Title Contenders Meet on Thursday
Rivalries will be settled when the Parramatta Eels and Sydney Roosters meet on Thursday at Allianz Stadium.
The all-Sydney battle is a great way to kick off Round 5 of the season, and NRL lines have the Roosters at -5½.
It could come down to the final play, which is often the case on Thursday.
Eels Find Resolve
It wasn’t looking good for the Eels at 0-3, but they can sleep a little easier after producing the goods last week.
They scored a golden point 17-16 win over the Penrith Panthers. It was an excellent win over the Panthers, who hammered the Eels in last year’s NRL Grand Final. They were the underdogs at the sportsbook, so desperation kicked in.
They are underdogs again, but that’s not surprising against the Roosters. The Roosters are always well-backed with online gambling markets, so bettors should have expected to get points for the Eels.
Being 1-3 still isn’t an ideal position for the Eels, who have top-four aspirations. Making matters worse, the latest NRL news suggests fullback and captain Clinton Gutherson would leave the club if they found someone more suitable, which seems like an overreaction from their best player.
“I just said ‘Let’s look at everyone.’ I’m there to win games, I’ve always said I’m there to win. I just love to play footy and win games,” Gutherson said.
“Obviously, this has come out in the last 24 hours, I think it’s been blown out of proportion, to be honest. It’s one of those things they will make sure that if it does happen, it’s going to be the right player.
“From all I’ve heard, there’s been no talks with anyone else yet. I’m just going about my business, I think I’m only getting into the best part of my career now.”
Roosters Home to Roost
The Roosters didn’t start the year well after losing to the Dolphins in Round 1, but they rebounded with consecutive wins.
They looked moderate when beating the New Zealand Warriors 20-12, before turning on the jets in the second half to beat the South Sydney Rabbitohs 20-18.
Those types of wins are why the Roosters are well-favored to win the premiership with Las Vegas NRL odds and also why they’re -205 to beat the Eels.
Boasting the most impressive roster in the league, including James Tedesco, Daniel Tupou, and Luke Keary, there is no excuse for losing. However, news broke midweek about losing Joseph Suaalii to a huge offer from the Waratahs.
He’s still listed to play, but having that hanging over their heads won’t do the Roosters any good.
We’re not sure we would have priced the Roosters so short. They are the better team, but we’re unsure if they’re a converted try better than the Eels in what should be a close contest.
Eels vs Roosters Head-to-Head
The Roosters have a dominant 24-14-1 advantage over the Eels, but the most recent meeting went to the visitors 26-16.
The most recent meeting at Allianz Stadium went to the Roosters 31-24, which is a better form guide.
Eels vs Roosters Game Information
- Game: Eels (1-3) vs Roosters (2-1)
- Day/Time: Thursday, March 30th, 5:00 a.m. ET
- Location: Allianz Stadium, Sydney, NSW
- Eels vs Roosters Live Stream: RugbyPass
Eels vs Roosters Betting Lines
Eels vs Roosters Picks and Prediction
Our NRL picks expect a close game, so we have to take the Eels +5½.
They played much better last week, and they could use that momentum to keep it close against the Roosters, who haven’t been blowing out teams.
Eels are listed at +155 in our Vegas NRL lines. This means that if you wager $100 on Parramatta, you can win $155. The Roosters are -205, offering a chance to win $49 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives Eelsa a 39.22% chance to win, with Sydney at 67.21%.
