Read our NRL expert tips and analysis for every game of the 2024 premiership season with Betfair’s NRL analyst. Includes game summaries, predictions, tips and best Back and Lay bets for every round. NRL tips for the upcoming round are online now!
Melbourne v Sydney Roosters
Betting Strategy
BACK MELBOURNE -9.5 @ $1.70 or better
Melbourne have dominated the Sydney Roosters with 10 wins in the last 11 meetings that includes nine covers. They have scored at least 18 in 10 of those matches, a number the Roosters have not topped in the last 10. The Chooks have made their business by dominating lesser teams but have covered just three of 17 against the Storm and Panthers. Melbourne are 23-12 against the spread off a win of 13 or more and they have covered 18 of 27 off scoring 36 or more. The Roosters have covered just six of 20 off scoring 36-plus. The Storm are a great play.
Penrith v Cronulla
Betting Strategy
BACK PENRITH -11.5 @ $1.65 or better
Penrith lift for big games and that is backed up by the numbers. The Panthers are 20-11 against the spread against Top 4 teams while they have covered six of seven finals over the last three years. Cronulla, by contrast, have covered just three of 15 against Top 4 opposition with a 4-8 cover record against Penrith and Melbourne. This is all lining up for a big Penrith win.
LAY CRONULLA @ $8.00 or shorter
This game is completely mispriced with Penrith laying close to half the points they should be. This is a complete mismatch and with the way prelims have gone in the six-again era – four of the last six have been decided by margins of 26-plus – this projects as a complete blowout.
NRL SEASON PREVIEW TIPS AND PREDICTIONS
Betting Strategy
BACK: Penrith Panthers Premiership at $3.00+
This is best back for Premiership. Penrith are in rarefied air here as they look to become the first team since the famous St George team that won 11 straight to win four premierships on the trot. There is certainly no reason they cannot. While they have lost Stephen Crichton and some solid backups, this Panthers team that has lost just 16 games across the last four years and brings into the season the most formidable roster. They sit at least a tier above any other team and no team can lift for September football like the Panthers. They are almost certain to finish in the Top 4 with their 2-5 record in close games suggesting they will improve on their regular season win total, setting them up for the best possible September run.
BACK: Sydney Roosters Premiership at $7.00+
This is best value for the Premiership. The only team with a roster anywhere near as stocked with talent to the Panthers is Trent Robinson's Sydney Roosters. There remain some questions on the backline and the team's ability to score points but there is no more formidable or deeper pack in the premiership this year than that of the Tricolours. The Roosters recruited magnificently, bringing in Dom Young and Spencer Leniu, and they are as well coached as any in the premiership. The Chooks are all in for 2024.
LAY: Brisbane Premiership at $7.00 or shorter
Best lay for the NRL Premiership. The list of losing Grand Finalists to return and win a premiership has been exceptionally short in the NRL Era: Melbourne have achieved the feat three times, most recently in 2017, and Penrith, when they won the first of their titles. Most suffer from a shocking hangover. Parramatta missed the finals after losing the 2022 Grand Final. Brisbane severely overachieved last last year, they have lost key figures Herbie Farnworth, Tom Flegler and Kurt Capewell and are unlikely to have the dream injury run they enjoyed last year.
BACK: Melbourne Storm Top 4 at $2.20+
Best back top 4 market. Melbourne has really been undervalued this season. While they are a club with no depth, they have an outstanding spine (arguably best in the premiership) and a very good starting 13. They made the Top 4 last year, a place they have finished in 11 of the last 13 years. Melbourne are not the dominant force they were only a few years back but they remain an elite team.
BACK: Cronulla Sharks Top 4 at $3.00+
Best value top 4 market. Cronulla's draw is the best in the NRL and is so good that the difference between the number of total wins from last year they face and the second team is the same as that between the second easiest and toughest draws. It is a historically easy draw and the Sharks with their roster and starting base will be right in the mix for a Top 4 berth.
LAY: Brisbane Broncos Top 4 at $2.80 or shorter
Best lay top 4 market. Brisbane are a team to be against this year. They overshot their real win tally by nearly two full victories and they went 4-2 in close games so last season's finishing spot was overinflated. With so many losses and a likely regression in injury luck, it would not shock to see the Broncos fall out of the Top 4.
BACK: Cronulla Sharks Top 8 at $1.50+
Top 8 best back. Cronulla are the most undervalued team in the premiership this year and are far more likely to finish inside the Top 4 than they are to miss finals. The Sharks have a stable team with no changes to their best 13 but more importantly they have been blessed with the kindest of draws, where they are the only team in the competition to play teams from last year's Top 8 nine times. Cronulla are not missing the finals this year with even a below-average injury toll.
BACK: Redcliffe Dolphins Top 8 at $2.25+
Top 8 best value. Wayne Bennett has done a magnificent job building the Dolphins into a force that will be contending for a finals berth in just their second season. They have recruited magnificently, bringing in Tom Flegler to an already tough back and Herbie Farnworth and Jake Averillo to massively upgrade the club at the centre position. They can build momentum with a kind early season draw. Huge overs.
LAY: Newcastle Knights Top 8 at $2.50 or shorter
Best lay top 8. Newcastle managed to get hot over the backend of last season to make the finals but they are not a team that should return to the finals. They have lost top tryscorer Dominic Young. Their halves situation is a mess. They had a great run with injuries last year. This just seems like a run built on a very fragile and unsustainable base.
National Rugby League – NRL Tips and Predictions
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Betfair provides tips for every NRL game during the premiership season and the finals. Studying Betfair's NRL betting tips will help you become a sharper and more discerning punter. The suite of data and information prepared by our analysts includes game previews and summaries, head-to-head selections, expert tips and betting strategies. Our betting advice is based around the unique features on Betfair such as laying, setting your own odds and trading making the Betfair exchange the perfect place to put our tips into practice.
We also provides punters with expert advice to navigate betting options including total points, half time/full time margins, winning margins and first try scorers. Sign up to Betfair to get ahead of the pack via our NRL expert tips and betting advice and use this specialist information to your advantage on Australia's largest betting exchange. Not only does Betfair provide expert betting tips, but we also have also provide a wide range of NRL markets for you to utilise our tips in and bet into.
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