Three rounds remain in the NRL regular season and positions in the top eight are still up for grabs! Last year’s Grand Finalists kick off a massive Round 23 when the Rabbitohs face the Panthers in Thursday night footy.
The Cowboys are breathing down the Panthers’ necks and have opened short favourites ahead of their clash with the lowly Warriors, while the Broncos and Storm battle it out at Suncorp in Friday’s primetime clash, with plenty of Top 8 implications!
The Roosters have hit form and can take a big step towards locking down a finals berth by beating the Tigers, before the Knights and Raiders lock horns in a do-or-die match for Canberra’s finals hopes.
Check out my complete NRL Round 23 Tips below.
We’re underway with a bang when the in-form Bunnies host the competition-leading Panthers, whose form has dipped a little in recent weeks.
The Grand Final hangover was real for Souths during the first few months of this season, but they’ve come on enormously since Latrell Mitchell’s return, and they are now my smoky to win the whole thing! The $10 about them in NRL Premiership betting (at publish) is overs, and a win over the reigning premiers would be another big statement.
The loss of Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai has already had a big impact on the Panthers and they have lost each of their last two matches. Last week’s 16-0 loss to the Storm was the first time that they have been held scoreless for seven years, but they are still well placed to win the minor premiership.
I’m staying away from match betting and the line – the value looks to lie elsewhere.
Our Same Game Multi selections:
- Latrell Mitchell Anytime Try
- Brian To’o Anytime Try
The Cowboys are offered a great opportunity bounce back when they host the lowly Warriors in Townsville on Friday evening.
The Cows were thoroughly outdone by the resurgent Roosters in Round 22, but their form prior to that match was excellent, and included some eye-catching wins over classy opposition. This really is the perfect opportunity to regain a bit of confidence and momentum ahead of the finals.
The Warriors’ wretched season is only three games from its conclusion and they are surely deep into planning this year’s Mad Monday celebrations. They did record a rare win over the Bulldogs in Round 22 and it was convincing, but they surely won’t go close to reproducing that effort.
The match of the round could materialise between the Broncos and the Storm in Brisbane on Friday night, but the home side would need to re-find their best.
Early signs suggested that Broncos fans were in for another torrid season, but they’ve easily been one of the two biggest improvers in the league, and they will almost certainly play finals footy. That being said, their recent form has left a bit to the imagination, and they’ve won just one of their three most-recent matches.
The Storm’s midseason slump appears to be a thing of history, meanwhile, and they’ve won three on the trot heading into this game. Last week’s win over Penrith was particularly smart, and a repeat would see them winning this comfortably.
Parra are another club who can get their run into the finals back to a winning note when they take on the Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon.
I rate Parramatta as one of the two clubs currently sitting inside the Top 8 (the Broncos being the other) who can’t win the comp, and it all comes down to their incredible inconsistency throughout 2022, and their inability to have an impact in the finals countless times throughout the last decade. I simply have to see it before I believe it. That being said, they’re still a lot better than Canterbury.
The Bulldogs’ decent run of form post Trent Barrett certainly wasn’t on show when they suffered a demoralising defeat to the Warriors in Round 22. Cameron Ciraldo’s signature this week is a big up for the club, but that obviously won’t take effect until next year.
The Eels are primed to bounce back and I think they will, in a big way.
Cronulla will start clear and justifiable favourites when they travel to Manly for Saturday’s Battle of the Beaches.
With so much to play for, Manly have gone to water throughout the last month, and last week’s thrashing at the hands of the Titans was particularly damning. The side seems to be lacking in cohesion and adding insult to injury, they’ll be without Jake Trbojevic through injury for the rest of the year.
The Sharks meanwhile have been great, and they remain third on the ladder heading into Round 23, with genuine claims on a top two finish should they pile on some big scores, or the Cowboys slip up again.
The Roosters can continue their resurgence at the expense of Wests Tigers in Round 23.
Three weeks ago, they probably couldn’t have been flatter against a severely weakened Manly side without losing. Since then though they’ve hardly done anything wrong, delivering the Broncos and Cowboys some thumping defeats respectively. The rise of Joseph Suaalii has been something to behold and he has been nothing short of outstanding during the last fortnight particularly.
Wests’ forgettable season is nearly at an end and unfortunately, they are now favourites to win the spoon after the Titans’ shock win in Round 22. They are a class below the Roosters this season and things don’t look great for them in Round 23.
Our Same Game Multi selections:
- Roosters 13+
- Joseph Suaalii 2+ Tries
This certainly won’t be one for the highlight reel, but the performances mustered by the Dragons and Titans respectively in Round 22 suggested that this could be a good contest.
The Dragons’ finals hopes are over after a tight loss to the Raiders in Round 22, but not all is lost – they can still lift for the sake of halfback Ben Hunt, who led the Dally M race when voting went behind closed doors in Round 12, and who really has only improved since then.
Last week proved to be a good one for the Titans. Their signing of exciting young hooker Sam Verrills was complemented by a comfortable win over Manly, and there is some benefit to them finding a bit of form and confidence at the backend of this awful campaign.
I’m sticking with the Dragons for Hunty’s sake.
Round 23 concludes in Newcastle on Sunday, and what a forgettable week it has been for the home side!
Plenty of player indiscretions – you don’t need me to list them all off again, and they all came after another disappointing loss in Round 22 loss to the Broncos. Something needs to be done in the offseason, and it surely begins with Adam O’Brien’s sacking.
The Raiders are the only club currently sitting outside of the eight who are still a chance of finals footy. The equation for them is simple – win their remaining three games well and hope that the Roosters slip up.
I’m not confident they will make the finals, but the Raiders can certainly win this.