NRL 2023 Round 20 – Betting Tips, Odds & Predictions

With just over a month to go left in the season, there is still plenty left to play out before this year’s NRL finals series. Just a solitary game separates the Panthers on top of the ladder from the Raiders in fifth, while the Eels in seventh are just a game ahead of the Roosters in 13th. That means that most games this weekend will have significant implications on who plays finals, with the headline matchups including a clash between the Roosters and the Storm, and a huge game between the in-form Sharks and Warriors. Take a look at our detailed previews for all seven games set to take place in Round 20 below.

There are a number of intriguing games set to take place throughout Round 20 of the NRL season, but the round opener on Friday night isn’t exactly top of the list. The Knights and the Tigers sit 14th and 17th respectively, but the home side is, at least, still theoretically in the finals hunt and with a win in this game can put themselves right on the edge of the top eight – at least for the night. They’re coming off one of their best wins of the season, though their 66-0 demolition of the Bulldogs the week prior to their bye last week said as much about their opposition as it did about them. Still, 66-point wins don’t come around all that often at the top level, and it was as complete a game as the Knights have put together for a long time. The Tigers, meanwhile, are limping towards season’s end, having notched up a fifth consecutive loss last weekend when going down 36-12 to the Sharks. They’ve been comprehensively beaten in their last four games, and though the opposition in that time has generally been fairly strong, it’s still hard to see them getting too close to the Knights. The home side has been fairly strong in Newcastle this year, and should be able to notch up another solid win here to keep them in the finals hunt.

Predicted Squads

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

Wests Tigers: 1. Jahream Bula 2. Asu Kepaoa 3. Starford To'a 4. Tommy Talau  5. Junior Tupou 6. Will Smith 7. Brandon Wakeham 8. Stefano Utoikamanu 9. Jake Simpkin 10. David Klemmer 11. Isaiah Papali’i 12. John Bateman 13. Fonua Pole 14. Tallyn Da Silva 15. Shawn Blore 16. Alex Seyfarth 17. Aitasi James

After a three-week period which saw them lose first to the Eels by 22 points, then the Sharks by 38 points, then the Knights by 66, the Bulldogs appeared to have all but raised the white flag on season 2023. Last weekend, however, they turned that around, capitalising on their matchup with a Rabbitohs team depleted by Origin outs to record an impressive 36-32 win against one of the Premiership favourites. That gave them a small buffer on the bottom two as they attempt to avoid the Wooden Spoon, locking them fairly comfortably into 15th, with more than a game separating them from the spots immediately above and below them. Impressive as that win last week was though, they’ll have a hard time making it two in a row against the Broncos on Saturday. The Broncos enjoyed some much-needed free points courtesy of the bye last weekend, ensuring they maintained their one-game buffer on the chasing pack in second. But with three teams just a game behind them, as soon as they slip up they’re likely to lose their hold on that top two spot, and top four will be in jeopardy too. That’s not likely to happen this weekend. Travelling to the Bulldogs’ territory isn’t exactly the most intimidating trip in the league, and the Broncos are 7-1 on the road anyway. They should be able to record a big win on Saturday.

Predicted Squads

Canterbury Bulldogs: 1. Jake Averillo 2. Jacob Kiraz 3. Braidon Burns 4. Ethan Quai-Ward 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Matt Burton 7. Toby Sexton 8. Max King 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Tevita Pangai Junior 11. Jackson Topine 12. Jacob Preston 13. Raymond Faitala-Mariner 14. Kyle Flanagan
15. Kurtis Morrin 16. Jayden Okunbor 17. Franklin Pele

Brisbane Broncos: 1. Tristan Sailor 2. Corey Oates 3. Kotoni Staggs 4. Herbie Farnworth 5. Selwyn Cobbo 6. Ezra Mam 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Keenan Palasia 9. Billy Walters 10. Corey Jensen 11. Brendan Piakura 12. Kurt Capewell 13. Patrick Carrigan 14. Tyson Smoothy
15. Xavier Willison 16. Kobe Hetherington 17. Martin Taupau

With these two teams sitting in ninth and tenth on the ladder with just over a month to go, this is a game which could have significant consequences both for them and the teams around them. Both of them had a week off last week after wins the week prior, the Sea Eagles having beaten the Roosters by two points and the Cowboys having destroyed the Tigers 74-0. That capped off an incredible month for North Queensland, who knocked off three of the Premiership favourites the three weeks prior in the Panthers, Storm and Rabbitohs to catapult themselves back into finals contention. All of a sudden they are far more closely resembling the team that made the Preliminary Finals last year than the side which struggled so significantly for the first half of the season, and they now look not just like a side capable of playing finals, but one which could cause plenty of damage if they do get there. Having put themselves up against it courtesy of their poor first half of the season they can’t afford too many slip ups, but the way they’ve played over the past month they look like they should be winning most of their games on the run home. This is one of them. Manly will be without Tom Trbojevic for both this game and for the remainder of the year, which will significantly hamper them, but whether he was there or not it would be hard to go against the Cowboys given how well they’ve been playing of late.

Predicted Squads

Manly Sea Eagles: 1. Reuben Garrick 2. Jason Saab 3. Brad Parker 4. Tolutau Koula 5. Christian Tuipulotu 6. Josh Schuster 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Taniela Paseka 9. Lachlan Croker 10. Toafofoa Sipley 11. Haumole Olakau’atu 12. Kelma Tuilagi 13. Jake Trbojevic 14. Ben Trbojevic 15. Josh Aloiai 16. Ethan Bullemor 17. Aaron Woods

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

• The Tigers have lost their last four games by 16 points or more
• The Eels have won seven of their last eight games against the Titans, including their last three in Sydney
• The Warriors are only 4-4 at home, while the Sharks are 5-2 on the road this season.

Multi of the Week

A couple of months ago this would have loomed as the match of the round and a potential preview of a game deep in the finals series, but while the Storm still have such aspirations, the Roosters’ have been dwindling with each passing week. They’ve gone from a Premiership hopeful to a team up against it to make top four, and now they’re unlikely to even play finals. They’ve lost their past two games by two points to really cap off what has been a dreadful season for them, taking their record to 7-9 and putting them in 13th place. Their points difference of -92 is better than only the Bulldogs, Tigers and Dragons, an indication of just how poor they’ve been, though they will start getting a lot of players back over the next couple of weeks. With just a game separating them from eighth spot they’re still theoretically in the finals hunt, but they will need to start winning soon and a matchup with the Storm looks like a tough place to start. The Storm had a week off last round after a disappointing loss to the Panthers, but prior to that they’d won three in a row and have put themselves in a good spot to secure a top four position, and potentially even top two. With the Raiders and Warriors nipping at their heels in fifth and sixth, however, they can’t afford too many slip ups. With the Roosters set to welcome back a few big names this weekend they should be able to be competitive, particularly on their home turf, but the Storm should be too good and can win a tight contest.

Predicted Squads

Sydney Roosters: 1. James Tedesco 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Billy Smith 4. Joseph Manu 5. Joseph Suaalii 6. Luke Keary 7. Sandon Smith 8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 9. Jake Turpin 10. Lindsay Collins 11. Egan Butcher 12. Nat Butcher 13. Victor Radley 14. Brandon Smith 15. Naufahu Whyte 16. Nathan Brown  17. Terrell May

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

Sunday’s first game is perhaps the most significant of the round, with the sixth placed Warriors welcoming the third placed Sharks to Auckland for a season-defining matchup. The Warriors are coming off probably their best performance of the season last week, having demolished an in-form Eels side 46-10 to bounce back from a disappointing loss to the Rabbitohs the game prior. That loss to the Rabbitohs now looks like a blip on the radar, and with their three preceding games yielding big wins too they’ve now won four of their last five by 22 points or more. Doing that to the Sharks, however, won’t be easy. Cronulla have enjoyed three big wins of their own over their last three games, responding to a hefty loss to the Storm with thumping defeats of the Bulldogs, Dragons and last week the Tigers. That is, of course, a pretty easy run of games, and up against this Warriors side playing the way they are the Sharks will be playing an entirely different ball game. Both of these teams have genuine top four aspirations, and the way the ladder is at the moment it’s not unlikely that come the end of the home and away season, there will be room for one but not two of them inside that top four. This game may very well determine which one of them it is. The Warriors are playing really well at the moment and are hard to tip against, but they haven’t exactly excelled on their home turf this year and the Sharks have been very good away. In a hard-fought tussle which could very easily go down to the wire, the visitors can sneak over the line to earn a pivotal victory.

Predicted Squads

New Zealand Warriors: 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 2. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 3. Rocco Berry 4. Adam Pompey 5. Marcelo Montoya 6. Luke Metcalf 7. Shaun Johnson 8. Addin Fonua-Blake 9. Wayde Egan 10. Bunty Afoa 11. Jackson Ford 12. Mitch Barnett 13. Tohu Harris 14. Dylan Walker 15. Bayley Sironen  16. Josh Curran 17. Freddy Lussick

Cronulla Sharks: 1. William Kennedy 2. Sione Katoa 3. Jesse Ramien 4. Siosifa Talakai 5. Ronaldo Mulitalo 6. Matt Moylan 7. Nicho Hynes 8. Oregon Kaufusi 9. Blayke Brailey 10. Toby Rudolf 11. Briton Nikora 12. Teig Wilton 13. Cameron McInnes 14. Jack Williams 15. Wade Graham 16. Jesse Colquhoun 17. Tom Hazelton 

Regardless of what happens for the remainder of the season, the Dolphins have outperformed expectations by a long way in their first year in the NRL, but having put themselves in a position to play finals they’ll nonetheless be disappointed in the way the last few weeks have played out. Four consecutive losses throughout June and the beginning of July put them right up against it to make the top eight, but just when all hope seemed loss they recorded a thrilling two-point win against fellow finals aspirants, the Titans, last weekend to keep themselves in the hunt. That win kept them just a game outside the eight, but they’ll have a tough time remaining that close after this weekend. The Panthers have been doing what they need to do without playing out of their skin all season, and find themselves atop the ladder despite having not really played at their best for much of the year. They were lucky enough to enjoy a week off in last week’s bye affected round, and should come back this week raring to go. With four teams within a game of them they need to keep winning if they want to lock up a top two spot, but given they seem to have an extra gear or three they can go to if need be it’s hard to imagine them failing to do that. A win this weekend would be a good way to further solidify their chances of earning a home Qualifying Final, and they should be able to do so and put a significant dent in the Dolphins already slim finals hopes at the same time.

Predicted Squads

The Dolphins: 1. Kodi Nikorima 2. Jamayne Isaako 3. Euan Aitken 4. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow 5. Tesi Niu  6. Isaiya Katoa 7. Sean O’Sullivan  8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Harrison Graham 10. Mark Nicholls 11. Felise Kaufusi 12. Kenny Bromwich 13. Ray Stone 14. Josh Kerr 15. Connelly Lemuelu 16. Anthony Milford 17. Jarrod Wallace

Penrith Panthers: 1. Dylan Edwards 2. Sunia Turuva 3. Izack Tago 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. Tyrone Peachey 15. Lindsay Smith 16. Spencer Leniu 17. Zac Hosking

Just when the Eels seemed set to storm their way not just into a finals spot but potentially the top four, they were brought to a screeching halt last weekend by the Warriors. Having won five in a row, most of them by big margins, that 46-10 defeat was a huge surprise, and changed their situation drastically. They’re now two games outside the top four, and more significantly are only a single game ahead of the Roosters way back in 13th, despite the fact that they are currently in seventh. They have little margin for error in the run home, and a loss this weekend, particularly given they’re playing one of those teams sitting just below them, will put a huge dampener on their finals aspirations. And despite having lost two in a row, the Titans are now easy beats. Those losses came by a combined total of just six points, and as demoralising as they were the Titans are still right in the mix for the top eight. A win here would put them right back in the mix, and if the Eels play like they did last week an upset is every possibility. But it’s hard to ignore Parramatta’s form from the weeks prior. They’ll be hoping to demonstrate that last week was just a blip on the radar, and if they can play anything like what they have been for most of the past couple of months then they should be too strong on their home deck.

Predicted Squads

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. Ryan Matterson 12. Andrew Davey 13. J'maine Hopgood 14. Bryce Cartwright  15. Joe Ofahengaue 16. Shaun Lane 17. Makahesi Makatoa 

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. Moeaki Fotuaika 9. Sam Verrills 10. Tino Fa'asuamaleaui 11. David Fifita 12. Klese Haas 13. Isaac Liu 14. Jayden Campbell 15. Erin Clark 16. Iszac Fa'asuamaleaui 17. Jaimin Jolliffe

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