Salvation is the story of the first game with the Cowboys and Sea Eagles both turning around early season troubles to hit a nice vein of form before a cracking Friday night affair where the Raiders host the out of form Storm is a salivating affair. Super Saturday is highlighted by the in-form Tigers hosting the defending premiers while Round 7 concludes with one of the great rivalry games when the Eels and Bulldogs square off. North Queensland Cowboys vs Manly Sea Eagles 9:50pm Thursday | Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville It is a touch surprising to see both the…

If you’re not factoring in the referee, you’re missing an edge — Nick Tedeschi breaks down the key officiating trends that matter for Round 7. North Queensland Cowboys vs Manly Sea Eagles 9:50pm Thursday | Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville Over 54.5 @ $1.90 Gerard Sutton  North Qld are 9-4 with a 6-7 cover record  Manly are 9-9 with a 10-8 cover record  Favourites of 4 or more cover at 55%  The over is 12-6 in Manly games  The over hits at 56% when there is an interstate team Gerard Sutton is the leading favourite referee in the NRL but that angle diminishes significantly with a favourite under a…

Round 6 opens up with a grudge match of sorts between Penrith and Penrith-lite, also known as Canterbury, before the all-Queensland derby has become a much closer run affair with the absence of Reece Walsh and Ben Hunt when the Broncos host the Cowboys. A double-header in Perth kicks off Super Saturday while a surprise Top 4 clash between the Tigers and Knights wraps up the week of NRL action. Canterbury Bulldogs vs Penrith Panthers 9:50pm Thursday | Accor Stadium, Sydney Canterbury +17.5 ($1.96) Penrith have been nothing short of historically scintillating through the opening five weeks. They have won…

If you’re not factoring in the referee, you’re missing an edge — Nick Tedeschi breaks down the key officiating trends that matter for Round 6. Canterbury Bulldogs vs Penrith Panthers 9:50pm Thursday | Accor Stadium, Sydney Penrith -17.5 @ $1.87 Gerard Sutton  Canterbury are 4-7 with a 6-5 cover record  Penrith are 17-6 with a 14-9 cover record  Favourites of 6.5 or more cover at 61%  Home underdogs cover at 43%  Home underdogs of 8 or more cover at 36%  Gerard Sutton is the leading favourite referee in the NRL with road favourites of a notable size particularly well suited to his refereeing. Sutton officiated a road favourite of…

Round 5 kicks off with a compelling affair between the Dolphins and Sea Eagles with the recently-retired Kieran Foran at the helm for the first time while Good Friday is better than good when it comes to Rugby League with two absolute barnburners with the Dogs and Bunnies squaring off in their traditional Good Friday battle before heavyweights the Panthers and the Storm meet in a salivating Friday night affair. Dolphins vs Manly Sea Eagles 10:00pm Thursday | Kayo Stadium, Redcliffe Dolphins -10.5 ($1.90) The Anthony Seibold era at Manly is officially over and despite protestations from the playing group…

If you’re not factoring in the referee, you’re missing an edge — Nick Tedeschi breaks down the key officiating trends that matter for Round 5. Dolphins vs Manly Sea Eagles 10:00pm Thursday | Kayo Stadium, Redcliffe Over 50.5 @ $1.90 Grant Atkins  Dolphins are 5-5 with a 6-4 cover record Manly are 10-8 with an 11-7 cover record  Home teams cover 59%  Interstate teams cover 45%  Teams off conceding 30-plus cover 63%  10+ favourites cover 35%  The over is 14-4 in Manly games  The over hits at 60% when there is a double digit favourite Home teams typically perform well under Grant Atkins but…