The NRL Round 9 BetDeluxe Preview gets underway on Thursday night as we prepare for another weekend of best bets and tips.
South sydney vs. brisbane
may 5th 7:50pm
The lads from Redfern will attempt to make it two wins on the trot when South Sydney faces Brisbane at Stadium Australia on Thursday night.
With a 4-4 record and point differential keeping it inside the top eight, South Sydney has had a strange season to date, having been upset by Wests a fortnight ago and then belting Manly last week.
The same can be said for Brisbane, but its last fortnight has looked like a turn of the ride under new captain Adam Reynolds.
An upset win over Cronulla needs to be backed here if they are any chance of troubling South Sydney.
I think the Souths have too much firepower for the Broncos to deal with.
Suggested Bet: South Sydney -12.5 at $1.90
penrith vs. parramatta
may 6th 7:55pm
The undefeated Penrith Panthers host the Parramatta Eels on Friday night in a bid to make it nine wins from nine games in 2022.
Penrith has firmed into an unbackable premiership favourite, but it was made to hard-earn its 18-4 win over Gold Coast last weekend.
The Eels, meanwhile, were annihilated in a shock defeat against North Queensland.
With Penrith in such good form and all their star players firing, the Eels will need to find the complete reverse of what they dished up against the Cowboys last week.
Even if Parramatta plays at its best, the Panthers are too hot to be against.
Suggested Bet: Penrith Panthers -12.5 at $1.89
manly vs. wests tigers
may 7th 3:00pm
Tom Trbojevic is set to make his return from knee surgery when Manly faces Wests Tigers this weekend.
The Sea Eagles have sorely missed turbo Tom over the last month, and his daring runs will be a much-welcomed addition.
Manly has lost its two fixtures, and playing the Tigers is not the easy ride we might have thought after they went 0-5 through the first five rounds.
Wests are capable of making this a slog for Manly at home.
The line looks overstated.
Suggested Bet: Wests Tigers +13.5 at $2.01
sydney vs. gold coast
may 7th 5:30pm
After two disappointing defeats, Sydney will attempt to rebound against Gold Coast up in Mackay on Saturday night.
The Tricolours will be in desperation mode after their shock loss to Canterbury last week, and getting the season back on track will be the first thing on their mind Trent Robinson.
Gold Coast has been hit with the news David Fifita will miss with a knee injury, making bucking this four-game losing trend all the more difficult.
Gold Coast was quite competitive against Penrith last week and will take some confidence from their defensive unit, only allowing Penrith 18 points in a game that was predicted to be a blowout.
Titans can cover.
Suggested Bet: Gold Coast Titans +11.5 at $1.90
north queensland vs. newcastle
may 7th 7:35pm
North Queensland will try to confirm itself as the real deal for another week when it faces Newcastle at Queensland Country Bank Stadium.
The Cowboys have surged into the top four over the last three weeks with a trio of wins, leaving them at 5-3 and camped near the top of the table.
Newcastle, meanwhile, has had its proverbial pants pulled down in the last fortnight.
The Knights have only managed four points from two games, having been smashed by the Eels 39-2 and then being spanked by Melbourne 50-2.
A game against an entire Todd Payten outfit in Townsville is not precisely the location you want to go after two heavy losses.
Cowboys to go 6-3.
Suggested Bet: North Queensland -14.5 at $1.90
melbourne vs. st george illawarra
may 8th 2:00pm
A combined score of 120 points in the last two weeks sees Melbourne Storm the hot $1.05 favourite coming into its clash against St George Illawarra.
Melbourne has piled on a 70-10 win over New Zealand and a 50-2 triumph against Newcastle in its most recent outings as it bids to challenge Penrith for a top gong in the NRL.
Given how well he is going, St. George Illawarra will be hoping that Ryan Papenhuyzen magically vaporises into thin air.
Papenhuyzen is leading the league for points scored by a country mile and is poised for another big game at AAMI Park.
Another big win is coming up Melbourne as it looks to stretch out that 189-plus point differential to beyond 200.
Suggested Bet: Melbourne Storm -21.5 at $1.90
cronulla vs. new zealand
may 8th 4:05pm
Cronulla is on the hunt to flatten out the road bump it hit in Round 8 when it takes on New Zealand this weekend.
The Sharks were left stunned by a gritty Brisbane squad as it went down 16-7 and slid back down to the fourth spot.
Cronulla has credits in the bank this season for this season, but New Zealand proved to have a strong spirit after rebounding from a massive loss against Storm with an epic 21-20 win over Canberra.
But for all the enthusiasm around the victory for New Zealand last week, a win against the Raiders at this point seems a bit hollow.
Cronulla has the class and home-ground advantage in this one.
Suggested Bet: Cronulla -12.5 at $1.90
