Is Favorite Penrith Worth Backing?
he NRL season is upon us and rugby league netting markets have taken action for which team will win the title.
Penrith headlines the market at +300 after winning the last two, but the Sydney Roosters, Melbourne Storm, and South Sydney Rabbitohs are all worthy contenders in the 17-team competition Down Under.
Let’s check the latest Rugby news, stats, injury reports, and Rugby lines. We’ve got plenty of Rugby picks for you to consider.
Sydney Home to Roost
he Roosters are best-equipped to win the NRL title in 2023. They have a packed team of superstars and it has been only injuries that have stopped them recently.
We believe the winning run of the Panthers will come to an end and it could be by the Roosters. It’s rare to see a team win three straight NRL titles, and we don’t think the Panthers are good enough to defy history.
That leaves the Roosters as the team to beat them. They are +550 with the sportsbook, and if they stay injury free, we can’t see them being beaten.
They have the likes of James Tedesco and Luke Keary, so they can control the game and put the Roosters back on top.
Matt Lodge believes it’s a great club to play for.
“It’s the best club I’ve been at, it’s been a long time since I’ve learned so much about footy, and I feel like they’re teaching me how to win again, which makes it stimulating coming to training every day,” Lodge said.
Panthers Softened Up
The World Club Challenge usually goes the way of the NRL teams, but the Panthers looked distinctly average against St. Helens last week.
It was only a preseason game, but if the Panthers don’t improve on that performance, they could be in early trouble.
There is also the case of not having the passion to win. After winning consecutive titles, they could rest on their laurels.
Given their current odds, we think there is much better value with other teams. Had the Panthers been paying around +600, we could have entertained that price.
Never Count Out Storm
The Storm have an excellent record when it comes to winning NRL titles, so we’re not surprised by their NRL odds.
They are on the third line of betting at +600, and considering they still have many of their core players, including Jahrome Hughes and Cameron Munster, they’re going to be right in the mix.
New captain Christian Welch, who also represents Queensland in State of Origin, credits the senior players in the squad.
“I said to the boys today in the meeting, it’s a group effort. We’ve got six guys in the leadership group and three vice captains in Harry (Grant), Jahrome (Hughes) and (Cameron) Munster,” Welch said.
“We’re all leading together and working hard to set the standards off the field but also on the field I need these guys who are our really important spine players to push the team around while I just work on making the tackles.”
They are always tough to beat and we wouldn’t have a bet on the NRL without including the Storm in our NRL picks.
