There is still plenty that can happen as we enter Round 25 of the NRL – the final week of the regular season!
A huge Thursday night clash opens the round, and a position in the Top 4 goes on the line when the Eels host the Storm at Commbank Stadium.
Archrivals the Roosters and Rabbitohs are also playing for home ground advantage in Week 1 of the finals series, with a realistic chance we could see these two clubs square off again next week in an elimination scenario.
The fight for eighth spot is also still on, and it could take us right up until the last game of the season to confirm. The scenario for the Raiders and Broncos is simple – win, and hope the other club loses!
Check out my complete NRL Round 25 Tips below.
An outstanding start to the final week of the NRL regular season sees the Parramatta Eels take on the Melbourne Storm for a place in the Top 4.
The Eels’ inconsistency has been telling this year – their best form would have seen them into the Top 2, but they look to have regathered themselves ahead of the finals, and a win this week would obviously be huge for their prospects.
The Storm have also returned to form at the right point of the year, though they did lose a spiteful clash with the Roosters last week and will be eager to bounce back.
Both clubs have named strong sides with a ‘second chance’ on the line, but I think that the Storm will just prove a little too good.
Who would have guessed these head-to-head prices, even six weeks ago!? The Bulldogs have opened at $1.50 to defeat Manly ($2.60) in Round 25 of the NRL.
The Dogs have continued to battle away with a big view on 2023, and I thought that they were fair in last week’s performance, albeit still failing to score a point against the second-placed Sharks. This is a big drop in class, and they deserve their favouritism.
For about a month now the Sea Eagles have been completely at sea, and as one of their fans, I am frankly thrilled that the season is drawing to an end. Fancy starting outsiders against this Bulldogs outfit? Shamefully, we’re probably still under the odds at that price!
The Roosters and the Rabbitohs clash in Friday night’s primetime slot, and I am confident that the home side will record another win.
The Roosters have been nothing short of outstanding for the last four weeks, and they truly stamped themselves as a premiership threat with a gritty win over the Storm in Melbourne last week. They’ll be without Lindsay Collins this week and for the next four, but they’ve done without the rep prop quite a bit this season and have managed.
The Bunnies bounced backed from a disappointing loss to the Panthers with a smart win over the Cowboys, all but ended the top two hopes of that opponent. I can understand why the bookies have gone up with them as slight favourites ahead of this contest, but I don’t have anything between them.
It certainly won’t be a memorable one long-term, but this clash between the Warriors and the Titans looms as an intriguing one in the here and now and there looks to be some good value on offer in the market.
The Warriors have been next to appalling all year. They’ve suffered some record defeats and really haven’t improved at all since returning to New Zealand.
The Titans have also been extremely disappointing, but they’ve recorded a couple of nice wins recently, and I think they will be eager to see the season out with a bang. A repeat of last weekend’s effort against the Knights would be enough here as well, and the $2.40 about them is overs in my opinion.
While it is already more than likely, the Dragons can confirm that the Broncos will miss the finals by winning this Saturday evening clash.
It has been another frustrating season for the long-suffering Dragons fans, and their club has once again done enough to sit at the edge of the eight, not make the finals and really have no impact at all. That being said, captain Ben Hunt really has wound back the clock, and I’d be surprised if he didn’t win the Dally M at this point.
How about the Broncos’ fall from grace? For much of the season, they loomed as a genuine Top 4 chance. Their worst fears were realised in Round 24 when their form slump, and another enormous defeat saw them actually fall out of the eight. Is the season therefore a failure?
I’m backing the Dragons.
The Cows host the Panthers in Saturday night footy.
This could have been one of the standouts of the season, but with the Panthers already having wrapped up the minor premiership, they are understandably resting almost their entire squad.
The Cowboys are still a mathematical chance of finishing in the Top 2, and I do believe that they will record a dominant win in this game, I just don’t think that the Sharks will lose to the Knights, which also needs to happen.
Looks to plenty of backline players to get on the board for the Cows.
Same Game Multi selections:
- Cowboys (-15.5)
- Kyle Feldt Anytime Tryscorer
- Valentine Holmes Anytime Tryscorer
The penultimate match of the NRL regular season sees the Knights host the Sharks in Newcastle on Sunday afternoon.
The Knights are another club who are just 80 minutes away from Mad Monday, but focus looks to have been there for a couple of months now. Something needs to give if they are to return on a better note in 2023, I’m just not entirely sure what it is! Probably a lot.
The Sharks will almost certainly finish the regular season second and they are a genuine Premiership chance in 2022. They’ll win this game well and take plenty of momentum into a deep finals run.
Same Game Multi selections:
- Sharks (-18)
- Over 54 Total Match Points
The Canberra Raiders can confirm an unlikely finals berth by beating the last-placed Tigers in the final game of the NRL regular season.
It really did appear to be an impossible task, despite it obviously being a mathematical shout, but the Raiders really have benefitted from the Broncos incredible implosion and are now in the driver’s seat. Win this weekend, and you’re in.
The Tigers poor season is almost at an end, and they will unfortunately finish with the wooden spoon. While they could ruin the party for the Raiders, I sincerely doubt that they will.