NRL Tips Round 20: Betting preview, odds and predictions
We have an (almost) complete list of NRL games this week, with seven games scheduled for Round 20.
Newcastle Knights will look to extend their push into the top eight when they take on Wests Tigers on Friday night.
Later on Saturday, the Sydney Roosters will host the Melbourne Storm, who face off at the SCG.
Sunday concludes the week with the Parramatta Eels hoping to get back to winning ways against the Gold Coast Titans.
below are The sports news‘ Betting predictions and best bets for round 20.
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Newcastle Knights vs Wests Tigers prediction tip best bet
The Knights are still pushing for the top eight, and a win on Friday night would go a long way towards achieving that goal.
After a 66-0 win against the Bulldogs, Newcastle should benefit from a sell-out home crowd.
They’ve shown over the years they have a tendency to move up the points list at McDonald Jones Stadium and the Tigers’ lackluster defense could certainly be taken advantage of this time around.
Even if Wests performed better in the final round, can they hold their own against an increasingly confident Knights side? We don’t think so.
BEST BET: Newcastle Knights Win and Over 40.5 Points ($1.95)
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs vs. Brisbane Broncos prediction, tip, best bet
The Bulldogs juniors shone against the Rabbitohs last week, but can they take home two points against a more experienced Broncos side?
History suggests that Brisbane have won four of the last five meetings between the two teams.
However, the visitors will be without Reece Walsh and Payne Haas, while enforcer Patrick Carrigan has been named as a substitute.
Still, the Broncos have the quality throughout the park to defeat the Bulldogs in the pursuit of the minor premiership.
BEST BET: Brisbane Broncos -7.5 ($1.90)
Sydney Roosters vs. Melbourne Storm prediction, tip, best bet
Both teams’ Origin Stars have been named to support this clash, which is difficult to predict.
The Roosters have won just three times in their last 10 games against Storm, although most of those losses have come in Melbourne.
Neither team comes into this encounter in excellent form, so brace yourself for a potentially tough battle.
The Storm’s Origin trio of Harry Grant, Cameron Munster and Xavier Coates will only have two full days off, so that could make all the difference.
We support the Roosters so that the SCG stays tight.
BEST BET: Sydney Roosters +4.5 ($1.85)
Parramatta Eels vs. Gold Coast Titans prediction, tip, best bet
The Eels usually thrive at CommBank Stadium, but the heavy loss to the Warriors in the last round was certainly an exception.
Since moving into their renovated home, Parramatta has never lost to the Titans and we don’t expect that to change on Sunday night.
Brad Arthur’s crew needs to bounce back and should do so with their returning Origin stars.
When it comes to goalscorers, it’s hard to get past Maika Sivo.
The Eels scored 47 percent of their attempts at left flank this season, while the Titans conceded 43 percent of their attempts at the same side (via Statistics Insider), so expect the Fijian to strike.
BEST BET: Win Parramatta Eels + Maika Sivo ATS ($2.05)