The NRL Round 7 BetDeluxe Preview gets underway on Thursday night as we prepare for another weekend of best bets and tips.
cronulla vs. manly
april 21st 7:50pm
The waves of the north beach and south beach come crashing together when Cronulla hosts Manly on Thursday night.
The Sharks will be trying to bounce back off a reality check handed to them by Melbourne last week, while the Sea Eagles continue to deal without the presence of their injured champion Tom Trbojevic.
Manly has the edge over Cronulla in recent clashes having won five out of the last six, but the Sharks look a much stronger side to the one we have seen over the last few seasons.
Going with home team to get one back over the Sea Eagles as they look lock in a top four spot for another week.
Suggested Bet: Cronulla -6.5 at $1.88
brisbane vs. canterbury
april 22nd 7:55pm
The cellar dwellers of 2021 do battle when Brisbane and Canterbury clash on Friday night at Suncorp Stadium.
Similar fates to what we saw last season could be on the cards again for 2022 with both teams struggling to leap away from the bottom of the NRL table.
Even though the Broncos bolstered their squad with Adam Reynolds, wins have been tough to come by and they currently sit 14th with a 2-4 record.
The picture is arguably bleaker for the Bulldogs who sit last again with a inferior 1-5 win-loss tally.
Pressure will continue to mount on both teams if results do not change, but the Broncos have shown signs of some sort of improvement on 2021.
Have to side with Brisbane here.
Suggested Bet: Brisbane Broncos -11.5 at $1.90
wests tigers vs. south sydney
april 23rd 7:35pm
Wests Tigers will try to cause another upset when they face the South Sydney Rabbitohs at Commbank Stadium.
The Tigers ended a five-game losing streak when scoring a shock 21-20 win over Parramatta last week.
There is no doubt the win will brew new confidence in this Tigers team which looked absolutely shot.
Backing it up against South Sydney, though, is going to prove a tough task with the visitors bringing in the form of a 20-point belting to the Bulldogs.
History suggests this is going to be a very tight contest if we ignore what was ultimately dead rubber Round 16 clash last season.
Tigers at the line.
Suggested Bet: Wests Tigers +12.5 at $1.75
newcastle vs. parramatta
april 24th 2:00pm
On the hunt for a return to winning form, the Parramatta Eels head over to McDonald Jones Stadium for a big Sunday afternoon fixture against Newcastle.
The Eels were left to do some soul searching after dropping a game it was expected to win against Wests Tigers last weekend, while Newcastle suffered a last-minute loss against St George.
Parramatta has definitely shown the better form of the two this season and currently resides in the fourth spot, but there was cause for concern in that 21-20 loss against the Tigers.
The defensive lapses would have worried coach Brad Arthur, but he can take confidence in the Eels’ impressive record against the Kniights.
Parramatta has not lost to Newcastle since 2019 and will have fond memories of this venue from last season when it crushed the Knights by 36 points.
Backing the Eels to bounce back.
Suggested Bet: Parramatta Eels -7.5 at $1.90
penrith vs. canberra
april 24th 4:05pm
An unblemished record to begin the 2022 season is favoured to stay intact when the reigning premier in Penrith hosts Canberra on Sunday.
Penrith remains the only team unbeaten this year and the premiership defence is looking on track with the successful return of captain Nathan Cleary from a nagging shoulder injury.
Canberra, meanwhile, is in the midst of a three-game losing streak and coach Ricky Stuart was furious with his team’s loss against North Queensland last week.
With pressure mounting on Stuart to get results, it is desperation mode for the Raiders who are 2-4, but even their best form is no where near good enough to beat the Panthers.
Expect Penrith to move along to 7-0 and firm again in premiership markets.
Suggested Bet: Penrith -18.5 at $1.90
st george illawarra vs. sydney
april 25th 4:00pm
Four wins in a row are on offer for Sydney when they get set to resume hostilities against St George on their annual ANZAC Day clash at the SCG.
St George will have its defensive eyes set on Stan Walker who lifted the Roosters over the line in a come-from-behind win against New Zealand last week.
The Dragons recorded a last-gasp win over Newcastle to move along to 2-4, but dealing the mental demons of seven consecutive losses to the Roosters will mean they need to reach another level.
Sydney has an average winning margin of 16 points during this seven-game undefeated run which dates back to 2018.
Add in the form of both teams in 2022, the Roosters surely have the edge here.
Suggested Bet: Sydney -12.5 at $1.90
melbourne vs. new zealand
april 25th 7:00pm
Melbourne Storm and New Zealand Warriors prepare for their traditional ANZAC Day clash at AAMI Park on Monday night.
The Storm have had an incredible, but unsurprising start to the season as they heave into round seven with a 5-1 winning record on the back of three wins on the bounce.
New Zealand fell short against Sydney last weekend to fall outside of the top eight and a game against the Storm is probably the last thing they wanted.
There are serious questions on how the Warriors will deal with the form of Ryan Papenhuyzen who has taken his game to the next level this season.
The visitors have not beaten Melbourne since 2015 and have amassed an 11-game losing run.
Injuries have proved no concern for Craig Bellamy and his men this season.
The Storm are a $1.10 favourites for a reason and will almost surely make it 12 wins in a row against the Warriors.
Suggested Bet: Melbourne -18.5 at $1.90
