 12-10 victory against Parramatta – third consecutive win – has put them right in the hunt for finals.
That win was also without their Dally M winner Jack Wighton who they get back in the squad.
The Knights were without key personnel as well but it all become a little too much in the big moments as they went down 28-8.
It’s hard not to be excited by the momentum of the green machine.
Suggested Bet: Canberra head to head at $1.63
Canterbury vs. Gold Coast
August 1st 2:00pm
Canterbury have earned plenty of plaudits for competitive performances against top eight sides in recent weeks but still haven’t tasted victory since round 14.
This weekend, just like that win over the Dragons seven weeks ago, the Bulldogs face a team on the fringe of finals contention in the Gold Coast.
The Bulldogs have been a much improved side the last month but the stakes are just too high for the Titans to drop this game.
Suggested Bet: Gold Coast -13.5 at $1.90
Suggested Same Game Multi:
Leg 1: Gold Coast head to head (SGM SPECIAL)
Leg 2: Total points scored over 53.5
Leg 3: D. Fifita anytime tryscorer
Leg 4: C. Thompson anytime tryscorer
Combined odds = $4
Cronulla vs. Manly
August 1st 4:05pm
A hot test between two rivals sees Cronulla looking to get into consistent winning form against a Manly Sea Eagles team who will have other thoughts.
The Sea Eagles sit three wins ahead of the Sharks on the table but only one spot separates the pair at the moment.
But the telling factor here is the 191-point advantage held by Manly over Cronulla on the point differential scale.
Manly has been triumphant in 11 of its last 13 games against Cronulla.
With the form Tom Trbojevic has shown this season, expect that record to imrpove.
Suggested Bet: Manly -18.5 at $1.91
Suggested Same Game Multi:
Leg 1: Manly head to head (SGM SPECIAL)
Leg 2: Total points scored under 55.5
Leg 3: T. Trbojevic anytime tryscorer
Leg 4: J. Saab anytime tryscorer
Combined odds = $5