The season is underway, and I couldn’t be more excited to hook into another eight NRL matches in Round 2.
Typically, upsets, a few big performances and a little bit of rust was the tale of the tape in Round 1 and several clubs are sure to carry plenty of improvement into this week’s fixtures.
NRL Tips can be found in full force below.
A couple of old rivals and an absolute dream matchup, if they can reproduce that quarterfinal game from last season.
The Dragons looked a good shout last week until Jason Taumalolo decided that he’d like to win, but I am a firm believer in clubs (some, not all) taking plenty of benefit from the hit-out and I think that the Dragons will prove to be one of those.
The Rabbitohs absolutely destroyed my opinion and subsequently, my Roosters-heavy fantasy team last weekend and will be extremely confident of getting the result again on Thursday. They are too short for me at their current price and I’d prefer to take the value on offer for St George at Kogarah.
Ordinarily I’d simply write ‘Storm by Plenty’ and that would be that, but this is one of those matches where the Raiders look far more dangerous, because no one expects anything of them. They were actually pretty good against the Premiership-bound Neds Gold Coast Titans last week and you can only assume that they’ll improve into this game, and in front of the Canberra faithful.
The Storm started their season as the Storm have done every season since Craig Bellamy took over and were far too good for the Brisbane Broncos – a club that many believe to be legitimate title contenders. They deserve favouritism, but you can leave me out of head-to-head betting in this one.
Friday nights in the nation’s capital always produce a unique playing surface and I really do not think this is clear cut.
Now here is a rivalry that you can set your watch to. To be fair, those few years around the 2015 Grand Final were the best and it hasn’t been as exciting as that for a little while but regardless, this should be bloody outstanding.
The Broncos got through plenty of work against the Storm and understandably lost, but it was good to see players like Matt Gillett and Jack Bird knock out decent performances after plenty of time away.
The Cows really warmed to the task last week and then jogged off with it and understandably, everyone north of Gympie now thinks that they are a shoo-in for the Provan-Summons.
I think the Broncos will win and how good if it’s only by a field goal.
The pride and glory of Queensland, Australia and Rugby League in general will travel to the Shire on Saturday to take on the Sharks. It was a disappointing start to the season for the Titans and they will be eager to respond with a big performance and win second-up, away from home.
The Sharks locked in one of the all-time snoozing arm wrestles with the Knights and were ultimately undone by a silly cut-out pass that resulted in an 85-metre try for Edrick Lee, when they had been in an ideal position to just slot a field goal and take the W. I know it was only Round 1 but if they are any hope, they can’t be making decisions like that.
I like to think of the Titans as Chautauqua – they spot their rivals a huge start and then reel them in late. Absolutely no comparison to be made between them and Chautauqua not leaving the gates.
The Knights will attempt to frank the incredible form that they showed to sneak past the Sharks in Round 1 when they host the Panthers on Saturday evening. For the first time since 2013, a game went to the break 0-0 and it was more so because it lacked spark, rather than it being a great contest.
The Panthers showed glimpses of decent footy between Round 1 rubbish, but I do think that they are one of those sides that will have taken wholesale improvement from the run and look overs to win this week. A loss to the Eels is enough for any side to shut up shop for the season, but I can’t help but think that the Panthers will be a tough prospect for any club when everything clicks.
It wasn’t the performance we were expecting from the Roosters, but we probably should have known better given they lost to the Tigers (who were not sponsored by Neds at the time) in Round 1 last season but went on to dominate. Just a little too much rust and a little too much frustration from a few key players ultimately led to their undoing, but there’s more talent in this side than Bondi on a hot day and we could really be in for something this week.
They’re offered the perfect opportunity against a Manly side that was pretty bloody awful first-up, and who are surely looking at Round 3’s game against the Warriors as their best chance of winning so far.
The stinker of the round looks like materialising when the Bulldogs, already focusing on Mad Monday celebrations host the Parramatta Eels on Sunday afternoon.
I topped Canterbury to run sixteenth a couple of weeks ago and they’ve come out of the blocks firing – going down 40-6 in New Zealand. It’s tough imagining who they will beat this season; I can’t but think they’ll be that club that ruins everyone’s multis by beating the Storm as $7 outsiders, or something.
To their credit, Parra were actually pretty good last weekend, but how long can they keep that up for? Two weeks. I think they’ll win again, but not well.
We have to wait until the final game of the round to see the undefeated Wests Tigers in action and while this week’s opponent does look to be a step up in class, they’re ready to go again.
It was an inspired performance from the Tigers to comfortably see off the Sea Eagles in Round 1 – their legends wound back the clock, the youngsters got involved and they showed plenty to suggest they are good enough to fight their way into September footy.
The Warriors were absolutely brutal in New Zealand and this will be a great indicator as to their ability to back it up and get results week-on-week, and away from home.
I think plenty of points will be scored at Campbelltown.