NRL 2024 Round 19 – Betting Tips, Odds & Predictions

That was a pretty entertaining weekend of NRL action. Round 18 saw two games go to extra time, a couple more decided by just four points, and a tense, low-scoring Grand Final rematch which closely resembled a finals game ultimately culminating in an eight-point win for the Panthers over the Broncos. With State of Origin set to be decided next Wednesday, Round 19 of the NRL season will be yet another compromised one, with seven teams enjoying the week off and a number of those playing having to deal with their stars being unavailable as they prepare for the Origin decider. But even with just five games this weekend there is plenty on the line, so take a look at our previews for each of those games below. 

Though the Dolphins sit in sixth spot and the Rabbitohs are down in 13th, these two teams have been heading in contrasting directions in recent weeks and the visitors are every chance of continuing their winning ways this Thursday night. After a first half of the season which could hardly have gone worse, the Rabbitohs have now won five games in a row – that streak after they won just one of their first ten – the latest of which was a comfortable 32-16 defeat of the Eels last Thursday night. They are playing far more like the team which was expected to compete for a top four spot entering the year than the Wooden Spoon contender they were a few weeks ago, and incredibly, finals are gradually beginning to appear within reach. Another victory this Thursday night would significantly help their cause, and based on the Dolphins’ recent form they are a good chance of securing one.  
 
After managing to lock themselves into the top four halfway through the season, the Dolphins have, as many expected, hit a little bit of a snag, and while they hung onto sixth place despite suffering a fourth loss in five games last time out, their position in the top eight is now very precarious. Previously during this losing streak they had at least been gallant defeats, all coming by four points or less, but their latest defeat was far from that, coming by 20 points at the hands of the Dragons. They are now just a game ahead of tenth and two games ahead of the Rabbitohs back in 13th, and are looking increasingly likely to fall out of the top eight as the season wears on. This is a pivotal game in the course of their season, but even in Redcliffe they don’t deserve to be favourites based on the respective form of these two teams. This looks like a great chance for the Rabbitohs to continue their charge towards the finals with a sixth consecutive win in a tight game.

Bookmaker	James’ Tip	Odds
	Rabbitohs to win	$2.05
	Rabbitohs +1.5	$1.90
	Rabbitohs 1-12	$3.30

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. Kenny Bromwich 10. Mark Nicholls 11. Connelly Lemuelu 12. Euan Aitken 13. Max Plath 14. Sean O'Sullivan 15. Ray Stone 16. Josh Kerr 17. Tevita Pangai Junior

South Sydney Rabbitohs: 1. Jye Gray 2. Alex Johnston 3. Taane Milne 4. Richard Kennar 5. Jacob Gagai 6. Jack Wighton 7. Cody Walker 8. Davvy Moale 9. Damien Cook 10. Sean Keppie 11. Michael Chee Kam 12. Jai Arrow 13. Keaon Koloamatangi 14. Peter Mamouzelos 15. Tallis Duncan 16. Tom Burgess 17. Siliva Havili

Speaking of teams that are floundering, the Sharks are currently in free fall and could not be more in need of a home game against the worst team in the league. Fortunately, that is exactly what they get this week! The Sharks, after spending most of the first half of the season on top of the ladder, have lost five of their last six games and three in a row. Granted those last three defeats have been by a combined total of seven points, but they came against the Dolphins, Bulldogs and then last week, the Titans, all teams they would be expecting to beat – particularly the Titans. They were lethargic out of the blocks in that game, failing to score in the first half, and while they did score a couple of late tries to give the Titans a scare, they did, for the most part, look destined to lose that game – not a great advertisement for their Premiership chances given where the Titans are at. After that performance it’s hard to be confident about their ability to beat anyone at the minute, but surely – surely! – they can knock off the Tigers in Cronulla pretty easily. 
 
The Tigers did actually enjoy a couple of wins in a row in June, but normal programming has resumed over the past fortnight. That winning ‘streak ‘ came to an end two weeks ago when the Roosters pummelled them 40-6, while last week they went down 40-28 to the Storm. Clearly their defence has been a problem across those two games, and though the Sharks are certainly not the most potent offensive team in the league – particularly of late – they will be looking to get a bit of their pizazz with ball in hand back this weekend. For the most part, the Tigers have avoided being pumped too often this year, but equally they have been on the receiving end of a hell of a lot of comfortable defeats, the kind the Storm handed them last week. That seems to be the likely result this weekend too. The Sharks will be hoping to put the foot down and get some confidence back with a thumping win, and while they might not be able to do what the Roosters did to the Tigers a couple of weeks ago, it should still be a comfortable victory for the home side. 

Bookmaker	James’ Tip	Odds
	Sharks -12.5	$1.91
	Sharks 7+	$1.50
	Sharks 11-20	$3.70

Predicted Squads

Cronulla Sharks: 1. Will Kennedy  2. Sione Katoa  3. Jesse Ramien  4. Kayal Iro  5. Ronaldo Mulitalo  6. Braydon Trindall  7. Nicho Hynes  8. Thomas Hazelton   9. Blayke Brailey  10. Oregon Kaufusi  11. Briton Nikora  12. Teig Wilton  13. Cameron McInnes    14. Jack Williams  15. Royce Hunt  16. Tuku Hau Tapuha  17. Braden Hamlin-Uele 

Wests Tigers: 1. Jahream Bula  2. Starford To'a  3. Adam Doueihi  4. Justin Olam  5. Charlie Staines  6. Lachlan Galvin  7. Aidan Sezer  8. Stefano Utoikamanu  9. Api Koroisau  10. David Klemmer  11. John Bateman  12. Samuela Fainu  13. Fonua Pole    14. Justin Matamua  15. Alex Twal  16. Sione Fainu  17. Alex Seyfarth

After their worst two-week period since the first month of the season, the Titans have bounced back emphatically over the past fortnight with consecutive impressive wins. The first had to be seen to be believed as they demolished a hapless Warriors team 66-6, and last week they backed it up with a mature performance against a legitimate Premiership contender – albeit an out of form one – in the Sharks, winning 20-16 in Cronulla. Though they will almost certainly finish bottom three this year, the Titans have shown plenty in 2024, particularly given how poor they were in that first month and the fact that they have had to do it all without their captain. This weekend, they get a great chance to win their third win in a row when they return home to take on one of the two teams below them on the ladder. 
 
The Eels appeared set to bounce back from a woeful April and May when Clint Gutherson and Mitchell Moses returned, with a 12-point win over the Sharks bringing a five-game losing streak to an end, but since then they have lost four more on the trot to take their record over the past weeks to a woeful 1-9. Last weekend they were no match for a resurgent Rabbitohs, losing that game 32-16, and while they are theoretically a good chance to end that losing streak this weekend, they will have to do so without Moses, who will be on state duty in the lead up to State of Origin Game 3. Given how they have played in his absence previously – and, indeed, once he has returned – that does not bode particularly well for them. The Titans have been pretty solid since that first month of the year aside from one little down fortnight; the Eels have not. Having won just one of their last ten games it’s impossible to back the Eels against basically anyone, even the Titans, and with the home team having got their tails up over the past couple of weeks they can make it three wins on the trot for the first time this season on Saturday evening.

Bookmaker	James’ Tip	Odds
	Titans to win	$1.56
	Titans 1-12	$3.15
	Titans 1-10	$3.60

Predicted Squads

Gold Coast Titans: 1. Keano Kini  2. Alofiana Khan-Pereira  3. Brian Kelly  4. Phillip Sami  5. Jojo Fifita  6. AJ Brimson  7. Kieran Foran  8. Josiah Pahulu  9. Sam Verrills  10. Erin Clark  11. David Fifita  12. Beau Fermor  13. Chris Randall    14. Jayden Campbell  15. Isaac Liu  16. Keenan Palasia  17. Joe Stimson 

Parramatta Eels: 1. Clint Gutherson  2. Jake Tago  3. Will Penisini  4. Sean Russell  5. Blaize Talagi  6. Daejarn Asi  7. Dylan Brown  8. Reagan Campbell-Gillard  9. Brendan Hands  10. Joe Ofahengaue  11. Ryan Matterson  12. Bryce Cartwright  13. Shaun Lane    14. Matthew Arthur  15. Matt Doorey  16. Charlie Guymer  17. Makahesi Makatoa 

• Just one of the Sea Eagles’ last five games has seen 50 points or more scored, while for the Knights it’s two of their last five. The line for this game is set at 49.5. 
• The Rabbitohs have won five games on the trot – against some decent teams, too – while the Dolphins are floundering with four losses in their last five games. 
• Each of the Tigers last five defeats have been by 12 points or more. 

Multi of the Week

Many of the teams that would be most affected by State of Origin will enjoy this weekend off, but the Broncos are not so lucky. They’ll be forced to suit up with no less than five of their best players this weekend, and given how precariously placed their season is it is not exactly ideal timing. Last year’s Grand Finalists find themselves sitting in 11th spot with a 7-9 record after last week’s tight loss to the Panthers, which somewhat incredibly was their fifth on the trot. At their best they remain one of the best teams in the business and a side capable of beating anyone on their day, but while they will still be hoping to find a way to repeat last year’s effort and even go one better, they need to actually make finals first. Fortunately they are only a couple of games from 5th spot and could very easily climb the ladder pretty quickly, but they will want to start that ascent quickly. A loss this week would spell disaster for them. 
 
The Dragons, meanwhile, somehow sit a spot ahead of the Broncos on the ladder despite objectively being a far worse team than them. Indicative of that is the fact that Broncos are paying $13 to win the flag and the Dragons $151, but the reality is that the Dragons have put themselves in a position to compete for a spot in the finals, even if on paper they don’t seem good enough. A lot of their losses this year have been really poor, but they have scattered enough good performances in their to see them sitting at an even 8-8, and their last fortnight has been indicative of their season. They enjoyed a great win over the Dolphins a couple of weeks ago, winning that one 26-6, but followed that up by getting pumped to the tune of 30 points by the Roosters last Sunday. Based on that there is a pretty broad spectrum of potential results in this game, particularly with the Broncos not able to send their best team out. But even with the likes of Payne Haas, Reece Walsh and Selwyn Cobbo resting their legs in preparation for the Origin decider, the Broncos should have enough cattle to get this done. If they don’t their season will be in serious jeopardy, so expect them to come out firing and earn an important victory. 

Bookmaker	James’ Tip	Odds
	Broncos to win	$1.45
	Broncos 1-12	$3.10
	Broncos 1-10	$3.65

Predicted Squads

Brisbane Broncos: 1. Tristan Sailor  2. Corey Oates  3. Kotoni Staggs  4. Deine Mariner  5. Jesse Arthars  6. Ezra Mam  7. Josh Rogers  8. Corey Jensen  9. Billy Walters  10. Xavier Willison  11. Brendan Piakura  12. Jordan Riki  13. Kobe Hetherington    14. Tyson Smoothy  15. Jaiyden Hunt  16. Josiah Karapani  17. Martin Taupau 

St. George Illawarra Dragons: 1. Tyrell Sloan 2. Max Feagai 3. Moses Suli 4. Jack Bird 5. Christian Tuipulotu 6. Kyle Flanagan 7. Jesse Marschke 8. Francis Molo 9. Jacob Liddle 10. Jack de Belin 11. Luciano Leilua 12. Jaydn Su'A 13. Tom Eisenhuth 14. Fa'amanu Brown 15. Blake Lawrie 16. Ben Murdoch-Masila 17. Toby Couchman

To the final game of the round, one which pits two teams right around the edge of the top eight in a game which will have massive ramifications not just for them, but for a lot of teams around them. The Sea Eagles have been trading wins for losses for weeks now and remaining right on the precipice of the eight as a result, and last Saturday continued that trend with a pivotal one-point win over the Cowboys in Townsville. That victory came after a Jason Saab hattrick in regular time, with the scores locked at 20 points apiece at the end of 80 minutes. The Cowboys put up no less than four field goal attempts in the first three minutes of extra time but missed them all, before Daly Cherry-Evans slotted one in the 83rd minute to secure perhaps the most important victory that they have had all year. This week they will be without both Cherry-Evans and Jake Trbojevic, both of whom will captain their respective Origin sides next Wednesday, but back on their home turf and with the Knights also missing a couple of their stars, they will be hoping to be able to finally end their streak of trading wins for losses. 
 
The Knights, meanwhile, picked up a pivotal win of their own, just holding out the Raiders 16-12 to make it two wins on the trot and take their record to an even 8-8. That puts them outside the top eight on points difference alone, and with just a game separating them from both the Bulldogs in fifth and the Rabbitohs in 13th, they are likely to slide up and down the ladder like a yoyo in the weeks to come. The Knights’ offence has been a problem all season long and won’t be any better without Bradman Best, who has been called up to the Blues’ squad, and Kalyn Ponga, but they have been a little better in that regard over the past month and are certainly capable of taking it up to the Sea Eagles. But the home side has been very tough to beat in Manly all season long, losing just two of their eight games there this season. This could easily be a very close game to round out Round 19, but the Sea Eagles were impressive last week and back on their home turf, can finally win two games on the trot with a tight and very important victory. 

Bookmaker	James’ Tip	Odds
	Sea Eagles to win	$1.44
	Sea Eagles 1-12	$3.10
	Under 49.5 total match points	$1.88

Predicted Squads

Manly Sea Eagles: 1. Lehi Hopoate 2. Jaxson Paulo 3. Tom Trbojevic 4. Reuben Garrick 5. Tommy Talau 6. Luke Brooks 7. Karl Lawton 8. Toafofoa Sipley 9. Jake Simpkin 10. Josh Aloiai 11. Haumole Olakau’atu 12. Ethan Bullemor 13. Nathan Brown 14. Gordon Chan Kum Tong 15. Aaron Schoupp 16. Ben Condon 17. Caleb Navale

Newcastle Knights: 1. Fletcher Sharpe 2. Tom Jenkins 3. Krystian Mapapalangi 4. Dylan Lucas 5. Greg Marzhew 6. Will Pryce 7. Jackson Hastings 8. Daniel Saifiti 9. Jayden Brailey 10. Leo Thompson 11. Tyson Frizell 12. Kai Pearce-Paul 13. Adam Elliott 14. Phoenix Crossland 15. Jacob Saifiti 16. Brodie Jones 17. Mat Croker

If you found the above predictions helpful, then good news – there is plenty more for you to check out on BettingTop10. We’ve got an equivalent page to the above each and every week of the AFL season, while we also provide detailed tips a few times a week during the NBA season. Whichever of these major sports you’re after tips on, we’ve got it for you. 
 
But that’s not all. If you want to find out more about the best places to bet on a different sport, or simply want some info about the best betting sites in Australia – as well as which to avoid – then we have detailed bookmaker reviews to find you out there. These go into great detail about all sorts of stuff, so whether you want to find the best NRL betting site, the betting site with the best odds, widest range of markets or the best betting apps, you will be able to find it on those pages.