NRL Round 19 Preview: Betting, Odds & Predictions

With just seven rounds remaining in the NRL season, there is still plenty of uncertainty surrounding both who will play finals, and who will earn themselves a double chance. 

The Panthers are four games clear on top, but thereafter things are mighty tight; just a game separates the Cowboys in second from the Eels in sixth, while in the bottom parts of the top eight things are equally close. Round 19 will see a number of the teams embroiled in those battles compete against one another, and could have a major impact on who finishes the season in both the top eight and the top four. 

Check out our previews of all eight games set to take place in round 19.

 

 

Parramatta Eels ($1.52) vs Brisbane Broncos ($2.55)

July 21, 7.50pm @ CommBank Stadium 

Round 19 of the NRL season kicks off with an intriguing clash between two sides jostling for similar spots in the top eight. The Eels and Broncos sit side by side in sixth and fifth respectively, share a record of 11-6 and enter the game on the back of consecutive victories, and with each of them sitting just a game behind the Cowboys in second, there is plenty to be gained for the side which ends this game triumphant.

Were this game being played at Suncorp Stadium it may be a different story, but with Parramatta set to enjoy the home ground advantage, they are deserved favourites entering the game. The Eels have lost just two games all year at CommBank Stadium, while the Broncos have a 5-4 record on the road as compared to a 6-2 record at home. Regardless of where it’s being played, however, this is a significant game in the context of the season for both of these sides and many others around them, and should be played at a finals-like intensity.

 

 

St. George Illawarra Dragons ($2.45) vs Manly Sea Eagles ($1.55)

July 22, 6.00pm @ Netstrata Jubilee Stadium

Friday’s action kicks off with another game which will shape the finals race, with both the Dragons and the Sea Eagles perched perilously in a cluster of four teams split by just a game between eighth and 11th. The Sea Eagles, however, courtesy of four wins in five games, are the best placed of those four teams, sitting just inside the top eight with a one-game advantage on each of the Roosters, Raiders and Dragons.

 The Dragons, in contrast, appear to be at the beginning of a slide which many have been anticipating for weeks. They’ve lost two in a row, the latest of which was a 28-point drubbing by the Storm in which they conceded six tries in the last 28 minutes. They need to win this one or their finals hopes will begin to slip away, but given the form the Sea Eagles in they will have their work cut out doing so.

 

 

Newcastle Knights ($3.60) vs Sydney Roosters ($1.29)

July 22, 7.55pm @ McDonald Jones Stadium

Though these two sides are separated by just four spots on the ladder, the contrast is in reality far more stark. The Knights have lost four of their last five games to slump to 5-12, the latest of those defeats being a 30-point thumping by Manly. 

 The Roosters have also lost four of their past five, but they were all competitive losses to good sides and last week they re-joined the winners’ list in emphatic fashion with a 54-26 win over the Dragons. Currently sitting in ninth spot, they are comfortably the most dangerous side currently outside the top eight, and despite their poor away record this year, will be expecting to come away from this game with the points.

 

 

Canberra Raiders ($1.28) vs New Zealand Warriors ($3.70)

July 23, 3.00pm @ GIO Stadium

The Raiders are yet another team locked in the four-way battle for eighth spot, sitting just a game behind the Sea Eagles, and like the Roosters side sitting just above them on the ladder, will be looking at this game as a great chance to further push their finals credentials. And they have plenty of reason to expect a big win; the Warriors have lost eight of their last nine games and have a 1-7 record on the road so far this season. 

The Raiders’ poor points differential is an issue for them in such a tight season, and this game presents a chance to go some way to rectifying that with a big win. When they met earlier in the season the Warriors got over the line by a point, but it’s difficult to envision the same result occurring this time around.

 

 

Penrith Panthers ($1.22) vs Cronulla Sharks ($4.30)

July 23, 5.30pm @ BlueBet Stadium

This one has the potential to be one of the games of the season, but it’s testament to just how dominant the Panthers have been this year that they are still such heavy favourites against a team as in-form as the Sharks. Cronulla have faced two massive tests over the last fortnight, facing first the Storm and then the Cowboys, and have passed each with flying colours by recording two significant wins to jump into third place. Now, they face the biggest test in the NRL, heading to Penrith to face a Panthers side which has lost just a solitary game all season.

That nearly became two last week against the Tigers, of all teams, but that narrow victory shouldn’t be read into too much. The Panthers fielded a depleted team after so many of their stars played Origin last Wednesday night, and with a four-game lead at the top there was little reason for them to force those players to back up with a second game in just a handful of days. With something resembling their best team set to take the field this weekend they will likely be back to their best, and that may be the requirement to beat an in-form Sharks team.

 

 

South Sydney Rabbitohs ($2.15) vs Melbourne Storm ($1.70)

July 23, 7.35pm @ Accor Stadium

Rounding out an intriguing and vitally important Saturday evening of footy is another huge clash, this one between the seventh-placed Rabbitohs and the fourth-placed Storm. Despite those ladder positions, however, it’s the Bunnies who enter the game with the far superior form line. Last year’s Grand Finalists have won three on the trot and five of their last six to catapult up the ladder, and though they’re not yet assured a finals spot, they’re also now within a game of the top four.

The Storm, in contrast, are in the midst of a freefall after losing three consecutive games for the first time since 2015. The nominal second favourite for the flag behind Penrith all season, those losses have seen them fall from a two-team battle for second on the ladder to just hanging onto a spot in the top four by points differential, and a loss this weekend will see them drop even further. The Storm will no doubt arrest their losing streak at some point and it may well be on Saturday evening, but South Sydney are not an easy team to beat on their home turf, so the visitors will need to play better than they have been in recent weeks if they’re to win.

 

 

Canterbury Bulldogs ($1.50) vs Gold Coast Titans ($2.60)

July 24, 2.00pm @ CommBank Stadium

Following a Saturday which will go a long way to shaping the season, Sunday’s card won’t have quite the same impact on the finals race. It begins with a match-up between two of the bottom three sides in the league, both of whom have endured thoroughly disappointing seasons to date. 

The Bulldogs, at least, have shown something over the past month, winning a couple of games – most notably on the Queen’s Birthday against the Eels by 30 points – and being relatively competitive against top eight sides in the other two. The same can’t really be said for the Titans, who have now lost seven in a row, though they were much improved against the Broncos last weekend. For all intents and purposes there isn’t a whole lot on the line in this game, but with both sides in similar positions there will at least be pride at stake.

 

 

North Queensland Cowboys ($1.09) vs Wests Tigers ($7.50)

July 24, 4.05pm @ Queensland Country Bank Stadium

What looms as a lopsided affair rounds out the weekend’s NRL action, with the Cowboys looking to strengthen their grip on second place against the bottom-of-the-table Tigers. 

With the Storm faltering, North Queensland had the opportunity to jump two games clear of third against the Sharks last weekend, but a disappointing defeat means they are only hanging onto the spot by points differential and are now just a game clear of the Eels in sixth.

 The Tigers, however, should present an easy kill. They were competitive last week against the best side in the league in Penrith, but the side they played wasn’t reflective of that which has won 16 of their first 17 games. Last time these two teams met the Cowboys won at a canter, and it’s hard to imagine a different result this time around.

 

 

With the ladder as tight as it is and the home and away season rapidly nearing its conclusion, each round of the NRL is pivotal in terms of who will play finals in 2022. Round 19 is no different, and with games like the Panthers vs Sharks and Storm vs Rabbitohs headlining the weekend’s action, it will have a massive impact on how the season plays out for a number of teams.  

 

**Odds quoted are accurate at the time of writing but are subject to change