The NRL is finally back for another year! Bigger and better than ever as well as now we have 17 teams battling it out for premiership glory. The first week of footy looks to be as explosive as ever, so I thought it would be best for me to go through each game and give my thoughts on how they will pan out.
Thursday 8:00pm: Eels vs Storm
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To open the 2023 season the Eels host the Storm at home and I’m expecting this one to be a cracker. Eels have won 5 of their past 6 against Melbourne however, Parra is missing some firepower they have had over the years in Reed Mahoney, Isaiah Papali’i, Ray Stone, Marata Niukore and Ryan Matterson (who is suspended). They look easily worse than last season but I can’t right them off as they still have a lot of promise in their 13. The likes of Gutho, Moses, Brown, RCG and Paulo will be huge for the Eels in this game and are critical for the team’s success. Unfortunately, for Parra, the Storm looks red hot coming into the season and are flying under the radar for the comp big time in my opinion. Munster, Hughes, and Grant are only going to get better this season and the gains of Katoa and Sims are huge. They will blossom at Melbourne under Bellamy, especially Katoa. They are very dangerous and when Papi is back it can only get worse for the opposition. I have Storm winning this one in a tough battle.
Result: Storm 1-12: $3.00
Friday 6:00PM: Warriors Vs Knights
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One of the more average games of the round with this matchup with both teams expected to come in the lower bottom half of the table. Not much to discuss here, both teams are on the same kind of playing level. On paper, the Knights are better slightly however, their performances over the years have been extremely below average. I don’t see a blowout going to either side but the Warriors have a home advantage and do perform in NZ however I’ll lean ever so slightly with the Knights to win on the back of a Jackson Hastings and Lachie Miller masterclass. I really like these two signings for Newcastle and I think it will help them edge over the line in some close games.
Result: Knights 1-12: $3.75
Friday 8:00PM: Panthers vs Broncos
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Onto the big Friday night game with featuring the Panthers and the Broncos in Penrith. I’ll try to keep this one short and sweet as I think Penrith will be way too strong on Friday night. They will come out with a chip on their shoulder due to their recent loss against St Helens. The Broncos are flying under the radar this season so I won’t be expecting a blow out however, Penrith are looking ready to win and control the game as they always look to do.
Result: Penrith 1-12: $3.00
Saturday 3:00pm: Sea Eagles vs Bulldogs
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To kick off the Saturday games the new-look doggies take on Tommy Turbo and the other lot. Manly are rubbish without this bloke and I’m not saying players like DCE and Jurbo aren’t great players. Tommy being in this side allows this team to do what they do best with the footy. The spark and flare he adds to this side will be too much for the dogs in my opinion. The dogs have another year to go before they are a top 8 side in my opinion so I don’t have high expectations.
Result: Manly 13+: $2.90
Saturday 5:30pm: Cowboys vs Raiders
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Big season for both teams. NQLD were a game away and a few missed calls away from playing in the Grand Final last season and personally, I don’t see them slowing down. No changes to the side, bar the loss of the Hammer however, I don’t see that coming back to hurt them. Raiders are in for a big year as well with an easy draw. I see them making the 8 off the back of Wighton, Papa & Tapine. Can’t see them winning this one though as the Cowboys look very switched on as always and No Papali for the Raiders as well which hurts.
Result: Cowboys 1-12: $2.95
Saturday 7:30pm: Sharks vs Rabbitohs
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The Sharks face Souths without Nicho Hynes. I go for the Sharks as well and the only way we win this is if our backs just bully Souths through the middle which is a big ask. Sharks are not a one-man team by any means but Trindall is seriously bad in games against big teams. Souths will dominate the majority of the game and most likely run away with it. Latrell, Walker, Cook, Murray etc will have stellar performances as well which isn’t a bold prediction but I just think they will play to prove a point that they are in it to win it all this season.
Result: Souths 13+: $3.00
Sunday 4:00pm: Dolphins vs Roosters
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Now, I’ll keep this very short. The Dolphins are f*cked and won’t win more than 3 games. Roosters are the Roosters. If Roosters don’t win 13+ that is very concerning.
Result: Roosters 13+: $1.53
Sunday 6:00pm: Tigers vs Titans
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This is going to be a good game. Both teams look better than last season and it will be interesting to see how this pans out. The advantage edges toward the Tigers in my opinion as the Titans don’t have a true 7 and are coming off the back of an extremely underwhelming year. The Tigers looked outstanding in the second trial and they seem to have an entirely different mentality towards their footy. If that’s any sign of what’s to come I’ll take the tigers in a high-scoring close game.
Result: Tigers 1-12: $3.10