Round 8 is one that will see all eyes focused on the final two spots in the Top 6 with eighth-placed Canterbury hosting the last-placed Canberra, ninth and 10th squaring off when the Titans host the Dragons and fifth and sixth doing battle when the Warriors play the Sharks in Hamilton.
Canberra managed to win their first game of the season when beating the Warriors 20-16 in New Zealand but it was far from impressive with the Warriors reduced to 11 players for 55 minutes following two send offs. Almost blowing the game against an 11-woman team showed just where the Raiders are. The Bulldogs won their first two matches since joining the NRLW but have just a single draw in their five matches since. They have generally played tough though and with Taylah Preston back, the Bulldogs should prove too strong for the hapless Raiders. Moana Courtenay is a powerhouse runner who has three tries in her fledgling NRLW career. Elizabeth MacGregor is Canterbury’s leading tryscorer with four tries.
Recommended Bets
Best: Canterbury -6.5 ($1.87)
Next: Canterbury 13+ ($2.55)
Tryscorer: Moana Courtenay ($10 First, $2.40 Anytime)
SGM: Moana Courtenay Try/Elizabeth MacGregor Try ($5.50)
The big concern for the Dragons this season is not their ability to score points but to win the battle in the trenches. The Dragons lack size and it has been costly. And should prove so against one of the toughest packs in the competition. The Titans don’t have any points in them without Jaime Chapman but it is hard to see a scenario where they are not playing on the front foot all day. Gold Coast are a quality bet. Georgia Grey is the Titans most dangerous weapon with four tries this season. Teagan Berry has 32 tries in 37 NRLW games, making her the second greatest tryscorer in the history of the competition.
Recommended Bets
Best: Gold Coast -5.5 ($1.87)
Next: Gold Coast 13+ ($2.80)
Tryscorer: Georgia Grey ($8.50 First, $1.99 Anytime)
SGM: Georgia Grey Try/Teagan Berry Try ($4.75)
Just keep on riding the Sydney Roosters. They are unstoppable, an all-star team that only the Broncos can truly push. The Chooks are unbeaten this year through seven weeks and have covered every match. The Broncos are the only team to get within 14 points of the Chooks this year. Third-placed Newcastle got smoked by 16 last week. The Roosters have won three of the last four by at least 14 against the Eels and with the market still underrating the Roosters, laying the points is the best bet of the week. Jasmin Strange has three tries this season and all have been first tries. Olivia Kernick is the best player in the NRLW and has 10 tries in her last 12 games.
Recommended Bets
Best: Sydney Roosters -16.5 ($1.87)
Next: Sydney Roosters 30+
Tryscorer: Jasmin Strange ($14 First, $3.45 Anytime)
SGM: Jasmin Strange Try/Olivia Kernick Try ($8.00)
Tamika Upton comes up against her former team here and she will get a steely reception in Steel City with Newcastle looking a good bet against Brisbane in the undoubted match of the round. The Knights have an exceptional home record with 13 wins in their last 15 at McDonald Jones Stadium. They have also won three of their last four against the Broncos. They have scored 30-plus in three of their last five and lost no admirers in their loss to the Roosters. Brisbane have the ceiling to beat anyone but have gone in and out of games the last two weeks so happy to take the points. Sheridan Gallagher has 21 tries in 26 games. Romy Teitzel has scored three tries in her last two games.
Recommended Bets
Best: Newcastle +4.5 ($1.87)
Next: Newcastle Win ($2.50)
Tryscorer: Sheridan Gallagher ($13 First, $2.75 Anytime)
SGM: Sheridan Gallagher Try/Romy Teitzel Try ($13.50)
Here is the situation in this game: New Zealand are a new team in the competition coming off news their best player’s season is over due to pregnancy and seeing two of their players sent off last week while Cronulla are a team chock full of talent who have done nothing but underperform all season. Stick with the tough-minded home team. The Sharks have covered just two of seven this year with their halves play arguably the worst in the competition. Happy to be with the tougher minded of the teams. Payton Takimoana has been elite with 10 tries in her last six games including two hat-tricks. Georgia Ravics has been a classy scorer with 17 tries in 23 games.
Recommended Bets
Best: New Zealand +3.5 ($1.87)
Next: New Zealand Win ($2.40)
Tryscorer: Payton Takimoana ($9.50 First, $2.15 Anytime)
SGM: Payton Takimoana Try/Georgia Ravics Try ($5.00)
The Tigers showed plenty of heart in getting their first win of the season when rolling the Dragons last week. Don’t expect that to continue against the talented Cowboys though. The talented Kira Dibb has the Cowboys humming but more importantly North Queensland’s defence has improved significantly, conceding just 8.4 points per game across the last five weeks. The Cowboys have travelled to Sydney twice this year and won both. Jakiya Whitfeld has nine tries in 15 games since moving to the Cowboys. Abigail Roache has scored 11 tries in 27 games.
Recommended Bets
Best: North Queensland -9.5 ($1.90)
Next: North Queensland -17.5 ($2.97)
Tryscorer: Jakiya Whitfeld ($9 First, $2.02 Anytime)
SGM: Jakiya Whitfeld Try/Abigail Roache Try ($5.50)