NRL Preliminary Finals Tips & Preview

NRL Preliminary Finals Tips & Preview

We’ve reached the penultimate week of the NRL season, and two epic Preliminary Finals will decide who battles it out in next week’s decider!

The Eels will have it all to do when they travel to Townsville to face a Cowboys side that is fresh following a week off.

It will be the Eels’ first Prelim since 2009 and the Cowboys’ first since 2017, but will the Eels’ momentum be enough to stop the rampant Cowboys on their home turf?

On Saturday, we’ll be treated to a Grand Final rematch between the Panthers and Rabbitohs.

The Panthers looked scarily good in their Qualifying Final, but Souths just keep turning up and delivering when it’s all on the line.

This scenario looks destined for Latrell Mitchell or Nathan Cleary to step up and carry their team into another Grand Final.

Check our preview and complete NRL Preliminary Finals Tips below!

North Queensland Cowboys vs Parramatta Eels
Eels (+2.5)

The Cowboys have opened $1.68 favourites to defeat the Eels ($2.20) in Friday night’s Prelim and progress to a Grand Final.

The Cows’ season has been nothing short of remarkable.

After finishing a forgettable fifteenth in 2021, I (along with many, many other pundits) had them penciled in for a similar season and therefore, a similar result.

Instead, they will host a Preliminary Final and, as the market suggests, are every chance of winning through to their fourth Grand Final.

Todd Payten has the boys humming, their stars are all firing and a repeat of what they’ve done more often that not this season will be enough to see them winning.

The Eels’ inconsistency was telling at several pivotal points of the season, but they did enough to finish in the Top 4 and with that, gain a crucial ‘second chance’.

Despite being thoroughly outclassed by the Panthers in Week 1 of the Finals, they bounced back with a trashing of the Raiders last weekend.

They’ve been forced to go the long way, but last week’s performance is sure to have filled their sails with wind, and they will be quietly confident of heading north and pinching another victory.

Again, it all comes down to Mitchell Moses. If he plays like he did last week, I think they’ll be winning.

Penrith Panthers vs South Sydney Rabbitohs
Same Game Multi

The reigning premiers and this season’s minor premiers, the Panthers have opened clear $1.36 favourites to defeat Souths ($3.15) and take another huge step towards defending their title.

2022 has been another stunning season produced by the NRL’s current benchmark club.

It took nearly three months for them to suffer their first defeat but ultimately, they’ve never been headed, and they won the minor premiership prior to the final week of the regular season.

Nathan Cleary has proven to be the key again, but they boast depth and class across the entire field, there isn’t a player who’d look out of place in a rep game, and they made another real statement with a comfortable win over Parramatta two weeks ago.

Souths were a shadow of the side that won through to last season’s Grand Final during the first few rounds of this year’s comp, but they have continued to gel throughout the campaign, and they are now as lethal as anyone.

They proved far too good for another rampant side in the Roosters a fortnight ago, and they choked the life out of a very good side in the Sharks last week, as well.

They have the ability to get under the skin of their opponents, and Latrell Mitchell’s form obviously cannot go unmentioned either.

Souths have the makings of a Premiership side, but this is a very, very tough ask.