Thursday night, Friday, into the weekend and away we go for Round 4 of the NRL season.
With the BetDeluxe Game of the Round done and dusted, the team goes through the rest of best bets for this weekend’s league action.
gold coast vs. wests tigers
march 31st 8:05pm
Gold Coast will lick its wounds and head home to Robina Stadium when it prepares to face a strengthened Wests Tigers outfit.
The Titans looked in command with a 22-0 lead in the shadows of half time against Canberra, but imploded in the second half to go down 24-22 and now sit at 1-2.
For Wests, the inclusions bring great news with James Roberts, winger Ken Maumalo and back-rower Kelma Tuilagi all set to return.
Backing the visitors to cover the line after the Titans had, what could be, a confidence sapping loss.
Suggested Bet: Wests Tigers +10.5 at $1.90
cronulla vs. newcastle
april 1st 6:00pm
Holding its spot in the top four will be on the agenda for Cronulla when it hosts Newcastle at home on Friday night.
Sitting in third spot on the table, the Sharks have looked strong through their first three games and come into this as the -6.5 favourites.
The Knights have been equally as impressive but felt the wrath of Penrith in a 30-20 loss – their first of the season.
Interestingly, the Knights have a four-game winning streak against Cronulla, which dates back to Round 1 2019.
If history is anything to go by, Newcastle can make this a tight contest.
Suggested Bet: Newcastle +6.5 at $1.90
penrith vs. south sydney
april 1st 8:05pm
The premiership defence of the mighty Penrith Panthers is on track and they will look to keep it that way when they face off in a grand-final rematch against South Sydney.
In big news for the Panthers, captain and playmaker Nathan Cleary is set to return and his rivalry with Rabbitoh Cody Walker is going to be at fever-pitch.
The Rabbitohs have said they are going to test Cleary’s injured shoulder as the temperature for this game really heats up.
Wth no change to the South Sydney team and finally getting the confidence into the squad after opening its season account with a win last week, the visitors can extract revenge.
Last year’s grand final loss would sting badly and the last two games between these teams has been decided by six points and two points.
Suggested Bet: South Sydney +6.5 at $1.83
new zealand vs. brisbane
april 2nd 3:00pm
Brisbane Broncos will be wanting to rebound off a Round 3 loss when they clash with New Zealand at Moreton Daily Stadium.
The Broncos simply had no answers for the offensive blitz posed to them by North Queensland last week and will need to get their act together hastily.
New Zealand takes the confidence of a 16-12 win over Wests Tigers into this fixture, but with Bayley Sironen ruled out, it makes for tough circumstances.
Adam Reynolds would have been filthy with his squad’s performance last week, so expect a big response from the Broncos.
Suggested Bet: Brisbane Broncos -4.5 at $1.93
north queensland vs. sydney
april 2nd 7:35pm
The response from North Queensland after a season-opening to Canterbury could not have been more emphatic as the Cowboys ready themselves for this litmus test against Sydney.
The Cowboys sit second on the NRL table after belting Canberra and Brisbane, while Sydney (1-2) is well off the pace after copping a beating from next-door neighbour South Sydney last weekend.
There were many voices in the pre-season saying the Roosters look underdone, and, so far, it has come to fruition.
They are struggling to get drive on offence and the defence looks rather shaky.
James Tedesco is not getting any younger and this vibrant Cowboys team could cause his team a big headache.
Suggested Bet: North Queensland +6.5 at $1.90
melbourne vs. canterbury
april 3rd 5:05pm
Melbourne got its bogey team out in Parramatta out of the way last week and it will look to bounce back against last year’d wooden spooner Canterbury.
The Storm lost its third match in a row against the Eels as its tries to deal with a host of injuries to key players ruled out for the long term.
Craig Bellamy still has his men playing well, but dealing with new starting personnel has been tricky to deal with.
The Bulldogs put a big scare through Manly last week, but the Sea Eagles are not exactly in the best form.
Think the Storm can do the job here and find their way to a comfortable win.
Suggested Bet: Melbourne Storm -14.5 at $1.90
parramatta vs. st george illawarra
april 3rd 7:15pm
Fresh off a Round 3 win against Melbourne, the Parramatta Eels bring momentum to their clash against St George this Sunday.
The Eels will welcome back Ryan Matterson and Bryce Cartwright, which is a boost to their squad, while the injury news is not so great for St George as they have been forced to omit Cody Ramsey (hamstring).
There is a lot to like about what the Eels dished up on offence against Melbourne but let us not hide away from their defensive concerns.
Parrmatta has conceded the third-most points in the league this season and if it wants to become a serious premiership threat, it needs to tighten up.
The Dragon can trouble the Eels, but without Ramsey, it is going to be a tough prospect.
Suggested Bet: Parrmatta Eels -8.5 at $1.87
