NRL Round 16 Tips & Preview

NRL Round 16 Tips & Preview

There are just five regular season rounds remaining, and the hunt for a top eight berth hits overdrive for several clubs in Round 16 of the NRL.

Parramatta and South Sydney will square off in Thursday night’s opener, before the coachless Broncos attempt to compete with the Roosters for eighty minutes on Friday.

I’ve run the rule over every game, and you can find all of my NRL Round 16 tips below.

Parramatta Eels vs South Sydney Rabbitohs
Eels (-6)

Round 16 launches in Parramatta on Thursday night with an intriguing contest between the Eels and the Rabbitohs.

The Eels enter this match off the back of one of, if not their most important win of the season.

Somehow though, they still don’t really feel like a real premiership threat to me.

They beat the Storm, and all you can really do it play what’s put in front of you, but they were at full strength and really couldn’t put away what was essentially a ‘B’ team.

Other than the Panthers in a couple of weeks, they have an easy run home and will almost certainly finish in the top four.

Souths also don’t look to be a premiership threat, and they are probably only still in the top eight because a lot of the other clubs around the middle have been just a little bit worse.

They have won each of their last four matches though and will be quietly confident again after absolutely dismantling Manly in Round 15.

All of that being said, the line is set at just six points, and I think that Parramatta are more than that margin better than South Sydney.

St George Illawarra Dragons vs Gold Coast Titans
Titans (+9.5)

The Gold Coast Titans (proudly sponsored by Neds) are up against the Dragons first-up on Friday evening, in what looms as a very winnable game for both clubs.

Round 15 saw the Titans produce another gutsy performance against a good Canberra Raiders outfit.

Unfortunately, they simply lacked the depth and the experience of their opponent and suffered another loss.

It’s onwards and upwards though, and there is no doubt that they’ll be primed and ready to go in Round 16.

The Dragons snuck home against the Broncos and while a win is a win, they were lucky not to become only the fourth club to lose to the shambles that is Brisbane in 2020.

That was their sixth win of the season and incredibly, that is enough to see them to the edge of the eight.

They deserve their favouritism, but I don’t think that there is nearly as much between these two sides as betting suggests, and I’m happy to take the Titans at the line as outsiders.

Sydney Roosters vs Brisbane Broncos
Broncos (+25.5)

The Broncos will begin life without Anthony Seibold against the two-time reigning premiers in Friday night’s primetime slot.

They numbers were against him, so was history, the results obviously were and finally, it was reported this week that Seibold had lost the dressing room. A sad end to a forgettable ‘rebuild’ and it simply had to happen.

The Roosters were too good for Wests Tigers in Round 15 and, as has been the case for the last five or six weeks, their bottom line still proved to be better than their opponent.

Clubs often experience something of a momentary spike in form after a coach is boned, and they catch the Roosters in (something small of) a form slump.

I don’t think they can win, but the line is a whopping 25.5 points, and I think they can sneak into that margin.

New Zealand Warriors vs Newcastle Knights
Knights (-6.5)

Another good opportunity at points awaits the Knights when they meet the Warriors in the F3 Derby.

Tamworth will in fact be the scene for this week’s clash and both clubs will take winning form into the contest.

The Warriors recorded another gutsy win over the last-placed Bulldogs in Round 15, their sixth of the season, which ultimately saw them hold onto twelfth, but tied on points with Wests, St George and Manly.

For a season that has been proven to be extremely tumultuous, they have well and truly exceeded expectations.

The Knights have been winning, but just barely, and managed to score just two converted tries against the down-and-out Cowboys in Round 15.

Alas, if they are a serious top four threat, they’ll be winning this with an eye closed.

Cronulla Sharks vs North Queensland Cowboys
Sharks (-10.5)

The Sharks can consolidate their position in the top eight and makes things a little harder for the chasing herd when they host the Cowboys on Saturday evening.

They weren’t ever really in the contest with the competition-leading Panthers last week, but barely anyone has been this season, and this does represent a terrific opportunity to bounce back.

Shaun Johnson was a late (and big) omission last week, and he has been named to take his place in Round 16. That alone should mean that the Sharks just win.

It has been hard to really pinpoint what is going on with the Cows, because they seem to be competitive enough week-in, week-out, but just can’t seem to win.

On recent results, I’m finding it impossible to tip against the Sharks here.

Penrith Panthers vs Wests Tigers
Panthers (-15.5)

Fresh off another big win over a fellow top eight side, the Penrith Panthers will be a big handful for the ninth-placed West Tigers on Saturday night.

The Panthers took another big step towards the minor premiership with that 38-12 win over the Sharks and really have now stamped themselves as the team to beat in 2020.

Backing Viliami Kikau to score a try has become one of the more lucrative betting plays every week, and my weekend was all but complete when he crossed in the third minute in Round 15.

It was another tough loss for the Tigers in Round 15, this time at the hands of the Roosters.

They remain in ninth position, but time is quickly running out in their quest to sneak into the finals, and they really do have to win nearly everything from here on in.

As much as we love them, it would take a season-best performance and then some to topple the Panthers.

Melbourne Storm vs Manly Sea Eagles
Storm (-10.5)

One of the week’s more one-sided games looks likely to materialise between the Storm and the Sea Eagles on Sunday afternoon.

The Storm are still understrength, but so too are the Sea Eagles, and a B side would probably give a near full strength Manly a shake, at the moment.

I really don’t have a lot more to say about this, other than the 10.5-point line that is available at publish is far too generous to the Sea Eagles.

Canberra Raiders vs Canterbury Bulldogs
Favourites 6 Pack

The Raiders and Bulldogs will square off in Round 16’s final match on Sunday evening.

For a side that has had to do without several key players at several different points of the season, the Raiders have adapted, and have still performed remarkably well.

They’ll play finals footy, and will be as good a chance as any of making the prelims.

The Bulldogs continue to battle for eighty every week, but just don’t measure up on experience and depth.

They weren’t quite about to overcome the Warriors last week, but were in the contest the whole way again, there’s no reason why they won’t be able to do something similar in this.

Ultimately, the Raiders are a class above this Bulldogs side, and they should be winning, but I’m wary of the 17.5-point line, so I’m going to stay away from it.