NRL 2025 Round 1 – Betting Tips, Odds & Predictions

Round 8 of the NRL season started with a dominant display by the Broncos over the previously undefeated Bulldogs, and that set the scene for a one-sided weekend of action. Up until the last game of the round, just one had been decided by a single-figure margin and there had been three 24+ shellackings, before a thriller between the Tigers and Sharks bucked the trend on Sunday afternoon. This weekend, however, looks likely to be a whole lot closer, with a host of intriguing games scheduled for Magic Round at Suncorp Stadium. Take a look at our NBA tips and predictions for all eight games below.

The Sharks’ topsy turvy start to the season continued last Sunday as they fell agonisingly short of winning a third consecutive game. Tied with the Tigers at 18 apiece after 80 minutes, they missed a host of would-be match-winning field goal attempts before conceding a penalty in the 88th minute which Adam Douehi duly converted to sink the Sharks. They now find themselves sitting at 4-4, but will be confident in their ability to get their win/loss record back in the positive when they face Parramatta this Thursday.

Having said that, for all the Eels’ woes so far this season, they have actually won two of their last three games. After sneaking over the line to beat the Dragons they knocked off the Tigers by 16 points two weeks later before enjoying the bye last weekend, during which they managed to climb off the bottom of the ladder at the expense of, unbelievably, the Panthers. But while they’ve been better in their last few games, the Eels’ points difference is still the worst in the league and they might struggle to stay off the bottom of the ladder for long. This should be a relatively comfortable victory for the Sharks.

Bookmaker	James’ Tip	Odds
	Sharks to win	$1.48
	Sharks -5.5	$1.85.
	Sharks 13+	$2.70

Predicted Squads

Cronulla Sharks: 1. Will Kennedy 2. Samuel Stonestreet 3. Jesse Ramien 4. KL Iro 5. Ronaldo Mulitalo 6. Braydon Trindall 7. Nicho Hynes 8. Addin Fonua-Blake 9. Blayke Brailey 10. Oregon Kaufusi 11. Briton Nikora 12. Billy Burns 13. Cameron McInnes 14. Daniel Atkinson 15. Sifa Talakai 16. Braden Hamlin-Uele 17. Tom Hazelton 18. Jayden Berrell 19. Tuku Hau Tapuha 20. Jesse Colquhoun 21. Hohepa Puru

Parramatta Eels: 1. Isaiah Iongi 2. Bailey Simonsson 3. Will Penisini 4. Sean Russell 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Dylan Brown 7. Mitch Moses 8. Jack Williams 9. Ryley Smith 10. Junior Paulo 11. Charlie Guymer 12. Kitione Kautoga 13. J'maine Hopgood 14. Dylan Walker 15. Luca Moretti 16. Matt Doorey 17. Sam Tuivaiti 18. Ryan Matterson 19. Joash Papalii 20. Dean Hawkins 21. Bryce Cartwright 22. Jordan Samrani

The gap between the Roosters’ best and worst this season has been significant, and they again demonstrated that last weekend. After a 28-point defeat to the now bottom-of-the-ladder Panthers, they responded with a dominant display against the Dragons, scoring 46 points en route to an 18-point win. They looked more like the Preliminary Final Roosters of last year than this year’s incarnation which will likely struggle to make the finals, but whether they can maintain the rage beyond that one week remains to be seen.

The Dolphins, meanwhile, were unable to get past the Raiders after beating the Titans, Panthers and then, most impressively of all, the Storm in three consecutive weeks. Defence was a particular concern in that loss as they conceded 40 points, though they did put up 28 of their own. They’ve been involved in plenty of high-scoring affairs so far this season and given the penchant of the Roosters to either score or concede a lot of points themselves, this one will likely see plenty of tries. With the home side’s erratic form this is a hard one to pick, but the Roosters looked good last week and can make it two in a row this Friday night.

Bookmaker	James’ Tip	Odds
	Roosters to win	$1.90
	Roosters 1-12	$3.30
	Roosters/Roosters half-time/full-time double	$2.60

Predicted Squads

Sydney Roosters: 1. James Tedesco 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Billy Smith 4. Robert Toia 5. Mark Nawaqanitawase 6. Sandon Smith 7. Hugo Savala 8. Spencer Leniu 9. Connor Watson 10. Naufahu Whyte 11. Angus Crichton 12. Siua Wong 13. Victor Radley 14. Zach Dockar-Clay 15. Salesi Foketi 16. Blake Steep 17. Egan Butcher 18. Ethan King 19. Taylor Losalu 20. Chad Townsend 21. Dom Young 22. Makahesi Makatoa

Dolphins: 1. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow 2. Jamayne Isaako 3. Jake Averillo 4. Herbie Farnworth 5. Jack Bostock 6. Kodi Nikorima 7. Isaiya Katoa 8. Felise Kaufusi 9. Jeremy Marshall-King 10. Francis Molo 11. Kulikefu Finefeuiaki 12. Tom Gilbert 13. Mark Nicholls 14. Kurt Donoghoe 15. Ray Stone 16. Connelly Lemuelu 17. Josh Kerr 18. Kenny Bromwich 19. Sean O'Sullivan 20. Oryn Keeley 21. Harrison Graham 22. Max Feagai

After a strong start to the season, the Rabbitohs’ losing streak continued last weekend when they went down to the Storm in their third straight defeat. They were far from disgraced in that game, however, only going down by eight points to the Premiership favourites in Melbourne, and though they tightened things up with a consolation try in the dying minutes they were all tied up at half-time. They have had a relatively tough few weeks from a scheduling perspective, and will be pleased to have what looms as a far more palatable matchup for them this weekend.

There’s no denying how bad the Knights have been over the past few weeks, losing five games on the trot against predominantly mid-tier opposition, and doing it comfortably too. Their 14-point loss to the Warriors last weekend was the closest that they have got to an opponent during that losing streak, and they once again looked impotent with ball in hand, scoring only 12 points. The Bunnies are no world beaters, but the Knights look like potentially the worst team in the league at the moment, and it’s hard to imagine them beating anyone the way they have been played. This is not out of their reach by any means, but based on recent form it is tough to go past the Rabbitohs.

Bookmaker	James’ Tip	Odds
	Rabbitohs to win	$1.74
	Rabbitohs -1.5	$1.85
	Rabbitohs 7+	$2.40

Predicted Squads

South Sydney Rabbitohs: 1. Jye Gray 2. Bayleigh Bentley-Hape 3. Euan Aitken 4. Campbell Graham 5. Isaiah Tass 6. Jack Wighton 7. Jayden Sullivan 8. Sean Keppie 9. Peter Mamouzelos 10. Tevita Tatola 11. Keaon Koloamatangi 12. Tallis Duncan 13. Jai Arrow 14. Liam Le Blanc 15. Lachlan Hubner 16. Davvy Moale 17. Fletcher Myers 18. Thomas Fletcher 19. Lewis Dodd 20. Josh Schuster 21. Salesi Ataata 22. Nazareth Taua

Newcastle Knights: 1. Kalyn Ponga 2. James Schiller 3. Dane Gagai 4. Bradman Best 5. Greg Marzhew 6. Fletcher Sharpe 7. Jack Cogger 8. Jacob Saifiti 9. Phoenix Crossland 10. Leo Thompson 11. Dylan Lucas 12. Kai Pearce-Paul 13. Tyson Frizell 14. Jayden Brailey 15. Mat Croker 16. Adam Elliott 17. Brodie Jones 18. Thomas Cant 19. Tyson Gamble 20. Kyle McCarthy 21. Matthew Arthur 22. Tyrone Thompson

• They might be the reigning Premiers, but the Panthers have lost five of their last six and a ‘home’ game against a Broncos team in Brisbane which is fresh off a thumping win over the Bulldogs.
• It’s safe to say that the Storm have had the wood over the Raiders in recent years, winning seven of their last nine against them by an average of 18.6 points.
• The Titans have made a habit of losing heavily of late, with each of their past four games resulting in double-figure defeats and three of those by 22 points or more. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, won four of their five games prior to last week’s loss by at least 14 points.

Multi of the Week

This is one of the more intriguing matchups of Magic Round, with both the Warriors and the Cowboys coming into it in some really good form. After a bad loss in their first game, the Warriors have won five of their past six, and have managed the last couple with some pivotal personnel absent. They’ve been particularly impressive at home where they remain undefeated after beating the hapless Knights 26-12 last weekend, but this Saturday they will have to do it on Australian soil against a really in-form opponent.

The Cowboys’ start to the season was an unmitigated disaster, but as only they can they have flipped their form completely upside down to win four on the trot after losing their first three. After picking up some much-needed confidence with tight wins in the first few of those, they absolutely mauled the Titans last weekend, hitting the half-century mark in a 32-point demolition job to move inside the top eight. The Warriors will prove a difficult opponent to continue their winning streak against, though on neutral territory they are a much better chance than they would be if this were an actual home game for New Zealand. This could very easily go either way, but the Warriors have been really impressive for much of the season and might just be able to sneak over the line to take their record to 6-2.

Bookmaker	James’ Tip	Odds
	Warriors to win	$2.00
	Warriors +1.5	$1.90
	Warriors 1-12	$3.30

Predicted Squads

New Zealand Warriors: 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 2. Taine Tuaupiki 3. Rocco Berry 4. Ali Leiataua 5. Adam Pompey 6. Chanel Harris-Tavita 7. Luke Metcalf 8. Marata Niukore 9. Wayde Egan 10. Mitch Barnett 11. Kurt Capewell 12. Leka Halasima 13. Erin Clark 14. Te Maire Martin 15. Jackson Ford 16. Demitric Vaimauga 17. Bunty Afoa 18. Tanner Stowers-Smith 20. Samuel Healey 21. Tanah Boyd ​​​​​​​22. Eddie Ieremia-Toeava 23. Edward Kosi

North Queensland Cowboys: 1. Scott Drinkwater 2. Robert Derby 3. Jaxon Purdue 4. Viliami Vailea 5. Murray Taulagi 6. Tom Dearden 7. Jake Clifford 8. Jordan McLean 9. Reece Robson 10. Jason Taumalolo 11. John Bateman 12. Jeremiah Nanai 13. Reuben Cotter 14. Sam McIntyre 15. Harrison Edwards 16. Griffin Neame 17. Coen Hess 18. Zac Laybutt 19. Karl Lawton 20. Kai O'Donnell 21. Kaiden Lahrs ​​​​​​​22. Thomas Mikaele

The Tigers and the Dragons have had some tight tussles to avoid being the league’s worst team in recent years, but each team currently finds itself just outside the top eight two months into the season, and will be looking to stay there. Last weekend, the Tigers bounced back from a really disappointing performance against the Eels, tying with the Sharks in the first 80 minutes before a penalty goal saw them take the points in the 88th minute. That was their 4th win of the season, matching their total from 2022 and 2023 and taking them to within two of what they managed last weekend, and this presents as an opportunity to notch up a 5th.

The Dragons, however, are not the team most expected them to be. They’ve had a really solid start to the season, though last weekend they looked a lot more like the bottom-feeder the NRL betting sites had them tipped to be. After consecutive wins they were pounded by the Roosters, conceding 46 points en route to a disappointing 28-point loss. By and large, however, they have been really competitive, and though they find themselves at 3-4 they have had two losses by just a point, so it could easily read a lot better. This should be a really interesting game between two teams trying to establish themselves as legitimate top eight contenders. We could easily be in for another tight finish in this one, but the Tigers can just sneak over the line to pick up their 5th victory of the year.

Bookmaker	James’ Tip	Odds
	Tigers to win	$1.85
	Tigers 1-12	$3.20
	Tigers -1.5	$1.93

Predicted Squads

Wests Tigers: 1. Jahream Bula 2. Sunia Turuva 3. Adam Doueihi 4. Starford To'a 5. Brent Naden 6. Lachlan Galvin 7. Jarome Luai 8. Terrell May 9. Api Koroisau 10. Fonua Pole 11. Samuela Fainu 12. Alex Seyfarth 13. Alex Twal 14. Tallyn Da Silva 15. Royce Hunt 16. Jack Bird 17. Sione Fainu 18. Tony Sukkar 19. Heath Mason 20. Kit Laulilii 21. Solomona Faataape ​​​​​​​22. Tristan Hope

St. George Illawarra Dragons: 1. Clint Gutherson 2. Tyrell Sloan 3. Moses Suli 4. Valentine Holmes 5. Corey Allan 6. Kyle Flanagan 7. Lyhkan King-Togia 8. Toby Couchman 9. Damien Cook 10. David Klemmer 11. Dylan Egan 12. Jaydn Su'A 13. Hamish Stewart 14. Jacob Liddle 15. Jack de Belin 16. Emre Guler 17. Luciano Leilua 18. Loko Pasifiki Tonga 19. Nathan Lawson 20. Blake Lawrie 21. Lachlan Ilias ​​​​​​​22. Raymond Faitala-Mariner

It’s safe to say that the wheels have fallen off for the Titans over the past month. After a solid start which saw them win two of their first three games comfortably, they have lost four on the trot in emphatic fashion. Their closest game in that time was a 10-point defeat to the Raiders while their average losing margin is 22.5, and they now face a clash with the top-of-the-table Bulldogs after conceding 50 points and losing by 32 to the Cowboys. The Bulldogs are, at least, coming off their first loss of the season, but that will not likely have any bearing on this result.

That loss did, however, come as something of a surprise given how dominant the Bulldogs had been. They entered the clash with the Broncos having won their first six games, not conceded a single point for two consecutive games and not conceded more than 8 points in a game for a month. They subsequently went and gave up 42 to the Broncos in a 24-point rout. That certainly put a dampener on what has been a red-hot start to the season for the Bulldogs, but they now have a great opportunity to bounce straight back onto the winners’ list, and most likely with a big win. The way the Titans have been playing, the Bulldogs should win this one in their sleep, and it would be no surprise to see the home side suffer another heavy defeat.

Bookmaker	James’ Tip	Odds
	Bulldogs -12.5	$1.90
	Bulldogs 7+	$1.55
	Bulldogs/Bulldogs half-time/full-time double	$1.63

Predicted Squads

Gold Coast Titans: 1. Jaylan de Groot 2. Alofiana Khan-Pereira 3. Brian Kelly 4. Phillip Sami 5. Jojo Fifita 6. AJ Brimson 7. Tom Weaver 8. Mo Fotuaika 9. Sam Verrills 10. Reagan Campbell-Gillard 11. Chris Randall 12. Beau Fermor 13. Tino Fa'asuamaleaui 14. Klese Haas 15. Iszac Fa'asuamaleaui 16. Arama Hau 17. Josiah Pahulu 18. Tony Francis 19. David Fifita 20. Jacob Alick-Wiencke 21. Tukimihia Simpkins ​​​​​​​22. Allan Fitzgibbon

Canterbury Bulldogs: 1. Connor Tracey 2. Jacob Kiraz 3. Bronson Xerri 4. Stephen Crichton 5. Marcelo Montoya 6. Bailey Hayward 7. Toby Sexton 8. Max King 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Daniel Suluka-Fifita 11. Viliame Kikau 12. Jacob Preston 13. Jaeman Salmon 14. Kurt Mann 15. Harry Hayes 16. Kurtis Morrin 17. Blake Taaffe 19. Lipoi Hopoi 20. Blake Wilson 21. Jake Turpin ​​​​​​​22. Luke Smith 23. Drew Hutchison

This should theoretically be a really entertaining game, but with things going from bad to worse for the Panthers and the Broncos coming off a terrific win, it’s hard to know how the reigning Premiers will fare. They enjoyed what seemed like it might be a season-turning win a fortnight ago, pumping the Roosters by 28 points, but they went right back to their losing ways last weekend in a relatively miserable effort against the Sea Eagles. They lost that one 26-10, taking their record to 2-6 and unbelievably sending them – the team that has won the last four Grand Finals – to dead last on the NRL ladder.

The Broncos, in complete contrast, bounced back from a poor couple of weeks with their best performance of the season. Up against the then-undefeated Bulldogs, they came out of the blocks like a team possessed, scoring a try in the first minute and going on to establish a ridiculous 34-0 lead at half-time. The Bulldogs made the scoreboard a little more respectable in the second half, but the damage was already done and the Broncos ended up 42-18 winners. An away game against the Panthers is typically a pretty difficult proposition, but this is home for Penrith in name only – the Panthers are the team that drew the short straw, having to play the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium during Magic Round, and the way they have been playing it’s hard to see them being able to work their way off the bottom of the ladder this weekend. This looks like it could be another loss for the struggling Panthers.

Bookmaker	James’ Tip	Odds
	Broncos to win	$1.67
	Broncos -2.5	$1.91
	Broncos 7+	$2.30

Predicted Squads

Penrith Panthers: 1. Dylan Edwards 2. Paul Alamoti 3. Izack Tago 4. Luke Garner 5. Thomas Jenkins 6. Blaize Talagi 7. Nathan Cleary 8. Moses Leota 9. Luke Sommerton 10. Liam Henry 11. Scott Sorensen 12. Liam Martin 13. Isaah Yeo 14. Trent Toelau 15. Isaiah Papali'i 16. Lindsay Smith 17. Mavrik Geyer 18. Daine Laurie 19. Luron Patea 20. Casey McLean 21. Billy Scott ​​​​​​​22. Jack Cole

Brisbane Broncos: 1. Selwyn Cobbo 2. Deine Mariner 3. Kotoni Staggs 4. Gehamat Shibasaki 5. Jesse Arthars 6. Ben Hunt 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Patrick Carrigan 9. Billy Walters 10. Payne Haas 11. Xavier Willison 12. Jordan Riki 13. Kobe Hetherington 14. Cory Paix 15. Corey Jensen 16. Brendan Piakura 17. Jaiyden Hunt 18. Tyson Smoothy 19. Martin Taupau 20. Josiah Karapani 21. Jock Madden ​​​​​​​22. Ben Te Kura

Round 9 concludes with a top-four clash between the 2nd place Storm and the 3rd place Raiders, though while that is unequivocally where the Storm belong, the Raiders are probably only keeping the spot warm for someone else. Maybe that’s a little denigrating and they have, once again, done really well to exceed the low expectations placed on them by the NRL community, with a four-game winning streak continuing what has been an impressive start to the season. But while a couple of those wins have been against decent teams, the Storm are a different story entirely.

Granted even they have had their moments, losing by 20 points to a Dolphins team that the Raiders subsequently beat just a fortnight ago. But that was one of just two losses the Storm have suffered this season to date, and they bounced back with a solid showing against the Rabbitohs. They weren’t at their dominant selves in that game by any means, but they did enough to earn a 24-16 win and remain in 2nd spot. They are not firing on all cylinders right now, but the Storm are very good at doing just what they need to do to get the points, and they should be able to do that in this one too. Don’t expect them to win by a huge margin against a competitive Raiders outfit, but they should be getting the points.

Bookmaker	James’ Tip	Odds
	Storm to win	$1.53
	Storm -5.5	$1.86
	Storm 7+	$2.02

Predicted Squads

Melbourne Storm: 1. Ryan Papenhuyzen 2. Sua Fa'alogo 3. Grant Anderson 4. Nick Meaney 5. Xavier Coates 6. Cameron Munster 7. Jahrome Hughes 8. Stefano Utoikamanu 9. Bronson Garlick 10. Josh King 11. Shawn Blore 12. Eli Katoa 13. Trent Loiero 14. Tyran Wishart 15. Alec MacDonald 16. Tui Kamikamica 17. Joe Chan 18. Ativalu Lisati 19. Lazarus Vaalepu 20. Kane Bradley 21. Keagan Russell-Smith ​​​​​​​22. Nelson Asofa-Solomona

Canberra Raiders: 1. Kaeo Weekes 2. Savelio Tamale 3. Matthew Timoko 4. Seb Kris 5. Xavier Savage 6. Ethan Strange 7. Jamal Fogarty 8. Corey Horsburgh 9. Tom Starling 10. Joe Tapine 11. Hudson Young 12. Matty Nicholson 13. Morgan Smithies 14. Owen Pattie 15. Zac Hosking 16. Josh Papali'i 17. Ata Mariota 18. Simi Sasagi 19. Manaia Waitere 20. Pasami Saulo 21. Trey Mooney ​​​​​​​22. Danny Levi

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