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The early-season festival of rugby league continues, with the Anzac Day round kicking off on Thursday afternoon. This is The Roar’s NRL expert tipping panel for Round 7.
After five days of games in Round 6, which included a huge blowout to open Bankwest Stadium, it’s The Barry who has surged to the outright lead.
He, along with The Crowd and myself, picked up six tips last weekend, and is now leading on 32. The Crowd sit on 31, and I’m on 30, while AJ’s five leaves him equal with me in third.
Stuart only got four, which puts him to the back of the line, but there’s not much in it in The Roar’s closest start to a season, tipping-wise, in recent memory leaving the entire pack split by three points.
As mentioned, Anzac Day round kicks off on Thursday afternoon when the Dragons take on the Roosters before the Storm play the Warriors in Melbourne.
Friday takes us to Homebush, where I’m sure an enormous crowd will rock up at 6pm on a Friday for the Bulldogs and Cowboys, before the Bunnies look to get back to their absolute best out west against the Panthers.
The Tigers will be take off to Tamworth for a clash with the much-improved but injury-hampered Titans, before the struggling Broncos face the Sharks in a rare Saturday evening fixture.
Sunday’s matches start on the northern beaches as the Raiders attempt to continue their strong start to 2019 against Manly, before the Eels make the trek to the Hunter and look to continue a run of form which saw them smoke the Tigers 51-6 last week.
Don’t forget to join in with your tips at the bottom of the article to try and beat the experts in 2019 as The Crowd and try your luck in our Roar NRL tipping comp. Crowd tips will close at approximately 3:30pm (AEDT) on Thursday afternoon.
The Barry leads us away.
Tips: Dragons, Storm, Bulldogs, Rabbitohs, Tigers, Sharks, Raiders, Eels
There’s nothing more goosebump-inducing than a crowd of 40,000 people brought to absolute silence by those first haunting bugle blasts of the last post. Even as a neutral fan, the Anzac Day game is one of the highlights of the rugby league calendar.
For the second week in a row, I’m tipping against the Roosters. I’m expecting a bit of a letdown after last week’s game with all these young players in the side. They’ll miss Luke Keary, and Latrell Mitchell isn’t as effective at six.
(Photo by Ashley Feder/Getty Images)
Storm to bounce back and be too strong for one of their historical bogey teams.
The Cowboys played themselves back into form on the weekend and Jason Taumalolo has been named on the extended bench… What poor buggers have drawn them this week? Doh!
I’m tipping the Bulldogs at home and crossing my fingers that JT13 needs another week.
Souths still looked clunky in their WWE fixture against the Bulldogs. I get the feeling it will only be a matter of time until things click for them but either way, they’ll be too much for the battling Panthers whose best player and strike weapon has one leg.
Tenacious Titans or terrible Tigers in Tamworth? Maguire may have gone off early with his post-match spray against the Bulldogs. He must have been sitting in the coaches box at Parra Stadium during the dying minutes wishing he’d kept his powder dry. Having said that, I’m tipping the Tigers.
Broncos and Sharks is the toughest game of the round for mine. The Broncos were close on the scoreboard on Sunday, but still so awkward in attack. The Sharks aren’t setting the world on fire either though. I’ll tip the Bro… Sharks.
Respect to Manly. They’ve had some good victories but even when they don’t win, they keep showing up despite a host of injuries and suspensions to key personnel. I’m tipping the Raiders here, but an upset wouldn’t surprise.
It looks like the only way the Knights will win at the moment is Ponga cutting loose and doing it on his own. Hopefully not this week as I’m tipping the Eels.
Tips: Roosters, Storm, Bulldogs, Rabbitohs, Titans, Broncos, Raiders, Eels
A slight stumble last week on the way to back-to-back tipping championships, but this week will right those wrongs.
Don’t expect a pair of classics on Anzac Day with the games we saw last weekend. The Roosters, on a day’s extra rest (and a fair bit more quality), will hold the Dragons at bay and the Storm will absolutely decimate the Warriors. If you thought last year’s 50-10 scoreline was bad, get ready for worse.
North Queensland showed plenty across the ditch last week, but the Bulldogs and their game plan almost got them an upset against a quality team. I think the Dogs get the win, even though Jason Taumalolo is a chance to play.
Both Souths and Penrith have been pretty unconvincing in the last few weeks, but Souths keep winning and Penrith keep losing. That trend will continue.
The Titans have found some fun in their game lately and it’s going to be a challenge for the Tigers to keep them in hand at Tamworth, Australia’s home of country music.
(Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
The Broncos will beat the Sharks in Brisbane, but it won’t be a classic.
My beautiful Raiders face their toughest game in a month against Manly, who have fought hard after a bad first fortnight. These two usually have close games and the green machine will get it.
Finally, the Eels should take care of Newcastle, but don’t let that stop the party, Knights!
Tips: Roosters, Storm, Bulldogs, Rabbitohs, Tigers, Sharks, Raiders, Eels
A shocking week for me tipping wise over Easter. The less said about it, the better. Like my Wests Tigers, I’m hoping for redemption this week.
The Roosters were impressive at AAMI Park holding off a rampaging Storm and adding some Latrell magic in Golden Point. The Dragons were lucky to get away with a win over Manly after the refs missed the escort in the dying moments. Easts to win on Anzac Day.
The Storm had a tough task at home last week but will come up against a much easier opponent on Thursday night. Storm by plenty over the Warriors.
(AAP Image/Daniel Pockett)
The Bulldogs and Cowboys game looks an even money bet with neither team setting the competition on fire. Bulldogs in Sydney.
The Rabbitohs are settling into a groove under Wayne Bennett, while the Panthers have been disappointing. More change at the foot of the mountains with Gus leaving the throne. Not sure whether it will effect Penrith’s on-field performance, but Souths should be too good in this one anyway.
Wests Tigers will be hoping the clear crisp country air of Scully Park in Tamworth can wipe away the memories of an abysmal performance against the Eels last Monday. The Titans are improving but I have a feeling Madge will have the Tigers primed this week and they will be strumming golden guitars at full time.
The Broncos are back home this week but gee they have been disappointing. They will click into gear at some point but I am tipping the Sharks on the back of their comeback against Penrith last week.
The Raiders have gone to a new level in 2019 and many pundits are saying it’s because they have ditched the big guys. They won’t have it all their own way at a Brookie and I wouldn’t be surprised if Manly got up, but I’m sticking with the Raiders.
The Eels were red hot at the opening of their new stadium admittedly against below par opposition. The Knights and Nathan Brown are in big trouble for yet another season. Parra to win big.
Tips: Dragons, Storm, Cowboys, Rabbitohs, Tigers, Sharks, Raiders, Eels
Anzac Day. It’s about so much more than the footy. So, so much more, as we pay our respects to our soldiers.
Once the footy does get underway, the rivalry, the emotion, and the crowd all go up a gear, creating two unbelievable atmospheres, although, one being at the SCG might diminish that slightly this year.
The Roosters head into the first of those games in pole position to record another win, but Luke Keary joins a host of stars on the sideline. The Dragons are improving – albeit slowly – and finding ways to get it done. They have risen to the occasion the last couple of years, and I have a sneaking suspicion the Red V will make it five wins on the trot.
The other Anzac Day game, unfortunately, looks a bit one-sided. Melbourne are in strong form, the Warriors not so, and it’s in Australia. So Melbourne. By many, many points.
The other games which really have me interested this weekend are the Broncos and Sharks, and Knights up against the Eels.
Anthony Seibold’s side are just desperate for a victory. They are now five and one, and another loss right now would just about do it realistically for their chances of making the finals, even at this early point of the season. Maths might save them, but winning 11, maybe 12, of your last 17 would be a huge ask. It’s already a tough ask for the out of form side.
Cronulla haven’t been great either, however, if their forwards play to potential, I tend to think they will dominate possession and territory, which will give them more than enough ways to score points against a fragile defensive line.
The final game of the round takes us to the Hunter, with the Knights in a similar, yet maybe not quite as dire position as Brisbane. Parramatta are on the back of a 51-6 win at the opening of Bankwest Stadium, and while there might be a letdown, it’s hard to tip the men from the Hunter at the moment.
The Tigers and Titans is another game which could go either way. I’m going to take the Tigers to bounce back, but the Gold Coast have started to play decent footy.
The other three games, for mine, should be fairly straightforward to tip. The Cowboys looked better last week and should beat an ordinary Bulldogs outfit, while the struggling Panthers will be thumped by South Sydney.
(Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
Be sure to get your tips in on the form below by 3:30pm (AEDT) on Thursday, and we will have the results in the table and comments section below.
| Round 7 | AJ | Stuart | The Barry | Scott | The Crowd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROO v DRA | ROO | ROO | DRA | DRA | ROO |
| STO v WAR | STO | STO | STO | STO | STO |
| BUL v COW | BUL | BUL | BUL | COW | BUL |
| PAN v RAB | RAB | RAB | RAB | RAB | RAB |
| TIG v TIT | TIT | TIG | TIG | TIG | TIG |
| BRO v SHA | BRO | SHA | SHA | SHA | BRO |
| SEA v RAI | RAI | RAI | RAI | RAI | RAI |
| KNI v EEL | EEL | EEL | EEL | EEL | EEL |
| Last week | 5 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Total | 30 | 29 | 32 | 30 | 31 |
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