NRL 2024 Round 9 – Betting tips & Predictions

Round 8 was an interesting weekend in the NRL. After kicking off with a thrilling Thursday night game which saw the Titans finally notch up their first win of the season, a number of blowouts ensued including a 42-point win by the Roosters, a 34-point win by the Storm and a 40-point win by the Sharks. This weekend doesn’t look likely to be quite as lopsided, though based on how the Rabbitohs are going Thursday night’s game against the Panthers could be tough viewing for Bunnies’ fans. Take a look at our previews below for that game and the rest set to take place over Round 9.  

It’s been a dreadful season for the Rabbitohs, and consecutive Thursday night games against arguably the best two teams in the league with the eyes of the entire NRL world on them is probably not what they need right now. Alas, it’s what they’ve got, and the first – as could probably have been predicted – did not go particularly well. Heading to AAMI Park to take on the Storm on ANZAC Day night, it took just six minutes for the home side to get on the board and by half-time, they’d crossed the line five more times and secured a 32-4 lead. By full-time it was 54-20, and with the Titans having won the night prior that defeat saw the Rabbitohs fall to last place on the ladder. With a clash against the Panthers to come, it’s hard to imagine that changing this weekend. The Panthers, as they often have been during this dynastic period, have been solid with playing at their absolute best so far this season, but that has still been enough to see them go 5-2 over their first seven weeks. They were excellent against the Cowboys for 45 minutes last Saturday, racing out to a 24-4 lead before uncharacteristically conceding three tries in 12 minutes to let the Cowboys right back into the game. But the experience and confidence that invariably comes with winning three consecutive Premiership quickly kicked into gear, and they were able to lock down the game and prevent another score, ultimately winning 26-20. That win was made a little tougher than they would have liked it to be based on how they started, but they should have things a little easier this weekend. Against a Rabbitohs side struggling to keep its head above water, the Panthers should be able to notch up a big win to kick off Round 9. 

Bookmaker	James’ Tip	Odds
	Panthers to win	$1.17
	Panthers -15.5	$1.91
	Panthers 13+	$1.72

Predicted Squads

South Sydney Rabbitohs : 1. Jye Gray  2. Jacob Gagai 3. Jack Wighton 4. Isaiah Tass 5. Izaac Thompson  6. Cody Walker 7. Dean Hawkins 8. Keaon Koloamatangi 9. Damien Cook 10. Tom Burgess 11. Michael Chee Kam 12. Jacob Host 13. Cam Murray 14. Peter Mamouzelos 15. Siliva Havili 16. Davvy Moale 17. Jai Arrow 

Penrith Panthers : 1. Dylan Edwards 2. Sunia Turuva 3. Izack Tago 4. Taylan May 5. Brian To'o 6. Jarome Luai 7. Nathan Cleary 8 Lindsay Smith 9. Mitch Kenny 10. James Fisher-Harris 11. Luke Garner 12. Liam Martin 13. Isaah Yeo 14. Daine Laurie 15. Liam Henry 16. Matthew Eisenhuth 17. Mavrik Geyer

The Sea Eagles’ strong start to the season continued last weekend, with a 32-18 win over the Eels their fifth of the season and taking them to fourth place on the NRL ladder. They were a little slow out of the blocks in that game, heading into the break 14-6 in arrears, but they clicked into gear quickly in the second half courtesy of a couple of their superstars, with first Tom Trbojevic and then Daly Cherry-Evans scoring in the first ten minutes of the second half to give them a lead they would never relinquish. They’ve now gone a month without losing, and based on how the Raiders performed last weekend that streak should extend this Friday night. They started the season more positively than many expected but things have started to head south over the past couple of weeks, and after a 34-10 loss to the Broncos a fortnight ago they were absolutely dismantled by the Sharks last Sunday. They were outplayed from the outset of that game, losing the first half 18-0 and the second 22-0 to ultimately lose in pretty embarrassing fashion. The Sharks have been really good this season and are slowly working their way into the Premiership conversation, but a 40-0 loss against anyone is concerning. The Raiders have been pretty poor over the past couple of weeks, and given that Manly is in 4-0 at home having played some good teams in that time, this looks likely to be another one-way affair. 

Bookmaker	James’ Tip	Odds
	Sea Eagles to win	$1.39
	Sea Eagles -8.5	$1.95
	Sea Eagles 13+	$2.50

Predicted Squads

Manly Sea Eagles : 1. Tom Trbojevic 2. Jason Saab 3. Tolu Koula 4. Reuben Garrick 5. Tommy Talau 6. Jake Arthur 7. Luke Brooks 8. Taniela Paseka 9. Lachlan Croker 10. Josh Aloiai 11. Ethan Bullemor 12. Corey Waddell 13. Jake Trbojevic 
14. Karl Lawton 15. Tof Sipley 16. Matthew Lodge 17. Nathan Brown

Canberra Raiders : 1. Chevy Stewart 2. James Schiller 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. Hudson Young  12. Elliott Whitehead 13. Morgan Smithies 14. Tom Starling 15. Ata Mariota 16. Simi Sasagi  17. Pasami Saulo

Friday night’s second game looms as the game of the round, with two Premiership contenders coming off big wins set to go head to head at Suncorp Stadium. The Broncos are really winding up over the past few weeks after a slow start to the season, winning three consecutive games by big margins, the last two with the exact same score of 34-10. Granted they have not been against good teams, but that run has still given the last year’s runners-up the run of results they needed to get their season up and running after losing three of their first five games. This weekend, however, will present a much greater challenge than what they’ve faced during that winning streak. The Roosters have been solid throughout the course of the year, but prior to last weekend’s ANZAC Day clah against the Dragons had lost three of their prior four games, all of those losses coming by six points or less. But as the Broncos have done the past three weeks, the Roosters were able to get their swagger back against a bottom-feeding team, destroying the Dragons to the tune of a 60-18 victory. Their offensive firepower was on full display in that performance, but just as they won’t make things as easy for the Broncos as it has been recently, the Roosters themselves won’t be putting up 60 points again this weekend. This should be a pulsating game between two teams who will be hoping to go very deep into the finals this year, but the Broncos have been excellent on their home turf so far this season and can continue their unbeaten run at Suncorp Stadium in 2024 with a tight win. 

Bookmaker	James’ Tip	Odds
	Broncos to win	$1.55
	Broncos 1-12	$2.90
	Broncos 1-10	$3.35

Predicted Squads

Brisbane Broncos : 1. Reece Walsh 2. Corey Oates 3. Kotoni Staggs 4. Jesse Arthars 5. Deine Mariner 6. Ezra Mam 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Corey Jensen 9. Billy Walters 10. Payne Haas 11. Brendan Piakura 12. Jordan Riki 13. Patrick Carrigan 14. Tyson Smoothy 15. Xavier Willison 16. Kobe Hetherington 17. Fletcher Baker

Sydney Roosters : 1. James Tedesco 2. Fetalaiga Pauga 3. Joseph Suaalii 4. Joey Manu 5. Dom Young 6. Luke Keary 7. Sam Walker 8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 9. Brandon Smith 10. Lindsay Collins 11. Angus Crichton 12. Nat Butcher 13. Connor Watson 14. Sandon Smith 15. Naufahu Whyte  16. Egan Butcher 17. Terrell May

• The Rabbitohs’ six losses this year have all come by double figure margins, and by an average of 23.33 points. 
• The Sharks have won all three games at home so far this season by an average of 23 points.  
• The Tigers started the season in reasonable fashion, but have now lost four consecutive games by double figure margins and each by more than the last. 

Multi of the Week

After a couple of really poor performances to start the year, the Bulldogs have been very competitive for over a month now, and in their last game they played as well as they have all season up against the Knights. Last year’s semi-finalists were no match for the Bulldogs in Round 7, the home side scoring in just the fourth minute to set the scene for what ended up being a 24-point victory. They enjoyed a well-deserved week off last weekend after that effort, and will now be eased back into the swing of things against the Tigers. Maybe that’s a little disrespectful to the Tigers, who have been reasonably competitive so far in their first season under Benji Marshall, but they have now lost four games in a row and by increasingly hefty margins, too. Granted they have had a really tough run over the past fortnight, playing both of last year’s Grand Finalists within the space of seven days, and solid though the Bulldogs have been this year they are clearly not at the level of the Panthers or the Broncos. But they are beginning to establish themselves as a team with a legitimate chance of playing finals for the first time since 2016 this year. If they’re to do so they can’t afford to be dropping games like this. The Bulldogs have not exactly been the most trustworthy team in the world over the past few years and still have plenty of work to do to shake that tag, but they have now put together five consecutive weeks of solid footy, and should be able to win this one pretty easily. 

Bookmaker	James’ Tip	Odds
	Bulldogs to win	$1.42
	Bulldogs -7.5	$1.86
	Bulldogs 13+	$2.50

Predicted Squads

Canterbury Bulldogs : 1. Connor Tracey 2. Jacob Kiraz 3. Bronson Xerri 4. Stephen Crichton 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Matt Burton 7. Drew Hutchison 8. Max King 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Chris Patolo 11. Viliame Kikau 12. Jaeman Salmon 13. Josh Curran 14. Bailey Hayward 15. Sam Hughes 16. Kurtis Morrin 17. Blake Taaffe  

Wests Tigers : 1. Jahream Bula 2. Charlie Staines 3. Brent Naden 4. Justin Olam 5. Solomon Alaimalo 6. Lachlan Galvin 7. Aidan Sezer 8. Stefano Utoikamanu 9. Api Koroisau 10. David Klemmer 11. Isaiah Papali’i  
12. Samuela Fainu 13. John Bateman 14. Latu Fainu 15. Alex Twal 16. Alex Seyfarth  17. Fonua Pole 

It’s been a pretty grim old start to the season for the Titans, whose start to the season consisted of six consecutive losses and an ACL injury to their best player and captain in Tino Fa’asuamaleaui. But increasingly they have looked closer to finally notching up their first win, after two tight losses in a row they finally got it last Thursday in a really impressive performance. Few gave them a chance over in New Zealand against a solid Warriors outfit, particularly after they conceded two tries in the first six minutes of the game. But the team which has established themselves as the runaway Wooden Spoon favourite showed a huge amount of resolve in hostile territory, fighting their way back into the game before securing a 27-24 win. It was a well-deserved win given how competitive they have been in recent weeks, but they’ll need to carry every bit of that confidence back to the Gold Coast if they’re to go close to winning again this week. The Storm have been arguably the most reliable team in the league this season, and notched up their fourth consecutive win last weekend without breaking a sweat against the Rabbitohs. Strong as their start to the season has been, they hadn’t previously won a game by more than eight points, notching up a whole lot of tight wins, but that changed against the Rabbitohs when they put up 54 points en route to a 34-point victory. The Storm are more than capable of grinding out low-scoring wins in defensive games, but that performance demonstrated they are more than capable of putting their foot down offensively when they need to as well. The Titans have conceded a few hefty scores so far this year and will need to tighten the screws to avoid the Storm putting up another big number this week, and while their recent performances suggest that they should be able to avoid a blowout here, it’s hard to imagine them being good enough to compete with the Storm despite their solid form of late. 

Bookmaker	James’ Tip	Odds
	Storm to win	$1.22
	Storm 7+	$1.42
	Storm 13+	$1.80

Predicted Squads

Gold Coast Titans : 1. AJ Brimson 2. Alofiana Khan-Pereira 3. Brian Kelly 4. Aaron Schoupp  5. Jojo Fifita 6. Tanah Boyd 7. Kieran Foran 8. Moeaki Fotuaika 9. Chris Randall 10. Jaimin Jolliffe 11. David Fifita 12. Beau Fermor 13. Klese Haas 
 14. Sam Verrills 15. Erin Clark 16. Isaac Liu 17. Josiah Pahulu 

Melbourne Storm : 1. Ryan Papenhuyzen 2. Will Warbrick 3. Reimis Smith 4. Nick Meaney 5. Grant Anderson 6. Cameron Munster 7. Jahrome Hughes 8. Christian Welch 9. Harry Grant 10. Josh King 11. Shawn Blore 12. Eli Katoa 13. Trent Loiero 14. Tyran Wishart 15. Joe Chan 16. Tepai Moeroa 17. Alec MacDonald 

The Cowboys started the year like a house on fire, but three consecutive losses have seen them tumble to 4-4 and outside of the eight. But while the first couple of those defeats were disappointing, particularly their 42-6 pumping at the hands of the Sharks, they were hardly disgraced when going down by six points to the Panthers last weekend. They started that game poorly, conceding a try to Brian To’o in just the second minute and by a few minutes into the second half were down 24-4. But a Valentine Holmes try in the 48th minute kickstarted a 16-0 run that got them right back into the game. Unfortunately, however, they were unable to score again and ultimately went down 26-20. A second consecutive home game this weekend, however, will present them a great opportunity to break that three-game losing streak. The Dolphins won’t make it easy for them; they’ve been really solid to start the season, and though they have now lost two of their past three games they’ve hardly been disgraced in them, with the first coming against the Broncos and the second last weekend by just four points to the Knights, with a thumping defeat of the Eels sandwiched in between. They’ve proven themselves to be a very competitive side that brings plenty of effort every week, and they will not be easy for the Cowboys to put away. But while they should be able to keep it competitive, the Cowboys are not an easy prospect up in Townsville, and can break their three-game losing streak with a solid win up north on Saturday night.  

Bookmaker	James’ Tip	Odds
	Cowboys to win	$1.39
	Cowboys 1-12	$2.95
	Cowboys 1-10	$3.35

Predicted Squads

North Queensland Cowboys : 1. Scott Drinkwater 2. Kyle Feldt 3. Valentine Holmes 4. Villiami Vailea 5. Semi Valemei 6. Tom Dearden 7. Chad Townsend 8. Jordan McLean 9. Reece Robson 10. Griffin Neame 11. Kulikefu Finefeuiaki 12. Jeremiah Nanai 13. Reuben Cotter 14. Jake Granville 15. Jason Taumalolo 16. Heilum Luki  17. Thomas Mikaele 

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

After a draw against the Sea Eagles three weeks ago, the Warriors had what loomed like a pretty easy fortnight coming up, with games against the Dragons and the Titans in consecutive weeks. But rather than notch up the two consecutive wins most would have expected them to, they went down by 18 points to the Dragons a couple of weeks ago, before handing the Titans their first victory of the season, in New Zealand no less, on ANZAC Day last week. It’s been a concerning couple of weeks for last year’s Preliminary Finalists and has seen faith in their ability to repeat that effort diminish significantly. The Knights, meanwhile, have been up and down to start the year, but after consecutive losses they got back on the winners’ list with a tight victory over the Dolphins last Sunday; a much-needed one given a loss would have seen their record fall to 2-6. This is an intriguing clash between two teams who have not had the start to the season that they would have liked, but despite their past fortnight the Warriors are the better team and can get back on the winners’ list with a second win over the Knights already this season. 

Bookmaker	James’ Tip	Odds
	Warriors to win	$1.66
	Warriors -2.5	$1.91
	Warriors 7+	$2.25

Predicted Squads

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

New Zealand Warriors : 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 2. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 3. Rocco Berry 4. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 5. Marcelo Montoya 6. Te Maire Martin 7. Shaun Johnson 8. Addin Fonua-Blake 9. Wayde Egan 10. Mitch Barnett 11. Jackson Ford 12. Jacob Laban 13. Tohu Harris 14. Dylan Walker 15. Tom Ale 16. Zyon Maiu'u 17. Paul Roache 

The Sharks have been fantastic to start the season, and their last few weeks in particular have been hugely impressive. After a couple of solid wins over the Raiders and then Rabbitohs, they took the Cowboys to the sword with a 42-6 win a couple of weeks ago and then backed that up with an arguably even more impressive 40-0 win over the Raiders. They are humming both offensively and defensively at the moment and have set up shop at the top of the NRL ladder with a 6-1 record and a points differential of +99 which is pretty comfortably the best in the league. They have a great chance to extend that lead atop the ladder even further this weekend at home against the Dragons. St. George have actually been reasonably competitive in what was expected to be a tough season for them so far this year, but they fell apart against the Roosters on ANZAC Day. After winning consecutive games they entered that tough matchup with their tails up, but were quickly brought back to earth as their impressive opposition piled on 60 points en route to a 42 point victory. That really illustrated the gap between the Dragons and the top teams in the league, which the Sharks are currently in the process of establishing themselves as. Based on their efforts over the past couple of weeks, this could be another big win for the Sharks to conclude Round 9. 

Bookmaker	James’ Tip	Odds
	Sharks to win	$1.20
	Sharks -13.5	$1.91
	Sharks 7+	$1.50

Predicted Squads

Cronulla Sharks : 1. Will Kennedy 2. Sione Katoa 3. Jesse Ramien 4. Kayal Iro5. Ronaldo Mulitalo 6. Daniel Atkinson 7. Nicho Hynes 8. Thomas Hazelton 9. Blayke Brailey 10. Oregon Kaufusi 11. Briton Nikora 12. Teig Wilton 13. Cam McInnes 14. Jack Williams 15. Sifa Talakai 16. Braden Hamlin-Uele 17. Tuku Hau Tapuha 

St. George Illawarra Dragons : 1. Tyrell Sloan 2. Christian Tuipulotu 3. Zac Lomax 4. Jack Bird 5. Mikaele Ravalawa 6. Kyle Flanagan 7. Ben Hunt  8. Francis Molo 9. Jacob Liddle 10. Hame Sele 11. Raymond Faitala-Mariner 12. Jaydn Su'A 13. Tom Eisenhuth 14. Fa'amanu Brown 15. Blake Lawrie 16. Jack de Belin 17. Ben Murdoch-Masila 

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