It’s tough believing we’ve already arrived at Round 15 of the 2018 NRL season and results are beginning to become vital to the finals chances of several clubs.
The Eels and Rabbitohs will square off in the opening fixture of Round 15 on Thursday night, before we are treated to two impressive Friday night games in North Queensland and Sydney respectively.
The Dragons are offered a great opportunity to consolidate their position atop standings when they host the Sea Eagles on Saturday, while Sunday’s game between the Wests Tigers and Canberra Raiders will give one club a better look at the top eight.
Betting suggests that Thursday night’s game between the Eels and Rabbits will be one of the more one-sided contests in Round 15, but there is a case to be made for both sides.
The Eels strode away from the Cowboys to record only their third win of the season last weekend and they do look like a team that can be competitive, when the penny finally drops. They had clearly stopped playing by the time they leaked two late tries and a similar performance this weekend would be enough to give South Sydney a real shake.
The Rabbitohs were clearly missing the prowess of their Origin stars when they snuck home against the Titans and the return of Inglis, Cook, Crighton and Gagai is sure to lead to a far-more polished performance against the Eels.
Souths are a genuine top four side and they can grind out a seventh-consecutive win.
Friday night’s meeting between the Cowboys and Warriors in Townsville looms as an interesting one from a spectator’s perspective and there’s plenty of value to be found in betting.
The Cowboys have simply been unable to find their groove this season and put in another lacklustre performance against Parramatta last weekend. They did score two tries in as many minutes at the death but it was all too little, too late. North Queensland can really only afford to lose two more games if they are to sneak into the finals and this game is subsequently a must win.
The Warriors returned to winning form with a convincing triumph over Manly in Christchurch last week and with that result, returned to the top 4. Shaun Johnson provided the spark that seemed to evade the New Zealand club in the weeks prior and they now have the opportunity to string together a few wins and fire a warning shot at the rest of the league.
If the Warriors are genuine contenders, they will be winning games like this one against teams of the Cowboys’ calibre.
We are set for an outstanding fixture when the Roosters and Panthers square off at Allianz Stadium on Friday night.
The Roosters have found a good vein of form recently and will be further boosted by the return of all of their Origin stars this weekend. Cooper Cronk and Luke Keary appear to be finally clicking and their speedy backline is really starting to cause some headaches for the opposition’s defence.
The Panthers have been outstanding all season and enter Round 15 second in overall standings, on for-and-against alone. They are faced with something of an issue in replacing captain and hooker Peter Wallace, who announced his immediate retirement from the game this week as a result of recurring injuries.
The Roosters are on the charge and they are good enough to get another win over the Panthers this week.
The Bulldogs and Titans have both been disappointing this season but they find each other in similar form and that is sure to add something to what would have otherwise been a forgettable game.
On paper, the Bulldogs boast one of the best teams in the NRL but they have failed to live up to their billing and are lucky not to find themselves in last place leading into this game. Coach Dean Pay has had his work cut out for him from day dot and he looks to have another selection headache this week with the impending release of prop forward Aaron Woods. Clearly the league’s underperformers, this is their best chance of returning to winning form for some weeks.
The Titans were unlucky not to take the win away from South Sydney last week, but given they were at home and facing a severely understrength side, there really was no excuses. They are widely considered the competition’s ‘easy beats’ and have plenty of work ahead, if they are to shake that tag. They meet a desperate Bulldogs side this week and will need to find their best to win.
The Dragons will look to consolidate their position at the top of the ladder when they host Manly on Saturday evening.
Its been an outstanding campaign for the Dragons so far and they are fitting occupants of top spot following another gutsy performance and win in Round 14. They seem to find a way to win, even when the chips are down and they boast arguably the competition’s most complete side across the paddock.
The Sea Eagles have fast become the league’s most unbackable team and slumped to another disappointing and convincing loss to the Warriors last week, despite leading the game in the first half. Just when they look like building to something, the wheels come off and they fall back out of touch with the top eight.
They face the league leaders this week and on recent performances, stand little chance. The Dragons can cover a line currently set at 8.5 points.
The Broncos face another tough task when they travel to Cronulla on Saturday night.
It was a slow start to the season for the talent-stacked Sharks, but they have won seven from eight leading into Round 15 and now find themselves right in the thick of finals contention. They are another team whose new combinations are finally starting to stick and realistically, they can be a juggernaut in September.
The Broncos have been extremely disappointing and are lucky to have held onto their position in the top eight as long as they have. Even when they have won, it hasn’t looked great and they were given another reality check in the form of a comfortable loss to the Storm in Round 14.
The Broncos are the sort of team that tends to lift in front of their own fans and it will take a season-best performance to take two points in the Shire.
Things don’t look like getting easier for the Knights when the host the Melbourne Storm on Sunday afternoon.
The Knights absolutely flew the gates at the beginning of the season and probably exceeded all expectations for their campaign in the first few weeks of the competition, but they have been thoroughly brought back down to earth, particularly since a season-ending injury to Mitchell Pearce. To their credit, they mustered a great showing to go within a couple of points of the Roosters last weekend and a repeat of that performance would seem them right in the contest with the Storm.
While they’ve clearly missed the impact of Cooper Cronk, its been business as usual for Melbourne in 2018 and they remain fifth in overall standings; within striking distance of the top four. A convincing win over the Broncos last weekend will only have added to their swagger and they are primed for another big performance and result.
The Knights play with plenty of heart, but they aren’t in the Storm’s class currently and could slump to another sizeable loss.
We’re set for an intriguing fixture when Wests Tigers host the Canberra Raiders in the final game of Round 15.
The Tigers are just one win outside of the top eight and pushed the in-form Sharks all the way last week – ultimately unlucky not to take anything from the game. They were widely expected to finish the 2018 season at the bottom of the table and are continually underestimated, but they appear to have finally found their right price in a game this weekend.
The Raiders have also been a competitive outfit without setting the league on fire this year and went down by a single point to the red-hot Panthers last week. They are a team that can surprise any other club on the right day and loom as a serious test for the Tigers on Sunday.
Both teams have serious claims on this game, but I’m happy to play the value for Canberra following last week’s performance.