With two rounds of action completed in the NRL, we’re starting to get an idea of how each squad will fare in 2024. Several big clashes await in round three, as the Panthers take on the Broncos and the Roosters face the Rabbitohs. Who will prevail? Here are our predictions for each game in round three of the NRL 2024, based on the latest odds from the best betting apps.
NRL 2024 Round 3
Penrith Panthers vs Brisbane Broncos
Round three kicks off with an absolute doozy of a game as the Broncos head to Penrith for a rematch of last year’s Grand Final. Both sides are missing a few key players, with Adam Reynolds out for the visitors and James Fisher-Harris injured for the Panthers. Regardless, this has match of the round written all over it. These two sides have met seven times since the pandemic, with the Panthers winning all but one of the tussles. With both entering this clash on 1-1 records and having got off the mark last weekend, there’s plenty on the line here. We say that despite their poor record in recent years, the Broncos have a good chance. Their one win against Penrith since 2019 came in the early rounds last year, and they looked in good nick last round. Back the Broncos to win a tight, niggly clash that could well happen again at the business-end of the season.
| Bookmaker | Bren’s Tip | Odds |
 | Broncos to win | $3.60 |
 | Broncos +9.5 | $2.00 |
 | Under 38.5 | $1.91 |
Official Squads
Panthers: 1. Dylan Edwards 2. Sunia Turuva 3. Izack Tago 4. Taylan May 5. Brian To'o 6. Jarome Luai 7. Nathan Cleary 8. Moses Leota 9. Mitch Kenny 10. Lindsay Smith 11. Scott Sorensen 12. Liam Martin 13. Isaah Yeo 14. Daine Laurie 15. Matt Eisenhuth 16. Liam Henry 17. Luke Garner.
Broncos: 1. Reece Walsh 2. Jesse Arthars 3. Kotoni Staggs 4. Selwyn Cobbo 5. Deine Mariner 6. Ezra Mam 7. Jock Madden 8. Corey Jensen 9. Billy Walters 10. Payne Haas 11. Brendan Piakura 12. Jordan Riki 13. Patrick Carrigan 14. Tyson Smoothy 15. Fletcher Baker 16. Kobe Hetherington 17. Martin Taupau.
New Zealand Warriors vs Canberra Raiders
After making the penultimate week of the season last year and being rated as top prospects this season, the Warriors have gotten their year off to a 0-2 start. Admittedly, it took a moment of magic from the Storm to hold them out last week, but the Kiwis will still be desperate for a win on Friday night. Thankfully they’re playing a Raiders team they’ve had plenty of success against in the past. New Zealand lead Canberra 3-1 across their last four matches, including both games in 2023. Despite this advantage, two of these clashes came down to single point victories for the Warriors, and we say it’ll be similar this weekend. Canberra are playing good footie in 2024, but a desperate Warriors side should just get over the line here.
| Bookmaker | Bren’s Tip | Odds |
| Warriors to win | $1.40 |
| Raiders +7.5 | $1.95 |
| Warriors 1-12 | $3.25 |
Official Squads
Warriors: 1. Taine Tuaupiki 2. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 3. Rocco Berry 4. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 5. Marcelo Montoya 6. Luke Metcalf 7. Shaun Johnson 8. Addin Fonua-Blake 9. Wayde Egan 10. Mitch Barnett 11. Jackson Ford 12. Kurt Capewell 13. Tohu Harris 14. Freddy Lussick 15. Tom Ale 16. Bunty Afoa 17. Dylan Walker.
Raiders: 1. Jordan Rapana 2. Nick Cotric 3. Matt Timoko 4. Albert Hopoate 5. Xavier Savage 6. Ethan Strange 7. Jamal Fogarty 8. Josh Papalii 9. Danny Levi 10. Joseph Tapine 11. Hudson Young 12. Elliott Whitehead 13. Morgan Smithies 14. Tom Starling 15. Emre Guler 16. Zac Hosking 17. Pasami Saulo.
Sydney Roosters vs South Sydney Rabbitohs
Ah, what’s better than a local derby on a Friday night? This weekend sees two Sydney sides go head-to-head in what should be an enthralling encounter. Not just because of their geographical rivalry, but also because of the controversy surrounding the Rabbitohs this week. The side played poorly in their 28-18 loss to the Broncos in round two, with Latrell Mitchell coming under fire for an expletive-laden interview post-match. Expect a fiery Rabbitohs side to come up against a Roosters team who have been mercurial so far this year. It’s a flip of the coin in many ways, but we expect the Roosters’ home crowd advantage and general ability to play rugby league without committing a zillion errors to get them the W here.
| Bookmaker | Bren’s Tips | Odds |
| Roosters to win | $1.65 |
| Under 40.5 | $1.88 |
| Roosters 1-12 | $3.10 |
Official Squads
Roosters: 1. James Tedesco 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Joseph Suaalii 4. Joey Manu 5. Dom Young 6. Sandon Smith 7. Sam Walker 8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 9. Brandon Smith 10. Lindsay Collins 11. Nat Butcher 12. Sitili Tupouniua 13. Victor Radley 14. Connor Watson 15. Naufahu Whyte 16. Terrell May 17. Angus Crichton.
Rabbitohs: 1. Latrell Mitchell 2. Alex Johnston 3. Jack Wighton 4. Isaiah Tass 5. Taane Milne 6. Cody Walker 7. Dean Hawkins 8. Tevita Tatola 9. Damien Cook 10. Davvy Moale 11. Keaon Koloamatangi 12. Jacob Host 13. Cam Murray 14. Siliva Havili 15. Tallis Duncan 16. Sean Keppie 17. Tom Burgess.
Canterbury Bulldogs vs Gold Coast Titans
If Thursday night’s game is a potential foreshadowing of this year’s Grand Final, then the opening game this Saturday could be a battle for 2024’s wooden spoon. The Canterbury Bulldogs have looked as lousy as ever this season, getting beat up on 26-8 and 25-6 across the fire fortnight of action. The Titans have arguably been worse, losing to fellow cellar-dwellers the Dragons 28-4, then taking a bye. Who gets up in this one? We say Gold Coast have a better chance. The Titans have won four of their last six against the Bulldogs, and a bye may well have given them the time they need to reboot after a disappointing opening loss. One thing to note is the past three clashes between these two sides have been close, so expect this to go down to the wire. Given how many tries the clubs have scored this year (not many), it could be a low scoring affair too.
| Bookmaker | Bren’s Tips | Odds |
| Titans to win | $2.05 |
| Under 44.0 | $1.93 |
| Titans 1-12 | $3.40 |
Official Squads
Bulldogs: 1. Blake Taaffe 2. Blake Wilson 3. Jacob Kiraz 4. Stephen Crichton 5. Connor Tracey 6. Matt Burton 7. Drew Hutchison 8. Max King 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Liam Knight 11. Villiame Kikau 12. Jacob Preston 13. Jaeman Salmon 14. Kurt Mann 15. Sam Hughes 16. Josh Curran 17. Kurtis Morrin.
Titans: 1. Keano Kini 2. Alofiana Khan-Pereira 3. Brian Kelly 4. AJ Brimson 5. Phillip Sami 6. Kieran Foran 7. Tanah Boyd 8. Moeaki Fotuaika 9. Chris Randall 10. Tino Fa’asuamaleaui 11. Klese Haas 12. Beau Fermor 13. Jaimin Jolliffe 14. Sam Verrills 15. Isaac Liu 16. Erin Clark 17. Keenan Palasia.
St. George-Illawarra Dragons vs North Queensland Cowboys
A win in round one for the Dragons offered a rare respite to their long-battling fans, but it was back to normal operations last weekend. The side plummeted to a 38-0 thrashing at the hands of the Dolphins, causing coach Shane Flanagan to ring the changes in the forward pack. We suspect these will all be in vain, unfortunately. The Cowboys have looked sharp this season, stealing a win at the death in round two to go with their opening victory over the Dolphins. Considering North Queensland have won their last four on the bounce against St. George-Illawarra, it’s hard to see this one going any different. Three of those wins were by 20+ point margins as well, so betting on a blowout here could be the most lucrative angle.
| Bookmaker | Bren’s Tips | Odds |
| Cowboys to win | $1.45 |
| Over 43.5 | $1.87 |
| Cowboys 13+ | $2.40 |
Official Squads
Dragons: 1. Tyrell Sloan 2. Zac Lomax 3. Moses Suli 4. Jack Bird 5. Mikaele Ravalawa 6. Kyle Flanagan 7. Ben Hunt 8. Jack de Belin 9. Jesse Marschke 10. Blake Lawrie 11. Luciano Leilua 12. Jaydn Su’A 13. Tom Eisenhuth 14. Connor Muhleisen 15. Michael Molo 16. Raymod Faitala-Mariner 17. Viliami Fifita.
Cowboys: 1. Scott Drinkwater 2. Kyle Feldt 3. Valentine Holmes 4. Zac Laybutt 5. Murray Taulagi 6. Tom Dearden 7. Chad Townsend 8. Jordan McLean 9. Reece Robson 10. Jason Taumalolo 11. Kulikefu Finefeuiaki 12. Jeremiah Nanai 13. Rueben Cotter 14. Jake Granville 15. Griffin Neame 16. Sam McIntyre 17. Jack Gosiewski.
Wests Tigers vs Cronulla Sharks
The Wests Tigers had an opening round bye to begin NRL 2024, and it might well have been the high point of their season. Since then, things have been all downhill, and we say it’ll be more of the same this weekend. The club were put away 32-12 by the Raiders last weekend, and now host a Sharks side sitting top of the table after two weeks. The past three years Cronulla have won this fixture by no less than 24 points every time. It would be a brave punter to predict anything other than this happening again on Saturday, with Wests looking their usual suspect selves and the Sharks appearing locked in. Expect Nicho Hynes to have a field day, and Cronulla to take this one comfortably.
| Bookmaker | Bren’s Tips | Odds |
| Over 45.5 | $1.88 |
| Sharks -11.5 | $1.90 |
| Sharks 21-30 | $4.75 |
Official Squads
Tigers: 1. Jahream Bula 2. Charlie Staines 3. Solomona Faataape 4. Justin Olam 5. Junior Tupou 6. Lachlan Galvin 7. Aidan Sezer 8. Stefano Utoikamanu 9. Api Koroisau 10. David Klemmer 11. Isaiah Papali’i 12. John Bateman 13. Fonua Pole 14. Bud Sullivan 15. Alex Seyfarth 16. Alex Twal 17. Samuela Fainu.
Sharks: 1. Will Kennedy 2. Sione Katoa 3. Jesse Ramien 4. Sifa Talakai 5. Ronaldo Mulitalo 6. Braydon Trindall 7. Nicho Hynes 8. Toby Rudolf 9. Blayke Brailey 10. Oregon Kaufusi 11. Jack Williams 12. Teig Wilton 13. Cam McInnes 14. Dale Finucane 15. Royce Hunt 16. Billy Burns 17. Thomas Hazelton.
Parramatta Eels vs Manly Sea Eagles
Two cracking games round out the weekend’s action with Parramatta facing Manly to start things off on Sunday afternoon. After a sedate season in 2023, Manly are back to looking like genuine title contenders with impressive wins over the Rabbitohs and Roosters so far this year. The Eels are also looking a chance, having put away the Bulldogs in round one before running the Panthers close last weekend. Our NRL crystal ball is giving little away ahead of this clash. It’s going to be close and could come down to a home crowd spurring Parramatta on in the dying minutes. The Eels managed to win this fixture 34-4 last time they met, but we expect the margin will be much slimmer on Sunday afternoon.
| Bookmaker | Bren’s Tips | Odds |
| Eels to win | $1.85 |
| Eels -1.5 | $2.00 |
| Sea Eagles/Eels HT/FT | $8.00 |
Official Squads
Eels: 1. Clint Gutherson 2. Morgan Harper 3. Will Penisini 4. Blaize Talagi 5. Sean Russell 6. Dylan Brown 7. Mitchell Moses 8. Reagan Campbell-Gillard 9. Joey Lussick 10. Junior Paulo 11. Shaun Lane 12. Bryce Cartwright 13. J’maine Hopgood 14. Luca Moretti 15. Ryan Matterson 16. Joe Ofahengaue 17. Kelma Tuilagi.
Sea Eagles: 1. Tom Trbojevic 2. Raymond Tuiamalo Vaega 3. Tolu Koula 4. Reuben Garrick 5. Jaxson Paulo 6. Luke Brooks 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Taniela Paseka 9. Lachlan Croker 10. Josh Aloiai 11. Haumole Olakau’atu 12. Ben Trbojevic 13. Jake Trbojevic 14. Karl Lawton 15. Corey Waddell 16. Ethan Bullemor 17. Nathan Brown.
Newcastle Knights vs Melbourne Storm
Concluding the weekend’s footie is a fascinating clash between the Newcastle Knights and Melbourne Storm. Despite Newcastle being 0-2 and Melbourne having won both their matches this season, the Storm are underdogs coming into this match. Why? Both their playmakers are missing, with Cameron Munster still out through injury and Jahrome Hughes coping a one-match ban for pushing a referee. Still, we believe that Melbourne have the depth to win this fixture. Both clubs have showed varying abilities to finish off games this season – the Knights choking and losing by a point to the Cowboys last week, and the Storm winning at the death. Back the Storm to head to Newcastle and come away victorious against a Knights side that look far tamer than they did late last year.
| Bookmaker | Bren’s Tips | Odds |
| Storm to win | $2.05 |
| Under 40.5 | $1.87 |
| Storm 1-12 | $3.25 |
Official Squads
Knights: 1. Kalyn Ponga 2. Tom Jenkins 3. Dane Gagai 4. Bradman Best 5. Enari Tuala 6. Tyson Gamble 7. Jack Cogger 8. Jacob Saifiti 9. Phoenix Crossland 10. Leo Thompson 11. Tyson Frizell 12. Kai Pearce-Paul 13. Adam Elliott 14. Jayden Brailey 15. Daniel Saifiti 16. Jack Hetherington 17. Jed Cartwright.
Storm: 1. Ryan Papenhuyzen 2. Will Warbrick 3. Reimis Smith 4. Nick Meaney 5. Xavier Coates 6. Jonah Pezet 7. Tyran Wishart 8. Tui Kamikamica 9. Harry Grant 10. Josh King 11. Joe Chan 12. Eli Katoa 13. Trent Loiero 14. Kane Bradley 15. Tepai Moeroa 16. Chris Lewis 17. Alec MacDonald.
