NRL 2023 Round 14 – Betting Tips, Odds & Predictions

State of Origin is upon us, which means that so too are the byes and the period of teams scrambling to fill their squad. Some will be affected far more than others and there will be some variance in which teams opt to bring back players who competed in Origin for this weekend’s games and which don’t, meaning the capacity for unusual results is a little bit heightened. Three teams will enjoy this weekend off, leaving seven matches over the course of the weekend; take a look at our detailed previews of each of them below.

The first game after the much-anticipated State of Origin series opener might not quite live up to the high standard set on Wednesday night, with the 15th place Wests Tigers set to take on the seventh-placed Canberra Raiders at Campbelltown Sports Stadium. The Tigers enjoyed a week off last week after a bizarre demolition of an atrocious Cowboys outfit; they won that game 66-18, an extraordinary result for a team which had to that point won just two games all year and not yet surpassed 22 points. That gave them their third win in four games after losing their first seven, and they look like a reasonable chance to make it four from five against a Raiders team with one big name missing through Origin duties. The impressive Hudson Young will make his Origin debut and leave a big hole in the Raiders side, though they’ll feel confident that they can cover his absence after their form of late. After winning five on the trot they went down to the Sea Eagles a fortnight ago in a disappointing performance, but they bounced back immediately last weekend – with Young absent – to beat the rampaging Rabbitohs 33-26. With six wins from seven games they’re now sitting at 7-5, and though a -50 points differential suggests that their record might overstate their performance, they should still be too good for the Tigers on Friday night.

Predicted Squads

Wests Tigers: 1. Jahream Bula 2. David Nofoaluma 3. Starford To'a 4. Tommy Talau 5. Junior Tupou 6. Brandon Wakeham 7. Luke Brooks 8. Stefano Utoikamanu 9. Jake Simpkin 10. David Klemmer 11. Isaiah Papali’I 12. John Bateman 13. Fonua Pole 14. Rua Ngatikaura 15. Alex Seyfarth 16. Alex Twal 17. Asu Kepaoa

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

After a strong start to the season the Warriors have now lost four of their last five games, the latest of which was a 26-22 defeat at the hands of the Broncos in which they very nearly stole victory from the jaws of defeat with a couple of late tries. They badly need to get back on the winners’ list soon, and with no absentees through Origin this appears like the weekend to do it. But the Dolphins certainly won’t make it easy for them. The NRL’s newest team just keeps kicking, refusing to lose multiple games in succession and as a result being able to continually cling onto their spot in the top eight. They currently boast a record of 7-5 – more wins than most thought they would manage all season – with their latest effort a comfortable 26-12 against the Dragons. A couple of in-form stars in Tom Gilbert and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow will be lining up for Queensland, but they look like they may back up regardless. This is a game which could go either way and the Warriors in particular will see it as a must-win, but the Dolphins just keep finding a way, and can further enhance their reputation as a genuine finals contender with another win this Saturday afternoon.

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. Marata Niukore 13. Tohu Harris 14. Josh Curran 15. Mitch Barnett 16. Bayley Sironen 17. Tom Ale

The Dolphins: 1. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow 2. Jamayne Isaako 3. Euan Aitken  4. Brenko Lee 5. Tesi Niu 6. Kodi Nikorima 7. Isaiya Katoa 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Jeremy Marshall-King
10. Herman Ese'ese 11. Kenny Bromwich 12. Connelly Lemuelu 13. Tom Gilbert 14. Jarrod Wallace 15. Mark Nicholls 16. Ray Stone 17. Anthony Milford 

Origin hasn’t come at a great time for the Rabbitohs. After establishing themselves as the biggest challenger to the Panthers and even sneaking into Premiership favouritism by the smallest of margins for a week after an incredible vein of form, their winning streak came tumbling down when they lost 36-16 to the Eels a fortnight ago, and they failed to bounce back like they would have hoped last week against the Raiders. Now 8-5, they’ve dropped out of the top four, and the last thing they need is to lose their best players to Origin as they try to bounce back. They have, fortunately for them, avoided as many casualties as they might have courtesy of a few notable omissions, but they’ll still be without three big names in Cameron Murray, Latrell Mitchell and Jai Arrow. Those losses will hurt, though the Titans aren’t exactly going in unscathed either, with both David Fifita and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui heading to Adelaide for Origin. The Titans had last week off after consecutive disappointing losses to the Knights and the Bulldogs, which doesn’t bode particularly well for them in this game. Even without a few big names, the Rabbitohs should be too strong for Gold Coast.

Predicted Squads

Gold Coast Titans: 1. Jayden Campbell 2. Phillip Sami 3. Brian Kelly 4. Aaron Schoupp 5. Jojo Fifita 6. Toby Sexton 7. Tanah Boyd 8. Moeaki Fotuaika 9. Chris Randall 10. Tino Fa’asuamaleaui 11. David Fifita 12. Joe Stimson 13. Isaac Liu 14. Kruise Leeming
15. Erin Clark 16. Klese Haas 17. Joe Vuna

South Sydney Rabbitohs: 1. Blake Taaffe 2. Alex Johnston 3. Isaiah Tass 4. Campbell Graham 5. Taane Milne 6. Cody Walker 7. Lachlan Ilias 8. Tevita Tatola 9. Damien Cook
10. Hame Sele  11. Keaon Koloamatangi 12. Jacob Host 13. Liam Knight 14. Michael Chee Kam 15. Tallis Duncan 16. Shaq Mitchell 17. Davvy Moale

• The Warriors are favourites largely because they’re playing at home, but they haven’t exactly set the world on fire in NZ this year, splitting their home games 3-3 and losing their last couple across the pond.
• The Storm lost to the Cowboys last year, but prior to that they had won 12 in a row against their North Queensland opponents.
• The last time the South Sydney Rabbitohs lost to the Gold Coast Titans was 2016, and they’ve lost to them just twice since 2009.

Multi of the Week

Saturday night will see probably the game of the round take place when the second placed Sharks take on the third placed Broncos in Cronulla. The Sharks have been in fantastic form of late, regaining the defensive identity which so defined them last year and earning a well-earned break last week after winning five of their last six games. In those five wins they conceded just 58 total points – an average of 11.7 per game – and it will be fascinating to see whether they can continue that trend against one of the most potent offences in the league so far in 2023. The Broncos have scored the most points in the NRL at this stage of the season, though that’s influenced in some part by the fact that they haven’t yet had a bye. Still, they have been very dangerous with ball in hand, though that has slowed somewhat in recent weeks against a few very good sides. They’ve won two of their last five games, with those wins coming against the Sea Eagles and Warriors. The losses have been against the Storm, Panthers and Rabbitohs, with Brisbane managing a combined total of just 26 points in those games. The gap between them and the absolute upper echelon of teams in this league is beginning to become more clear, and they might once again struggle to have the offensive output which they so often displayed earlier in the season this weekend.

Predicted Squads

Cronulla Sharks: 1. William Kennedy 2. Sione Katoa 3. Jesse Ramien 4. Siosifa Talakai
5. Ronaldo Mulitalo 6. Matt Moylan 7. Nicho Hynes 8. Braden Hamlin-Uele 9. Blayke Brailey 10. Royce Hunt 11. Briton Nikora 12. Teig Wilton 13. Dale Finucane 14. Connor Tracey 15. Jack Williams 16. Wade Graham 17. Oregon Kaufusi 

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

The Roosters haven’t been hit as hard by Origin as they might have been other years, with just two players set to miss this weekend as a result of the state vs state clash on Wednesday. Given the way they’ve been playing of late, they couldn’t afford to lose many more players than that, even if they are only facing the Bulldogs. The Roosters have lost three on the trot, two against bottom sides in the Cowboys and, very surprisingly, the Dragons, and the other to the Panthers by 44 points. At 5-6 they’re gradually nearing panic stations, and if they don’t start winning soon they’ll not only lose any chance of making top four, but their spot in the finals will be in jeopardy. Up against the Bulldogs they should be too good, though we’ve thought that a couple of times in recent weeks and they’ve failed to deliver. The Bulldogs have actually won two of their last four to take their record to 5-7, virtually the same as the Roosters, but that’s been during a relatively generous run of games and those victories have come by just two points each against the Dragons and the Titans. They’ll be without Josh Addo-Carr and surprisingly, Tevita Pangai Junior, and are a lot less well-equipped to deal with those losses than what the Roosters are for their absentees. This is an absolute must-win for the Roosters, and they should be able to get the job done on their home deck.

Predicted Squads

Sydney Roosters: 1. James Tedesco 2. Joseph Suaalii 3. Joseph Manu 4. Billy Smith 5. Daniel Tupou 6. Luke Keary 7. Drew Hutchison 8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 9. Jake Turpin
10. Lindsay Collins 11. Egan Butcher 12. Sitili Tupouniua 13. Nat Butcher 14. Naufahu Whyte
15. Nathan Brown 16. Angus Crichton 17. Matt Lodge

Canterbury Bulldogs: 1. Hayze Perham 2. Jacob Kiraz 3. Jake Averillo 4. Paul Alamoti 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Karl Oloapu 7. Matt Burton 8. Max King 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Tevita Pangai Junior  11. Corey Waddell 12. Jacob Preston 13. Raymond Faitala-Mariner 14. Harrison Edwards 15. Jayden Okunbor 16. Kurtis Morrin 17. Franklin Pele

After looking like they might finally be able to get their season going following three wins in four games, the Cowboys have suffered a couple of disappointing results in succession. Last week wasn’t a disaster in fairness, going down by eight points to the Eels, but the week prior when they lost by 48 points to the Tigers certainly was. Making things even worse, despite their disappointing season to date they’ll still have four players playing in the opening State of Origin game. They may back up, but will obviously be on somewhat tired legs. Meanwhile, their opponents this weekend will have just one less, with the Cameron Munster, Harry Grant and Christian Welch all involved in Origin, but they enter the game with a much better vein of form behind them. They’ve won their last two games 24-16 against the Broncos and the Dolphins, both potential top eight sides, and have moved into the top four as a result. That’s where this team will feel like they belong, and they’ll be eager to hang onto that spot for, ideally, the rest of the season. This presents as a good opportunity to solidify their place in there against a Cowboys team down on both confidence and potentially personnel. The Storm should be too good in this one.

Predicted Squads

North Queensland Cowboys : 1. Scott Drinkwater 2. Kyle Feldt 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. Jeremiah Nanai 12. Heilum Luki 13. Jason Taumalolo 14. Jake Granville 15. Luciano Leilua 16. Coen Hess 17. Griffin Neame

Melbourne Storm: 1. Nick Meaney 2. Will Warbrick 3. Reimis Smith 4. Justin Olam 5. Xavier Coates 6. Tyran Wishart 7. Jahrome Hughes 8. Nelson Asofa-Solomona 9. Bronson Garlick 10. Christian Welch 11. Trent Loiero 12. Chris Lewis 13. Josh King 14. Grant Anderson 15. Aaron Pene 16. Alec MacDonald 17. Tui Kamikamica

Round 14 doesn’t exactly conclude with a bang, with the first placed Penrith Panthers coming up against the last placed St. George Illawarra Dragons in Penrith. This would loom as a bigger blowout than what it does if it weren’t for Origin, with six Panthers players selected for New South Wales while the Dragons have just Ben Hunt (and he may well back up), but even so Penrith should be able to win this one relatively comfortably. The Premiers from the last two years are just beginning to flex their muscle, having won their last three games and incredibly conceded just 14 points collectively across those games. Considering the Dragons aren’t exactly known for their offensive weaponry, that doesn’t bode particularly well for the visitors this weekend. For a bottom-placed team with a 3-9 record the Dragons are relatively competitive, but Penrith have re-established themselves as the best team in the business over recent weeks and find themselves at the top of the NRL ladder with by far the best points difference in the game despite having been a long way from their best for large portions of the season to date. With a lot of stars suiting up for NSW this might be a little closer than it would otherwise have been, but even so the Panthers shouldn’t have any problems making it four wins in as many games.

Predicted Squads

Penrith Panthers: 1. Dylan Edwards 2. Sunia Turuva 3. Izack Tago 4. Tyrone Peachey 5. Tom Jenkins 6. Jaeman Salmon 7. Jack Cogger 8. Moses Leota 9. Soni Luke 10. James Fisher-Harris 11. Scott Sorensen 12. Zac Hosking 13. Mitch Kenny 14. Jesse McLean
15. Lindsay Smith 16. Spencer Leniu 17. Matt Eisenhuth

St. George Illawarra Dragons: 1. Tyrell Sloan 2. Mat Feagai 3. Moses Suli 4. Zac Lomax 5. Mikaele Ravalawa 6. Talatau Amone 7. Ben Hunt 8. Francis Molo 9. Jacob Liddle  10. Michael Molo 11. Jack Bird 12. Jaydn Su'A 13. Jack de Belin 14. Jayden Sullivan
15. Toby Couchman 16. Ben Murdoch-Masila 17. Josh Kerr

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