NRL Round 7 Tips & Preview

Up first in Round 7 is the Battle of the Beaches and there is a case to be built for both the Sharks and the Sea Eagles.

Cronulla has been a real revelation through the first six weeks of the NRL season and they were in last week’s match with the Storm in Melbourne for a long way, despite eventually losing.

They are likely to be without Dale Finucane and Braden Hamlin-Uele for Round 7, but they will welcome back, Wade Graham, Matt Ikuvalu, Briton Nikora and Connor Tracey – all huge inclusions.

The Sea Eagles have been without Turbo for a few weeks now, but it hasn’t slowed them at all, and their Round 6 win over the Titans was their fourth in succession!

Contrary to what they have been doing recently, Hasler’s men flew the blocks, opened a nice lead and they were probably lucky to hold on and win.

The Sharks deserve their favouritism, but Manly can keep them honest.

It certainly won’t be the match of the season, but it should be well fought nevertheless! The out of form Broncos and Bulldogs do battle in a standalone Friday night fixture in Round 7.

Both clubs showed promise in the first couple of weeks, but neither has managed to go on with it, and they now sit 14^th and 16^th on the ladder, respectively.

The Broncos returned 20 good minutes of footy against the Panthers, but they ultimately ran out of steam and were outclassed in Round 6, and leaked another forty points.

Things weren’t a lot better for the Bulldogs who allowed the Bunnies to convert 36, while showing some early resistance as well.

I personally cannot split them, and for that reason, I think that the value lies with backing the Bulldogs to cover the line as outsiders.

The first game on Saturday is a Queensland ‘Derby,’ and pegs the Cowboys and Titans against one-another in Townsville.

It’s fair to say that neither side has lit up the NRL in 2022, but both have shown glimpses of promise and ability, and betting does suggest that this will be one of the better contests of the round.

North Queensland actually recorded a win over the Raiders in Canberra in Round 6, overcoming an early deficit to fight back into the contest and win – not something that has been typically easy to do in the nation’s capital recently.

The Titans, meanwhile, made a real game of their clash with Manly, they simply allowed the Sea Eagles too great of a start.

They’ve been in the contest more often than not this season, and I think that this is a really great opportunity for them to win.

Wests Tigers recorded an emotional and well-needed win in Round 6, their first of the season, but things won’t get any easier when the face South Sydney on Saturday night.

It was a very grim start to the season for Michael Maguire’s men, and a loss in Round 6 almost certainly would have seen an end to his time at the club.

Alas, they saddled up, were tough, defended well and beat the Eels!

Jackson Hastings returned close to a career-best performance at halfback, and he’ll steer the ship again this week.

The Rabbitohs were far too good for the Bulldogs in Round 6, but most teams have proven to be, and I personally think that this represents a tough task for them.

Full of confidence but without a lot expected of them, I think that the Tigers can cover the line.

The Eels look well placed to bounce back from a shock defeat when they travel to Newcastle on Sunday.

I doubt even Michael Maguire foresaw the Eels losing in Round 6, but it was just the next example of why they once again won’t be winning a premiership in 2022.

Regardless, the Eels are usually good the week after a loss, and they line up opposite a pretty inconsistent and one-dimensional Knights outfit in Round 7.

The Knights suffered another defeat last weekend, this time to the Dragons, and they are now winless since Round 2.

Finals footy is already looking a bit beyond them, and it won’t get any easier for them through the Origin period, when their few shining lights are all called up.

I think that the Eels will come back and make a real statement, and they are my best bet of the week.

The Panthers can record another big win over the down-and-out Raiders in Round 7 of the NRL.

Penrith remains undefeated in 2022, and the reigning premiers put on another clinic in Round 6, this time at the expense of the Broncos.

Their forwards are firing, their backs at fit and scoring plenty of points, and I still don’t know who will beat them this year.

The Raiders are almost the exact opposite of that, and they blew a lead against a similarly disappointing North Queensland in Round 6 to ultimately lose.

GIO Stadium simply isn’t the cauldron that is has been for the last few years, and they seem to be even worse on the road.

The first of two Anzac Day clashes will see the Dragons take on the Roosters, in what has become an annual fixture on this day, and is almost always a good contest.

The Dragons proved too strong for the Knights in Round 6 in a game that was marred by one of the most ridiculous talking points of all time. Play on by Zac Lomax, in my opinion:

The Roosters look to be finding a nice vein of form as well, and they became the next team to beat the Warriors in Round 6.

This is another match for which I don’t have as much between the two sides as the bookies seem to, so I am going to back the Dragons to cover the line as outsiders.

Round 7 concludes at AAMI Park on Monday night when the Storm look to record another win over the Warriors.

They’ve been typically brilliant in 2022, and I actually think that the Storm looks scarier this year than they have in a few seasons at least – certainly since Cooper Cronk went to the Roosters (Don’t @ me, I know they won a premiership 2 years ago).

The Warriors have also been typical of themselves in 2022 – they look really quite good on paper, but remain wildly mediocre on the field.

Games between these two clubs have actually been pretty good recently, but with how the Storm have been playing recently, it’s impossible to look past them.