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The NRL’s home-and-away season is done and dusted and the finals await. It’s been an up and down season with more than a few unfortunate injuries, and at this point the door is still open for more than few teams to enter the premiership race.
Sydney Roosters
Betting Odds: $2.8
The Roosters are no doubt the form side of the competition with twelve straight wins coming into Friday night’s match, finishing at the top of the table gives them the chance to battle the weakest side in the top four so they are set up well for a premiership tilt.
Win through in the first week – which is likely – and they will have a bye and a home prelim set up over the next two weeks which would put them in the box seat to make the Grand Final and contend for a second premiership in three years.
Brisbane Broncos
Betting Odds: $4
The Broncos face a few challenges in the race to the NRL premiership but deserve to be one of the favourites. Their first week match-up against the Cowboys is one of these. The Broncos are 0-3 in finals against the Cowboys, but for the first time in a final get to host them on their home turf.
Win through in the first week and they have the advantage of a bye and a home preliminary final which, all going well, should see them through the grand final easy enough. Get that far and they’ll be in it up to the necks.
North Queensland Cowboys
Betting Odds: $5
The Cowboys are searching for their first ever premiership win and will be a good chance to get there if they can recapture the form that saw them record eleven consecutive wins in the middle of the year.
However, the knock on them is that they’ve lost games to all their fellow top four sides this year, and twice to Cronulla who they’ll likely face in the semi-final if they don’t beat the Broncos in the first week.
Melbourne Storm
Betting Odds: $7.5
The Storm are still hanging in at the top end of the ladder and while there’s always hope they could jump in and have a great run through to the premiership, they do seem to be more of an outside chance. They’ve covered the loss of Billy Slater well, but that might not hold up in finals.
Canterbury Bulldogs
Betting Odds: $10
The Bulldogs enter the finals series on the back of five straight wins, two of them against fellow finalists, and of the teams sitting outside the top four, they’d be the best hope to go all the way. It’ll require another four straight victories.
Cronulla Sharks
Betting Odds: $26
The Sharks could rightly consider themselves a dark horse in this finals series, not only have they beaten their first week opponents the Rabbitohs this year but they’re recorded two wins each over the Roosters and the Cowboys. A maiden premiership would be very unlikely, but not beyond their reach.
South Sydney Rabbitohs
Betting Odds: $29
Getting beaten by three of their fellow finalists in the last three weeks of the year has seen the Rabbitohs shrink down the ladder, and going scoreless against the Roosters last week isn’t a great way to enter the finals. Back-to-back premierships looks very unlikely.
St George Illawarra Dragons
Betting Odds: $81
The Dragons snagged a finals spot with a win over the Tigers last week but face a difficult task against the Bulldogs to progress further. If the manage that, it won’t get any easier in coming weeks – safe to say they wouldn’t be a good investment in premiership betting.
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