NRL 2023 Round 17 – Betting Tips, Odds & Predictions

Game 2 of the 2023 State of Origin will take up most of the headlines in the rugby world this week, but there’s still a round of NRL to play this weekend. We’re back to nearly a full slate of games with just three teams enjoying a bye, and though it’s not the most enthralling list of games there’s still a lot of intrigue surrounding plenty of the matchups. It starts with a Friday night clash between the Dragons and Warriors, before the Dolphins and Eels kick off Saturday’s action. The Storm host the Sea Eagles that night, before an interesting Sunday of games will see the Rabbitohs take on the improving Cowboys, and the Roosters face the Raiders. Check out our previews of each and every game set to take place in Round 17 of the NRL season below.

This year is going from bad to worse for the Dragons. A bye last weekend helped to rip them off the bottom of the ladder, but their week off also saw superstar captain Ben Hunt request to be released immediately from his contract in a year in which the team has won just four of its first 14 games. He was always going to miss this week anyway with State of Origin Game 2 taking place just two days prior to this, but nonetheless it’s an unwelcome distraction for a team already struggling as it is. The Warriors, meanwhile, will also be fresh off the bye, but while their opponent’s week off has been mired in turmoil, New Zealand’s has been well enjoyed after back to back dominant wins over fellow finals contenders in the Raiders and the Dolphins just prior to the bye. Those results have them sitting pretty at 8-6 and in sixth place, and with another win this weekend they have the potential to move right up alongside the top four. Let’s be real – for the time being their focus is likely on making finals at all, and top four certainly isn’t necessary to make their season a success, but that they are even in that conversation this far into 2023 is a testament to their improvement this year. They should be too strong for the Dragons on Friday night.

Predicted Squads

St. George Illawarra Dragons: 1. Tyrell Sloan 2. Mat Feagai 3. Moses Suli 4. Zac Lomax 5. MikaeleRavalawa 6. Jayden Sullivan 7. Ben Hunt 8. Francis Molo 9. Jacob Liddle  10. Michael Molo 11. JaydnSu'A 12. Jack Bird 13. Jack de Belin 14. Talatau Amone 15. Zane Musgrove 16. Ben Murdoch-Masila 17. Blake Lawrie 

New Zealand Warriors: 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 2. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 3. Marcelo Montoya 4. Adam Pompey 5. Edward Kosi 6. Dylan Walker 7. Shaun Johnson 8. AddinFonua-Blake 9. Wayde Egan 10. Bunty Afoa 11. Jackson Ford 12. MarataNiukore 13. Tohu Harris 14. Bayley Sironen 15. Josh Curran 16. Demitric Sifakula 17. Tom Ale

After a season in which they’ve thoroughly outperformed expectation, the bye couldn’t have come at a better time for the NRL’s newest team. The Dolphins put in two of their worst performances of the year prior to their week off, going down first by 22 points to the Warriors and then by 40 points to the Sea Eagles to take their record to 7-7 and tip them out of the eight, where they’ve unsurprisingly found themselves all season long. The Eels’ season has been a mirror image. Last year’s Grand Finalists have found themselves near the bottom for much of the season after a rough start, but they’ve gradually been working their way towards the top eight and a 30-point win over Manly last weekend saw them finally jump inside it. That was their fourth win on the trot, and not only is it beginning to look likely that they will work their way into the finals, but they’re beginning to emerge as a team which can potentially cause a lot of damage. Incredibly, they’re now just a solitary game outside of the top four, and with the second best points difference in the NRL could theoretically jump in there as soon as this weekend. They are one of the in-form sides in the competition, while as competitive as they’ve been this year, the Dolphins past fortnight has been one of the worst in the league. The Eels should be too strong on the road in this one.

Predicted Squads

The Dolphins: 1. HamisoTabuai-Fidow 2. JamayneIsaako 3. Euan Aitken  4. ValynceTe Whare 5. TesiNiu 6. Kodi Nikorima 7. Sean O'Sullivan 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Kurt Donoghoe 10. FeliseKaufusi 11. Kenny Bromwich 12. Connelly Lemuelu 13. Ray Stone 14. Max Plath 15. Herman Ese'ese 16. Mark Nicholls 17. Poasa Faamausili

Parramatta Eels: 1. Clint Gutherson 2. Maika Sivo 3. Will Penisini 4. Bailey Simonsson 5. Sean Russell 6. Daejarn Asi 7. Mitchell Moses 8. Reagan Campbell-Gillard 9. Brendan Hands 10. Junior Paulo 11. Bryce Cartwright 12. Andrew Davey 13. J'maine Hopgood 14. Luca Moretti 15. Joe Ofahengaue 16. Ryan Matterson 17. MakahesiMakatoa

After having really hit their stride over the past month or so, the Panthers suffered their first defeat since April last weekend, going down in a tight game to the improving Cowboys to register their fifth loss of the season. That pushed them out of top spot and into second, but given they’re just a game ahead of seventh they’ll need to make sure they keep winning to ensure that they secure a top four and ideally a top two spot. That shouldn’t be a problem for a team of this ilk, but they certainly can’t afford to lose too many games they should be winning, which includes this weekend. The Knights are back in 14th after a second consecutive tight loss, this one to the Roosters, but they’re still just a game and a half outside the top eight. It’s unlikely they’ll climb their way into the finals, but they’ll still see themselves as chance and a win against the Panthers in Penrith would be a great way to solidify their credentials. The Panthers will be hit hard by State of Origin Game 2, but even with players either missing or playing a second game in just four days, they should be able to get the job done on their home turf without too many problems.

Predicted Squads

Penrith Panthers: Dylan Edwards 2. SuniaTuruva 3. IzackTago 4. Stephen Crichton 5. Brian To'o 6. Jarome Luai 7. Jack Cogger 8. Moses Leota 9. Mitch Kenny 10. James Fisher-Harris 11. Scott Sorensen 12. Liam Martin 13. Isaah Yeo 14. Lindsay Smith 15. Spencer Leniu 16. Jaeman Salmon 17. Soni Luke

Newcastle Knights: 1. Kalyn Ponga 2. Dominic Young 3. Dane Gagai 4. Bradman Best 5. EnariTuala 6. Tyson Gamble 7. Jackson Hastings 8. Jacob Saifiti  9. Phoenix Crossland 10. Leo Thompson  11. Tyson Frizell 12. Lachlan Fitzgibbon 13. Adam Elliott 14. Kurt Mann 15. Jack Hetherington 16. Mat Croker  17. Brodie Jones

• The Cowboys are 1-6 on the road this year, with five of those six losses having come by eight points or more.
• Five of the Titans’ seven losses this year have been by double figure margins.
• After being competitive in most games earlier in the year, each of the Dragons’ last three losses have been by eight points or more. 

Multi of the Week

Things appear to be finally starting to come together for the Melbourne Storm. A dominant win against the Tigers was their second consecutive hefty victory and made it four wins from their last five games, and though that solitary defeat was a thoroughly disappointed, it’s sticking out as an outlier in what is fast becoming a purple patch of form. They’ve taken their record to 9-5 and found themselves a spot inside the top four, but with a tough run of games to come they’ll be eager to compile as many wins as they can as soon as possible, and the Sea Eagles present a good opportunity to continue their winning form. The Sea Eagles have been absolutely all over the place of late; after a 28-point win over the Raiders a month ago, they lost to the Knights the next week before beating the Dolphins 58-18 a fortnight ago. They backed that up with a woeful showing against the Eels, scoring just four points en route to a 30-point loss. That makes them hard to pick, but one thing that’s for certain is that they can’t afford to put up the kind of performance they did last week against the Storm in Melbourne. If they do, they’ll likely be on the end of another hefty belting. They’ve alternated excellent performances for terrible ones over the past month and if they keep that trend going perhaps they can make a game of this, but even if they do it’s hard to see the Storm dropping this one.

Predicted Squads

Melbourne Storm: 1. Nick Meaney 2. Will Warbrick 3. Reimis Smith 4. Justin Olam 5. Xavier Coates 6. Cameron Munster 7. Jahrome Hughes 8. Tui Kamikamica 9. Harry Grant 10. Christian Welch 11. Trent Loiero 12. Tom Eisenhuth 13. Josh King 14. Tyran Wishart 15. Nelson Asofa-Solomona 16. Tariq Sims 17. Kane Bradley

Manly Sea Eagles: 1. om Trbojevic 2. Jason Saab 3. Tolu Koula 4. Reuben Garrick 5. Christian Tuipulotu 6. Josh Schuster 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Taniela Paseka 9. Lachlan Croker 10. ToafofoaSipley 11. HaumoleOlakau’atu 12. Ethan Bullemor 13. Sean Keppie 14. Samuela Fainu 15. Karl Lawton 16. Josh Aloiai 17. Ben Condon

After the Broncos finally came back to earth following their sizzling start to the season, they seemed destined to gradually be overtaken by the likes of the Panthers, Storm and Rabbitohs, but 16 rounds into the season they’re still hanging tough. They’ve won their last three games in relatively tight fashion, the latest of which was a 24-20 win over the Knights before they enjoyed a bye last weekend, and with the Panthers losing last weekend they’ve jumped back onto the top of the ladder. They haven’t been setting the world on fire but they have been winning, and this game presents a great opportunity for them to strengthen their hold on the top spot. The Titans are coming off a win prior to last weekend’s bye, but that was against the Tigers and came after three straight losses. They’re still right in the finals hunt, sitting in ninth with a 6-7 record, but their defence has been a problem far too often this season. The Broncos have shown themselves to be more than capable of putting up solid scores throughout their 15 games to date in 2023, and they can do so again on their way to a 12th win of the season.

Predicted Squads

Brisbane Broncos: 1. Reece Walsh 2. Corey Oates 3. Kotoni Staggs 4. Herbie Farnworth 5. Selwyn Cobbo 6. Ezra Mam 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Thomas Flegler 9. Billy Walters 10. Payne Haas 11. Kurt Capewell 12. Jordan Riki 13. Patrick Carrigan 14. Brendan Piakura 15. Kobe Hetherington 16. Martin Taupau 17. Tyson Smoothy

Gold Coast Titans: 1. AJ Brimson 2. Alofiana Khan-Pereira 3. Brian Kelly 4. Aaron Schoupp 5. Phillip Sami 6. Kieran Foran 7. Tanah Boyd 8. MoeakiFotuaika 9. Sam Verrills 10. Tino Fa'asuamaleaui 11. Klese Haas 12. David Fifita 13. Isaac Liu 14. Jayden Campbell 15. Erin Clark 16. Jaimin Jolliffe 17. Joe Stimson

With four days break between Origin Game 2 and this clash, expect the Rabbitohs and Cowboys’ state representatives to back up, making for an intriguing clash between last year’s two losing Preliminary Finalists. The Bunnies, a little over a month ago, had established themselves as clearly the biggest threat to the Panthers and even took over Premiership favouritism for a period. Since then, however, they’ve lost three of their last four, the latest of which was a 36-30 defeat at the hands of the Dolphins. They’ve conceded at least 26 points in each of those games, a trend they’ll be desperate to arrest as soon as possible. That might have seemed easy against the Cowboys a few weeks ago, but suddenly they’ve hit a rich vein of form. Two games ago they walloped the Storm with a 45-20 drubbing, and after the bye which followed they came out and put up 27 points against the Panthers – no mean feat – on the way to a 27-23 win over the Premiership favourites. Those two victories have seen them move to within a win of the top eight, and given the Rabbitohs form of late it doesn’t seem beyond the realms of possibility that they make it three on the trot this weekend. But as impressive as those last two wins were, they were both at home and the Cowboys have been a different side on the road this year, having won just one of their seven games. Despite what these teams’ respective form lines suggest, the Rabbitohs can get the job done in this one. 

Predicted Squads

South Sydney Rabbitohs: 1. Latrell Mitchell 2. Alex Johnston 3. Isaiah Tass 4. Campbell Graham 5. Richard Kennar 6. Dean Hawkins 7. Lachlan Ilias 8. Tevita Tatola 9. Damien Cook 10. HameSele  11. Keaon Koloamatangi 12. Jacob Host 13. Cameron Murray 14. Michael Chee Kam
15. Jed Cartwright 16. Siliva Havili 17. Daniel Suluka-Fifita

North Queensland Cowboys: 1. Scott Drinkwater 2. Murray Taulagi 3. Valentine Holmes 4. PetaHiku 5. Semi Valemei 6. Tom Dearden 7. Chad Townsend 8. Jordan McLean 9. Reece Robson 10. Coen Hess 11. Jeremiah Nanai 12. Reuben Cotter 13. Jason Taumalolo 14. Luciano Leilua 15. HeilumLuki 16. Griffin Neame 17. Jake Granville

It wasn’t pretty, but the Roosters just managed to get over the line against the Knights last week to make it two wins in three games. With three losses having preceded those wins they’re also two from their past six, and those two wins have come by a combined three points, so things could very easily have been a lot more dire for a side which just a few weeks ago was one of the Premiership favourites. But a win is a win, and however they’ve done it they’ve been able to scrounge a couple of desperately needed points in recent weeks to keep them in touch with the top eight. The Raiders have enjoyed their fair share of tight victories this season too, but they didn’t give themselves a chance in their last game, going down 36-14 against the Warriors in a hugely disappointing effort. They subsequently enjoyed a bye, which gave them a bit of breathing room in the top eight, but with four teams – including the Roosters – just a game behind, they can ill-afford to slip up. These teams are sitting seventh and 11th and both theoretically have reasonably high ceilings – more so the Roosters – but they’re also both in the bottom four for points differential, which doesn’t reflect particularly well on either side. Though it’s hard to have a great deal of confidence in the Roosters given how they’ve played for an extended period of time now, they’ve still been strong on their home turf this year and can get the job done to conclude Round 17, potentially getting themselves back inside the top eight in the process.

Predicted Squads

Sydney Roosters: 1. James Tedesco 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Corey Allan 4. Drew Hutchison 5. Junior Pauga 6. Joseph Manu 7. Sandon Smith 8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 9. Jake Turpin 10. Lindsay Collins 11. Egan Butcher 12. Nat Butcher 13. Victor Radley 14. Billy Smith 15. Sitili Tupouniua 16. Angus Crichton 17. Matt Lodge

Canberra Raiders: 1. Seb Kris 2. Albert Hopoate 3. Jarrod Croker 4. Matt Timoko 5. Jordan Rapana 6. Jack Wighton 7. Jamal Fogarty 8. Josh Papalii 9. Zac Woolford 10. Joe Tapine 11. Hudson Young 12. Elliott Whitehead 13. Corey Horsburgh 14. Tom Starling 15. Emre Guler 16. Nick Cotric 17. Pasami Saulo

At BettingTop10, we’ve got all of your NRL betting needs covered, and then some. If you’re looking for the best NRL betting sites, then look no further than our detailed bookmaker reviews to suss out which one best suits you. And if you’re after a great mobile betting site for your NRL punting, then our list of the best betting apps can give you the info that you need.
And if you’re after some help in something other than the NRL, we can help you out there too. We’ve also got pages about AFL, basketball, horse racing and more, so no matter what your sports betting needs, we at BettingTop10 can help you out.