NRL 2024 Round 13 – Betting Tips, Odds & Predictions

Round 13 of the NRL season will be the first to be impacted by the State of Origin, with seven teams enjoying a week off a number of teams that are missing key players this week. Chief among them will be the Panthers, Roosters and Cowboys, the latter of whom will match up against each other on Sunday afternoon. The weekend will see just five games take place, and admittedly it is not the most enthralling slate of matches. It all kicks off on Thursday night when the Eels host the Sharks at CommBank Stadium, and you can take a look at our predictions for each and every game set to take place over this abridged round below. 

The Eels’ season is going from bad to worse, and it doesn’t get any easier this weekend when they open Round 13 with a clash against a top of the table Sharks’ team coming off just their second loss of the season. The Eels had not won for a month entering last weekend’s clash against the hapless Rabbitohs, and that game showed plainly and simply why. They conceded 42 points to the worst team in the league, a side which hadn’t scored more than 24 all season, their defence so woeful that they made the Bunnies look unstoppable – particularly in the first 30 minutes, a period during which they went down 22-0. They did at least manage to stem the flow and get back into the game, but a 42-26 loss to the Rabbitohs was a disaster in every sense of the world. Speaking of disasters, the Sharks’ season had been sensational prior to last weekend, but their performance in that game perhaps suggested what many people already suggested – that despite their impressive record, they might not quite have what it takes to go with the absolute best of the best. They were embarrassed by the Panthers, going down 28-0 on their home turf by the half-time break and ultimately losing 42-0. The fact remains that they had won seven of their previous seven games and still sit on top of the ladder, so there is plenty of reason for them to be very happy with their season to this point, but that loss would have stung and will remain firm in the memory of all those doubting their ability to go all the way for the rest of this season. They won’t be able to eradicate those concerns this Thursday night, but they should be able to bounce back from their most disappointing performance of the season. This could easily be an emphatic win for the Sharks, who can send the Eels even deeper into the hole in which they currently find themselves in a one-sided game. 

Bookmaker	James’ Tip	Odds
	Sharks to win	$1.48
	Sharks -6.5	$1.95
	Sharks 13+	$2.60

Predicted Squads

Parramatta Eels: 1. Clint Gutherson 2. Maika Sivo 3. Sean Russell 4. Bailey Simonsson 5. Blaize Talagi 6. Dylan Brown 7. Mitch Moses 8. Reagan Campbell-Gillard 9. Joey Lussick 10. Junior Paulo 11. Bryce Cartwright 12. Kelma Tuilagi 13. Ryan Matterson 14. Brendan Hands 15. Shaun Lane 16. Makahesi Makatoa 17. Joe Ofahengaue

Cronulla Sharks: 1. Will Kennedy 2. Sione Katoa 3. Jesse Ramien 4. Kayal Iro 5. Ronaldo Mulitalo 6. Daniel Atkinson 7. Braydon Trindall 8. Thomas Hazelton 9. Blayke Brailey 10. Oregon Kaufusi 11. Briton Nikora 12. Teig Wilton 13. Jack Williams 14. Sifa Talakai 15. Toby Rudolf 16. Royce Hunt 17. Tuku Hau Tapuha

Friday night’s game between the Knights and the Bulldogs could sneakily be a very good game, with both of these teams in decent form and looking increasingly likely to challenge for similar spots in the bottom half of the top eight. The Knights enjoyed a week off last week but prior to that had won four on the trot, that run of results taking their record to 6-5 and putting them inside the top eight after a slow start to the season. But while that was a solid and necessary month of games, the Knights haven’t exactly been emphatic in their victories, beating the Dolphins, Warriors, Tigers and Titans each by six points or less. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, have been consistently pretty impressive ever since a disappointing first fortnight of the season, and last Thursday night – coming off consecutive close losses – put in one of their best performance of the year. They well and truly established that they have torn themselves away from the bottom tier of teams of which they were so long a member, beating the Dragons 44-12 courtesy of a dominant 38-0 second half. Granted it was only the Dragons, but they have been relatively competitive against most teams this year, and the Bulldogs tore them to shreds in that second half. That continued what is quickly becoming a remarkable stat concerning their performance at home, where they have won all five games, compared to on the road, where they have lost all six. That doesn’t bode particularly well for this weekend, but as is always the case, there is more to that statistic than meets the eye. The Bulldogs have lost each of the last four of those away games by six points or less, and two of the last three of those were against the Panthers and the Storm, two of the best in the business and teams that are clearly superior to the Knights. The home team will head into this game as favourites, but this is one of the better chances of an upset this weekend. After a really strong second half last year, the Bulldogs can carry that form into this Friday’s game and secure their first away victory of season 2024.

Bookmaker	James’ Tip	Odds
	Bulldogs to win	$2.35
	Bulldogs +4.5	$1.91
	Bulldogs 1-12	$3.40

Predicted Squads

Newcastle Knights: 1. David Armstrong 2. Enari Tuala 3. Dane Gagai 4. Krystian Mapapalangi 5. Greg Marzhew 6. Jack Cogger 7. Jackson Hastings 8. Jacob Saifiti 9. Jayden Brailey 10. Leo Thompson 11. Tyson Frizell 12. Dylan Lucas 13. Adam Elliott 14. Phoenix Crossland 15. Kai Pearce-Paul 16. Daniel Saifiti 17. Brodie Jones

Canterbury Bulldogs: 1. Connor Tracey 2. Jacob Kiraz 3. Bronson Xerri 4. Jeral Skelton 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Drew Hutchison 7. Toby Sexton 8. Max King 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Sam Hughes 11. Jaeman Salmon 12. Jacob Preston 13. Kurt Mann 14. Bailey Hayward 15. Josh Curran 16. Kurtis Morrin 17. Poasa Faamausili

If anyone needed a reminder that the Panthers are still the best team in the league and the deserved Premiership favourites, they dished one up last weekend. Entering their clash with the top of the ladder Sharks – in Cronulla no less – with a 7-3 record on the back of a disappointing two-point loss to the Warriors, they wasted no time showing the NRL world that despite their respective ladder positions, the three-time reigning Premiers were the better side. Two tries in the first eight minutes set the tone for what was a dominant performance, as they raced out to a 28-0 lead against a side that had not lost for two months. They didn’t really let the foot off the gas in the second, either, continuing to strangle the Sharks’ offence while hitting the scoreboard themselves to ultimately run out 42-0 winners. It was an imposing performance from the Panthers, and having not conceded a point in that game and scoring 42 against the team which previously held the mantle of the stingiest defence in the league, they have now conceded 35 points less than any other team. That doesn’t bode particularly well for the Dragons, who have scored less points than every team except for the Tigers. They have generally been relatively competitive so far this year, but their 44-12 loss to the Bulldogs last Thursday night was their second really poor effort in a month after they also lost by 42 points to the Roosters a couple of weeks earlier. Fortunately for the Roosters, they meet the Panthers the week prior to State of Origin, meaning that they will not have to take them on at full strength. But even with a number of their best players out, this should be an easy win for the Panthers – perhaps not quite as dominant as if they had everyone out there, but a big margin still looks likely. 

Bookmaker	James’ Tip	Odds
	Panthers to win	$1.45
	Panthers -6.5	$1.91
	Panthers 13+	$2.60

Predicted Squads

Penrith Panthers: 1. Sunia Turuva 2. Jesse McLean 3. Izack Tago 4. Tyrone Peachey 5. Paul Alamoti 6. Jack Cole 7. Brad Schneider 8. Moses Leota 9. Mitch Kenny 10. James Fisher-Harris 11. Scott Sorensen 12. Luke Garner 13. Mavrik Geyer 14. Daine Laurie 15. Lindsay Smith 16. Liam Henry 17. Ativalu Lisati

St. George Illawarra Dragons: 1. Tyrell Sloan 2. Christian Tuipulotu 3. Moses Suli 4. Savelio Tamale 5. Mikaele Ravalawa 6. Kyle Flanagan 7. Jesse Marschke 8. Francis Molo 9. Jacob Liddle 10. Blake Lawrie 11. Tom Eisenhuth 12. Raymond Faitala-Mariner 13. Jack de Belin 14. Fa'amanu Brown 15. Luciano Leilua 16. Ben Murdoch-Masila 17. Ryan Couchman

• The Eels have lost five games in a row by at least 14 points, averaging a 21.2 point loss in that time. 
• The Panthers have won their last six games against the Dragons by an average of nearly 14 points. 
• The Roosters have averaged more than 42 points per game over their last five. 

Multi of the Week

The Dolphins have been excellent this year, and with each passing week are establishing themselves as a more legitimate finals contender. Three consecutive win prior to last week’s game against the Warriors took their record to 7-3, already getting them more than halfway to the number they’ll need to make the top eight, and they went agonisingly close to adding another over in New Zealand last Sunday. After leading early they eventually conceded an eight-point lead to the Warriors late in that game, but a 75th minute try got them to within a single score. Unfortunately, they didn’t manage to cross the line again and went down 24-20 as a result, but a four-point loss to last year’s Preliminary Finalists in New Zealand was certainly no disgrace, and this week they should be able to immediately bounce back onto the winners’ list against the Raiders. The team from the nation’s capital has, as they did last year, stayed in touch with the top eight courtesy of a number of close wins, their last three victories being decided by a grand total of seven points. Admittedly a couple of those were really impressive regardless of the margin, beating the Sea Eagles and the improved Bulldogs in back to back weeks, but last Saturday they were no match for the Roosters, who beat them from pillar to post en route to a 44-16 victory. Clearly the Dolphins don’t quite have the firepower of the Roosters, but they are still a really good, solid team, and one that can generally be relied upon to bring a similar level of effort and performance each week. If they do that, they should be too strong for the Raiders on their home turf. Canberra have picked up a couple of good wins of late, but nonetheless this is a game that the home side should be winning. 

Bookmaker	James’ Tip	Odds
	Dolphins to win	$1.65
	Dolphins -3.5	$1.91
	Dolphins 1-12	$2.90

Predicted Squads

The Dolphins: 1. Trai Fuller 2. Jamayne Isaako 3. Jake Averillo 4. Herbie Farnworth 5. Jack Bostock 6. Kodi Nikorima 7. Isaiya Katoa 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Jeremy Marshall-King 10. Mark Nicholls 11. Felise Kaufusi 12. Euan Aitken 13. Max Plath 14. Josh Kerr 15. Kenny Bromwich 16. Ray Stone 17. Connelly Lemuelu

Canberra Raiders: 1. Jordan Rapana 2. Nick Cotric 3. Matt Timoko 4. Seb Kris 5. Xavier Savage 6. Ethan Strange 7. Kaeo Weekes 8. Josh Papalii 9. Danny Levi 10. Joseph Tapine 11. Ata Mariota 12. Elliott Whitehead 13. Morgan Smithies 14. Tom Starling 15. Emre Guler 16. Trey Mooney 17. Peter Hola

The abridged Round 13 concludes with a matchup between two of the teams which will be hardest hit by Origin absences this weekend in the Roosters and the Cowboys. The Roosters will be without each of Spencier Leniu, Lindsay Collins, Angus Crichton and Joseph Suaalii this weekend, while for the Cowboys, Valentine Holmes, Jeremiah Nanai, Reuben Cotter, Murray Taulagi and Tom Dearden will all be absent. Those are some serious holes to fill and means that clearly, neither of these teams will be at full strength, though the Roosters will at least be buoyed by the availability of James Tedesco after he surprisingly missed out on New South Wales’ selection. Both teams enter the game on the back of strong wins; the Roosters bounced back from a loss to the Sharks with a thumping win over the Raiders, knocking them off 44-16, while the Cowboys made it two wins in as many games with a 14-point win over the Tigers. They badly needed both of those wins after a series of close losses, though having knocked off only the Rabbitohs and the Tigers – and neither all that comfortably – no one is actually shouting from the rooftops that the Cowboys are back just yet. And this Sunday, things will get a lot more difficult once again, even against an Origin decimated Roosters outfit. The home side in this game has a lot more cattle to deal with those significant losses than the Cowboys do, and are the much better team to start with. Obviously any game with as many personnel changes as this one will have has an element of unpredictability associated with it, but the Roosters should still be able to win this one to wind up the round’s action. 

Bookmaker	James’ Tip	Odds
	Roosters to win	$1.19
	Roosters 13+	$1.70
	Roosters to score 31 points or more	$1.60

Predicted Squads

Sydney Roosters: 1. James Tedesco 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Fetalaiga Pauga 4. Joey Manu 5. Dom Young 6. Luke Keary 7. Sam Walker 8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 9. Brandon Smith 10. Terrell May 11. Nat Butcher 12. Victor Radley 13. Naufahu Whyte 14. Sandon Smith 15. Sitili Tupouniua 16. Siua Wong 17.  Xavier Va'a

North Queensland Cowboys: 1. Scott Drinkwater 2. Braidon Burns 3. Tom Chester 4. Villiami Vailea 5. Kyle Feldt 6. Jake Clifford 7. Chad Townsend 8. Jordan McLean 9. Jake Granville 10. Griffin Neame 11. Kulikefu Finefeuiaki 12. Heilum Luki 13. Jason Taumalolo 14. Sam McIntyre 15. Thomas Mikaele 16. Harrison Edwards 17. Jamal Shibasaki

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