There is a gap of just 48 hours between Origin II and Round 17 of the NRL!
The action kicks off again with an intriguing clash in Wollongong on Friday night, when the Dragons takes on the Warriors.
Dragons captain Ben Hunt has requested an immediate release from the club, but he has still been named to start for the side desperate for points, and against a Warriors side that is firmly entrenched in the Top 8.
All of that below, along with my NRL Round 17 Tips!
Interesting clash to kick off Round 17, and I am eager to see the response to, and performance of Ben Hunt.
He has been a real servant to a largely terrible club since arriving, and I don’t think there’s any doubt that Hunt deserves better than what he has got, and moreso, how he has been treated recently.
The Dragons are now out to $501 in Premiership betting, and it’s surely far better for all concerned to just grant the release and get on with it.
Dragons captain Ben Hunt has requested a release! His good mate @JharalYowYeh5 joined our own @JaredTimms to break down the situation on #NRL Unpopular Opinions. pic.twitter.com/jp5EblkM19
— Neds (@NedsAus) June 20, 2023
The Warriors have been the big improvers of 2023, and I think they’ll finally be playing finals this year.
They can continue their march towards September by winning this.
The Phins’ appear to have dropped out of form, and things probably don’t get any easier when the Eels arrive in town on a four-match winning streak.
Their early season form was something to behold, but the Dolphins have now won just one of their last four games, which included a 50-point thrashing at the hands of the Sea Eagles.
The Eels have been almost the opposite, starting slowly, but winning the last four to climb into eighth spot, and with plenty of time to continue their ascension ahead of the finals.
Whichever way this one falls (for the record, I think it’ll be to the Eels), I’m expecting there to be plenty of points!
The Panthers have opened the shortest-priced favourites of the week ($1.28 at publish) ahead of their Round 17 clash with the Knights on Saturday evening.
The Panthers remain second on the ladder following another good start to the season, but they did suffer a golden point loss to the Cowboys last week with half of their side out on Origin duty/injury.
The Knights have been pretty bad with and without their best players this year, and they’re still the hardest club to trust from a betting perspective, in my opinion.
With Origin stars almost certainly returning for the Panthers, it looks an open and shut case to me!
Regardless of form and the difference in head-to-head prices, games between the Storm and Sea Eagles are almost always outstanding, and well-fought.
Case in point, their meeting earlier this season, when not a lot was expected of the Sea Eagles, but they rallied to record a tough win.
The form of both clubs has been a little tough to line up recently – consistency hasn’t been a friend to either, but there’s no doubt that the Storm have been a bit better and at home, I certainly understand their market favouritism.
That being said, if DCE and Turbo both back up, Manly are better than $3.75 in match betting, and they can make a game of it.
I think that one of, if not the best game of Round 17 will materialise between South East Queensland rivals the Broncos and Titans on Sunday afternoon.
The Broncos have understandably had the wood over their younger brothers for the most part, but often, the Titans have kept their best footy for this derby, and up in Brisbane.
Adding to that, the Titans’ form in 2023 certainly hasn’t been their worst on record, and they are still well and truly on track towards fighting into the finals this season.
The Broncos, meanwhile, have restored some of the glory that has seen them to a number of Premierships since the 80s, and they enter Round 17 on top of the ladder.
Who backs up from Origin, we’re yet to see, but they’ve all been named, and they’ll be eager to continue their match to a potential minor Premiership.
Souths tackle a rejuvenated North Queensland side in Round 17’s penultimate fixture on Sunday afternoon.
The Bunnies continue to shape as one of the serious Premiership threats of 2023, despite a couple of disappointing losses recently.
I am confident that they’ll come out of the Origin period in good shape and position, and it’ll be full steam ahead into a likely finish in the Top 4.
Can the Cows overturn their horror start to the season and sneak into the finals?
Their recent form is certainly good enough, but they’ve left themselves a lot of work in the second half of the season, and they probably need to be winning at least some games like this one against strong opposition.
I think that the Bunnies might just prove to be a bridge too far for them at current, but they too can be competitive!
The Roosters will attempt to get their season back on track when they meet the Raiders in Round 17 of the NRL.
I’ve said it a few times before, but just to reiterate I thought that the Roosters would win the minor Premiership in 2023, before going on to a likely Grand Final berth. Lol.
At this rate, they’ll be lucky to sneak into the 8, before a likely Week 1 elimination.
They currently sit eleventh on the ladder, and have produced some utterly horrible efforts recently.
The Raiders, meanwhile, are a club that I personally expected little of this season, but they’ve been really good to sit 7th after 16 rounds of footy, and with scope towards another competitive run to the finish line.
All of that considered, the value to me looks like lying with the Raiders to win as outsiders.