It’s another big weekend of NRL action, as this year’s title hopefuls look to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. Can the Storm go top with a win over the Roosters? Will the Dolphins bounce back from their loss? We analyse each of the match ups in round seven of the NRL this weekend, using the latest odds from betting sites to deliver our predictions.
NRL 2024 Round 7
Sydney Roosters vs Melbourne Storm
Round seven of the NRL gets underway on Thursday night with an absolute belter of a match. The Roosters, currently fourth favourite to win the competition at most betting sites, host the Storm, who are top of the table after six rounds.
Bookies are split on who will win this one with even odds either way, but we give Melbourne a slight edge here. Barring their one loss to the Knights last month, the Storm have shown a great knack for winning tight games this year. They’ve picked up eight of the last nine against the Roosters, and given how inconsistent Sydney have been this season, our money is with Melbourne to come out on top.
Should be close though, and it would be no surprise if Xavier Coates scored another ripper.
| Bookmaker | Bren’s Tip | Odds |
 | Storm to win | $1.91 |
 | Storm 1-12 | $3.10 |
 | Coates to score | $2.50 |
Official Squads
Roosters: 1. James Tedesco 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Michael Jennings 4. Joey Manu 5. Joseph Suaalii 6. Connor Watson 7. Luke Keary 8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 9. Brandon Smith 10. Lindsay Collins 11. Nat Butcher 12. Angus Crichton 13. Victor Radley 14. Zach Dockar-Clay 15. Naufahu Whyte 16. Egan Butcher 17. Terrell May.
Storm: 1. Ryan Papenhuyzen 2. Will Warbrick 3. Reimis Smith 4. Nick Meaney 5. Xavier Coates 6. Cameron Munster 7. Jahrome Hughes 8. Nelson Asofa-Solomona 9. Harry Grant 10. Josh King 11. Shawn Blore 12. Eli Katoa 13. Trent Loiero 14. Tyran Wishart 15. Christian Welch 16. Joe Chan 17. Alec MacDonald.
St. George-Illawarra Dragons vs New Zealand Warriors
Who would have thought the Dragons would have picked up three wins inside the first six rounds of the 2024 NRL? Well, they have, and they now host the New Zealand Warriors with a chance of getting themselves inside the top eight if they prevail.
Before you Dragons fans get too excited, we say steady on. Chances are, the Warriors will win this one comfortably.
New Zealand were handed a lifeline on Saturday afternoon in a match they should have lost. We expect they’ll take full advantage by bouncing back strong this weekend. We’ve seen it time and time again—the Warriors have a tight game, then win big the next. Against what is still an underpowered Dragons team, expect New Zealand to come away victorious.
| Bookmaker | Bren’s Tip | Odds |
| Warriors to win | $1.48 |
| Warriors -6.5 | $1.95 |
| Warriors 13+ | $2.55 |
Official Squads
Dragons: 1. Tyrell Sloan 2. Christian Tuipulotu 3. Mosese Suli 4. Zac Lomax 5. Mikaele Ravalawa 6. Kyle Flanagan 7. Ben Hunt 8. Francis Molo 9. Jacob Liddle 10. Hame Sele 11. Raymond Faitala-Mariner 12. Jaydn Su’A 13. Tom Eisenhuth 14. Jesse Marschke 15. Blake Lawrie 16. Jack de Belin 17. Ben Murdoch-Masila.
Warriors: 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 2. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 3. Rocco Berry 4. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 5. Marcelo Montoya 6. Te Maire Martin 7. Shaun Johnson 8. Addin Fonua-Blake 9. Wayde Egan 10. Mitch Barnett 11. Jackson Ford 12. Kurt Capewell 13. Tohu Harris 14. Chanel Harris-Tavita 15. Tom Ale 16. Jacob Laban 17. Adam Pompey.
Parramatta Eels vs Redcliffe Dolphins
A fascinating encounter wraps up Friday night footy this weekend, with the Eels hosting the Dolphins in Parramatta. The home side come into this one off the back of an impressive comeback win against the high-flying Cowboys, while Redcliffe were humbled by big brother Brisbane last weekend.
Betting apps have this match heavily in favour of the Eels, but we say it could go either way. It all pivots around how the Dolphins respond to their loss last weekend. Parramatta have been mercurial this season, while the Dolphins have been solid. While backing the visitors to win feels like a bridge too far, expecting this to be close is a safe bet and still provides plenty of payouts.
| Bookmaker | Bren’s Tip | Odds |
| Eels to win | $1.40 |
| Dolphins +8.5 | $1.82 |
| Under 44.5 | $1.91 |
Official Squads
Eels: 1. Clint Gutherson 2. Bailey Simonsson 3. Will Penisini 4. Morgan Harper 5. Sean Russell 6. Daejarn Asi 7. Dylan Brown 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. Blaize Talagi.
Dolphins: 1. Trai Fuller 2. Jamayne Isaako 3. Jake Averillo 4. Tesi Niu 5. Jack Bostock 6. Kodi Nikorima 7. Isaiya Katoa 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Jeremy Marshall-King 10. Mark Nicholls 11. Kenneth Bromwich 12. Euan Aitken 13. Max Plath 14. Josh Kerr 15. Sean O’Sullivan 16. Ray Stone 17. Jarrod Wallace.
Penrith Panthers vs Wests Tigers
To the casual observer, this match seems like a sure thing. The past two seasons, the Panthers have finished top of the NRL ladder, while the Tigers have finished last. Already in 2024, it’s seeming this trend will continue. Bluntly put, this is the best team in the competition versus the worst.
Except, last year, the Tigers won this fixture. They may only have claimed four wins in 2023, but one of them was against Penrith. One could even go as far as calling the Tigers Penrith’s boogie team, considering they also beat them comprehensively in 2021, and came close in 2022.
What does all of this mean for this weekend’s prediction? The Panthers should still win, but don’t expect this to be the blowout that many are picking.
| Bookmaker | Bren’s Tip | Odds |
| Under 41.5 | $1.91 |
| Tigers +14.5 | $1.82 |
| Panthers 1-12 | $3.10 |
Official Squads
Panthers: 1. Dylan Edwards 2. Sunia Turuva 3. Izack Tago 4. Taylan May 5. Brian To'o 6. Jarome Luai 7. Brad Schneider 8. Moses Leota 9. Mitch Kenny 10. Jame Fisher-Harris 11. Scott Sorenson 12. Liam Martin 13. Isaah Yeo 14. Daine Laurie 15. Lindsay Smith 16. Liam Henry 17. Luke Garner.
Tigers: 1. Jahream Bula 2. Charlie Staines 3. Brent Naden 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. Latu Fainu 15. Alex Twal 16. Alex Seyfarth 17. Samuela Fainu.
Gold Coast Titans vs Manly Sea Eagles
The second of three games on Saturday sees the Titans come up against Manly, with each team coming into this clash off the back of a surprising result in round six. For the Titans, they nearly secured their first win of the season, going down at the death to the Raiders. For the Sea Eagles, they drew with the Warriors, and will have been disappointed not to win.
These results have significantly impacted the odds in what no longer looks like a straightforward Manly win. We still expect the Sea Eagles to come out victorious here. However, it would be no surprise if the Titans’ close loss buoys them, and we see a good performance yet again this round. Back the Sea Eagles to win a competitive affair.
| Bookmaker | Bren’s Tip | Odds |
| Sea Eagles to win | $1.35 |
| Titans +9.5 | $1.91 |
| Sea Eagles 1-12 | $3.25 |
Official Squads
Titans: 1. Phillip Sami 2. Alofiana Khan-Pereira 3. Brian Kelly 4. Harley Smith-Shields 5. Jojo Fifita 6. AJ Brimson 7. Kieran Foran 8. Moeaki Fotuaika 9. Chris Randall 10. Jaimin Jolliffe 11. David Fifita 12. Beau Fermor 13. Klese Haas 14. Sam Verrills 15. Erin Clark 16. Isaac Liu 17. Josiah Pahulu.
Sea Eagles: 1. Tom Trbojevic 2. Jason Saab 3. Tolutau Koula 4. Reuben Garrick 5. Tommy Talau 6. Luke Brooks 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Taniela Paseka 9. Lachlan Croker 10. Matthew Lodge 11. Haumole Olakau’atu 12. Corey Waddell 13. Jake Trbojevic 14. Karl Lawton 15. Ethan Bullemor 16. Aaron Woods 17. Nathan Brown.
Brisbane Broncos vs Canberra Raiders
Headlining Saturday night is the Broncos taking on the Raiders in what promises to be an entertaining clash. The past three times these sides have met the outcome has been decided by 11 points or less. Surprisingly, while the Raiders only won one of these, they are four from six since 2018 against the Broncos.
All this to say, this match will be hotly contested. Brisbane are still without Adam Reynolds, but do have Courtney Walsh back and firing on all cylinders. The Raiders have been hit and miss this year, narrowly beating the Titans last week but thumping the Eels before that. Which Green Machine will show on Saturday night? Your guess is as good as ours, but it’s nothing the Broncos won’t be able to handle.
| Bookmaker | Bren’s Tip | Odds |
| Broncos to win | $1.36 |
| Broncos -7.5 | $1.82 |
| Broncos to win 1-12 | $3.25 |
Official Squads
Broncos: 1. Reece Walsh 2. Corey Oates 3. Kotoni Staggs 4. Selwyn Cobbo 5. Jesse Arthars 6. Ezra Mam 7. Jock Madden 8. Corey Jensen 9. Billy Walters 10. Fletcher Baker 11. Jaiyden Hunt 12. Jordan Riki 13. Patrick Carrigan 14. Tyson Smoothy 15. Xavier Willison 16. Kobe Hetherington 17. Tristan Sailor.
Raiders: 1. Chevy Stewart 2. James Schiller 3. Matt Timoko 4. Seb Kris 5. Xavier Savage 6. Ethan Strange 7. Jamal Fogarty 8. Josh Papalii 9. Danny Levi 10. Joseph Tapine 11. Hudson Young 12. Ata Mariota 13. Morgan Smithies 14. Tom Starling 15. Simi Sasagi 16. Trey Mooney 17. Pasami Saulo.
Canterbury Bulldogs vs Newcastle Knights
Sunday afternoon kicks off with two sides that suffered tight losses in round six. The Bulldogs surprised against the Storm, nearly upsetting the Melbourne-based team and only going down 16-14. The Knights also lost by two, failing to put away the Roosters.
There’s a temptation to back the Bulldogs here since they’ve had two wins and two close losses in their last four. But it’s too hard to shake the fact that this is the Bulldogs, and we’ve seen them disappoint too many times before in the past couple of seasons. Expect another valiant effort, but the home side to come away victorious here.
| Bookmaker | Bren’s Tip | Odds |
| Knights to win | $1.82 |
| Knights to win 1-12 | $3.10 |
| Josh Addo-Carr to score | $2.15 |
Official Squads
Bulldogs: 1. Connor Tracey 2. Jacob Kiraz 3. Bronson Xerri 4. Stephen Crichton 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Matt Burton 7. Drew Hutchison 8. Sam Hughes 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Chris Patolo 11. Villiame Kikau 12. Jaeman Salmon 13. Josh Curran 14. Bailey Hayward 15. Poasa Faamausili 16. Kurtis Morrin 17. Blake Taaffe.
Knights: 1. Kalyn Ponga 2. Greg Marzhew 3. Dane Gagai 4. Bradman Best 5. Enari Tuala 6. Jack Cogger 7. Jackson Hastings 8. Jacob Saifiti 9. Jayden Brailey 10. Leo Thompson 11. Dylan Lucas 12. Kai Pearce-Paul 13. Adam Elliott 14. Phoenix Crossland 15. Daniel Saifiti 16. Jack Hetherington 17. Mat Croker.
Cronulla Sharks vs North Queensland Cowboys
Closing out the weekend’s action, it’s a top four clash as the Sharks take on the Cowboys. Cronulla have been quiet achievers in 2024, and are one of only two sides to suffer just one loss this year. The Cowboys, on the other hand, were early frontrunners this season, but have been pegged back a little with their loss to the Eels last weekend.
Expect home ground advantage to make all the difference here, in a match that has golden point written all over it. Little separates these two sides, and we expect this one will go right down to the wire with the Sharks winning in extra time.
| Bookmaker | Bren’s Tip | Odds |
| Sharks to win | $1.65 |
| Cowboys +3.5 | $1.95 |
| Golden point | $26.00 |
Official Squads
Sharks: 1. Will Kennedy 2. Samuel Stonestreet 3. Jesse Ramien 4. Kayal Iro 5. Ronaldo Mulitalo 6. Braydon Trindall 7. Nicho Hynes 8. Thomas Hazelton 9. Blayke Brailey 10. Oregon Kaufusi 11. Briton Nikora 12. Teig Wilton 13. Cam McInnes 14. Jack Williams 15. Toby Rudolf 16. Siosifa Talakai 17. Braden Hamlin-Uele.
Cowboys: 1. Scott Drinkwater 2. Kyle Feldt 3. Valentine Holmes 4. Tom Chester 5. Semi Valemei 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.
