NRL Round 18 Tips & Preview

Plenty of Origin stars will need to back up, but this should be an excellent game between the Cowboys and Sharks in Townsville on Friday evening.

The Cows really have the been the surprise packets of the 2022 NRL season – I for one thought that Todd Payten would be the first coach sacked this year but instead, he wouldn’t look out of place at the Dally M coach of the year. They are a genuine top four side, and enter this match fresh (somewhat) following a bye.

The Sharks have continued to plod away and maintain their position in the Top 8 all season, and they proved far too good for the Storm in Round 17, without a couple of very key players.

With that confidence and momentum in mind, and given the number of players the Cowboys have will have to back-up, I think the Sharks can and will make a real game of it.

Betting suggests otherwise, but I really do think we could be in for an interest clash when the Eels host the Warriors in Friday night footy.

The Eels responded to a thrashing Round 16 defeat at the hands of Souths by winning in Round 17, but they still did plenty wrong against a lowly Wests Tigers, and leaked 20 points. Given that opponent suffered a comfortable defeat to the Warriors in Round 16, I think that Parramatta are under the odds at their current $1.16 quote.

As alluded to there, the Warriors returned home and to winning form against Wests a fortnight ago, and they are another club who will step out this week refreshed following a bye.

I certainly give them a better chance of competing than the bookies, so I think that the value lies in back the Warriors at the line as outsiders.

First-up on Saturday afternoon the Roosters will host the Dragons at Central Coast Stadium in Gosford.

The likes of James Tedesco, Daniel Tupou, Angus Crichton and Lindsay Collins have been named to back up from Origin for the Roosters, but we won’t really know who will go around until later in the week. Regardless, I do think that the Roosters have been better than a few of their recent results have suggested, and with rep footy over, I think they’ll play their way to at least the fringe of the Top 4 before the finals.

The Dragons also welcome back Origin playmaker Ben Hunt, along with plenty of firepower in their forward pack including Aaron Woods and Josh McGuire.

The Roosters look to be just a little good for the Dragons in current nick, and I think the bookies have just about got this one right.

The Sea Eagles are flying high and they look well placed to record another win over the Knights at Brookie on Saturday evening.

When Turbo went down for the season, their Premiership claims were in tatters, and while they really would need to muster something special to hoist the Provan Summons in 2022, they have reaffirmed themselves as a Top 8 prospect. Dessie will have spent the last fortnight drilling into his side the necessity to play out 80 minutes, and this really is the perfect opportunity for them to put on a big score.

The end of the season cannot come quickly enough for the Knights, meanwhile, and a win over the Titans in Round 16 is already a distant memory following another loss to Souths in Round 17.

If Manly repeats their recent performances, they win comfortably.

A Queensland Derby takes centre stage on Saturday night, and a great opportunity faces the Titans against a depleted Broncos outfit.

There is no denying that the Titans have been absolutely awful in 2022, and something is going to have to give come season’s end. They boast some great players, but remain second-last on the ladder, and coaching staff are already being shown the door. That being said, they have a good recent record against the Broncos, will relish playing at home and against a weakened opponent.

Kevvie Walters has already confirmed that Corey Oates and Patrick Carrigan won’t be required to back up from Origin, but plenty of other stars remain, and the Broncos have proven that they can still compete at less than full strength this season.

For those reasons, I think it’s still an open and shut case. I also think that salt will be added to the wound by former Titans captain Ryan James crashing over for a try at any old price!

LOL.

At first glance, that is surely the reaction of most NRL fans when last-placed Wests Tigers are charged with playing the rampant competition-leading Penrith Panthers.

Every single one of Penrith’s Origin stars will be rested, however, and given that is almost the entire spine, and others, it does give the Tigers some chance of an upset.

That being said, I still cannot trust as club of Wests’ calibre against this winning Panthers’ set-up, so I am staying away from match betting and the line.

The Storm have opened clear favourites in their bid to return to form at the expense of the Raiders in Melbourne on Sunday.

For their standards, the dip in form has probably spanned back to Magic Round, but problems at the Storm have become very apparent these last few weeks with losses to the Sea Eagles and the Sharks. This is a weaker opponent, but the Raiders are by no means easy beats.

Ricky’s men were on the bye in Round 17 and prior to that, they lost under contentious circumstances to the Dragons. Since Magic Round, they have been a vastly improved side, and while I think a win in this clash is probably slightly beyond them, they’re good enough to compete for most of it.

An old rivalry is reignited on Sunday evening when the Bulldogs take on the Bunnies, and I personally think that there is a case to be made for both – assuming Matt Burton plays.

They were awful under the guidance of Trent Barrett, but the Bulldogs have been vastly improved under Mick Potter, and they’ve managed to jag a couple of wins and climb off the bottom of the table. They weren’t terrible against the Sharks at their most recent appearance, and will also be fresh off a bye.

Souths stormed back into winning form with Latrell’s returns against the Eels a fortnight ago, and they put forty on the Knights in Round 17, despite also leaking plenty of points.

This is another game that I have priced closer than the bookies, and I am going to back the Dogs to cover the line.