It’s almost been a month since the 2024 NRL kicked off, and the action has been non-stop. This weekend will be no different, as huge names face off and teams jostle for position on the table in round four. Can the Rabbitohs get a win? Will the Panthers survive without Nathan Cleary? Here are our predictions for each game in round four of the NRL 2024, based on the latest odds from the best betting apps.
NRL 2024 Round 4
Sydney Roosters vs Penrith Panthers
Round four begins with yet another brilliant clash between two genuine title contenders in 2024. The Penrith Panthers head to Allianz Stadium to take on the Sydney Roosters in a top of the table clash. Both teams come into the match in good form, with the Panthers thrashing Brisbane 34-12 and Sydney winning 48-6 against the Rabbitohs.
Usually, this one would be a cake walk for Penrith. But they’re without star scrum half Nathan Cleary, and the Roosters have been playing some very good football recently. However, we say this just serves to pump up the pay out for a Panthers victory. Absent Cleary, Penrith are still an excellent team and have won eight on the trot against the Roosters. We suggest backing the visitors to take a close one in Sydney.
| Bookmaker | Bren’s Tip | Odds |
 | Panthers to win | $2.50 |
 | Under 40.5 | $1.80 |
 | Panthers 1-12 | $3.60 |
Official Squads
Roosters: 1. James Tedesco 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Joseph Suaalii 4. Joey Manu 5. Dom Young 6. Luke Keary 7. Sam Walker 8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 9. Brandon Smith 10. Terrell May 11. Nat Butcher 12. Sitili Tupouniua 13. Victor Radley 14. Connor Watson 15. Naufahu Whyte 16. Egan Butcher 17. Angus Crichton.
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. Lindsay Smith 11. Luke Garner 12. Liam Martin 13. Isaah Yeo 14. Daine Laurie 15. Matt Eisenhuth 16. Liam Henry 17. Mavrik Geyer.
South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Canterbury Bulldogs
While round four opens with a top of the table clash, this match is at the other end of the spectrum. The Rabbitohs are winless in 2024, having looked atrocious across their opening three matches. The Bulldogs haven’t been too flash either, though a handy 32-0 win over the Titans last weekend will have buoyed them.
This is one of the toughest games of the round to pick, simply because betting on South Sydney seems like an outrageous prospect at the moment. They’ve been error-riddled and disjointed so far this season, most recently going down heavily to the Roosters. However, Bulldogs’ wins are few and far between, particularly on the road.
With this one being so close, we suggest betting on the best return: a Bulldogs victory. Given the effort they put in against the Titans last week, it could even be worth taking them 13+ for a very generous return.
| Bookmaker | Bren’s Tips | Odds |
| Bulldogs to win | $2.65 |
| Bulldogs +6.5 | $1.95 |
| Bulldogs 13+ | $7.00 |
Official Squads
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. Tom Burgess 11. Keaon Koloamatangi 12. Jacob Host 13. Cam Murray 14. Michael Chee Kam 15. Tallis Duncan 16. Sean Keppie 17. Davvy Moale.
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.
Brisbane Broncos vs North Queensland Cowboys
The great match ups just keep coming in round four, with the Brisbane Broncos taking on the North Queensland Cowboys in Friday night’s double header. After three matches, the Cowboys are the only undefeated team in the NRL—and no doubt, they’ll be looking to keep it that way.
While Brisbane are without fullback Reece Walsh, they do receive good news with Adam Reynolds returning from injury much earlier than many expected. The half will be crucial for the Broncos, given how badly they slumped to defeat without him last week. Expect a Broncos bounce back here in a hard-fought match, with Brisbane robbing the Cowboys of their unbeaten tag at Suncorp.
| Bookmaker | Bren’s Tips | Odds |
| Under 42.5 | $1.95 |
| Broncos to win | $1.90 |
| Broncos 1-12 | $3.25 |
Official Squads
Broncos: 1. Tristan Sailor 2. Jesse Arthars 3. Kotoni Staggs 4. Selwyn Cobbo 5. Deine Mariner 6. Ezra Mam 7. Adam Reynolds 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. Corey Oates.
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.
St. George-Illawarra Dragons vs Manly Sea Eagles
It may not be a heavyweight clash, but the first match on Saturday is a fascinating encounter. Anyone that has followed the NRL for a minute will know that the Dragons are perennial wooden spooners, or thereabouts. This year, while it began with a victory, has already seen two heavy losses.
The Sea Eagles, meanwhile, are a decent side. They’re 2-1 on the season so far, losing a tight match against the Eels last weekend to suffer their first loss of 2024. And yet, surprisingly, St. George-Illawarra have had the wood over them in recent years. Since 2017, the Dragons have actually won seven of the 10 matches these two sides have played.
Could an upset be on the cards? It’s by no means a sure thing, but if you were to pick one this round, we’d say this is the match to take a punt.
| Bookmaker | Bren’s Tip | Odds |
| Dragons to win | $3.20 |
| Manly -8.5 | $1.90 |
| Dragons 1-12 | $4.50 |
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. Francis Molo 9. Jacob Liddle 10. Blake Lawrie 11. Luciano Leilua 12. Jaydn Su’A 13. Tom Eisenhuth 14. Jesse Marschke 15. Jack de Belin 16. Hame Sele 17. Raymond Faitala-Mariner
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.
Gold Coast Titans vs Redcliffe Dolphins
Few sides have looked worse than the Gold Coast Titans this season. Considering the start they’ve had—games against the Dragons and Bulldogs—the Titans should be sitting top of the table right now. Instead, they’re winless, having only scored one try, and conceding 60 points in two matches.
That said, they host the mercurial Dolphins on Saturday night. It’s the perfect opportunity to right the ship, particularly with Jayden Campbell and David Fifita returning as well for the Gold Coast. We haven’t seen enough of the Dolphins yet to have any confidence in their execution, so take the Titans here in what could be quite a scrappy match.
| Bookmaker | Bren’s Tip | Odds |
| Titans to win | $2.15 |
| Under 45.5 | $1.95 |
| Tabuai-Fidow to score | $2.20 |
Official Squads
Titans: 1. Jayden Campbell 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. Keenan Palasia 11. Klese Haas 12. Beau Fermor 13. Jaimin Jolliffe 14. Sam Verrills 15. Isaac Liu 16. Erin Clark 17. Joe Stimson.
Dolphins: 1. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow 2. Jamayne Isaako 3. Jake Averillo 4. Herbie Farnworth 5. Jack Bostock 6. Kodi Nikorima 7. Isaiya Katoa 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Jeremy Marshall-King 10. Tom Flegler 11. Felise Kaufusi 12. Euan Aitken 13. Max Plath 14. Josh Kerr 15. Kurt Donoghoe 16. Mark Nicholls 17. Ray Stone.
New Zealand Warriors vs Newcastle Knights
The Warriors got their campaign on track with an ugly win over the Raiders last weekend, following an underwhelming start to the season. Newcastle also picked up a win, surprising the Storm after losing their opening two matches as well.
Now, the two go head-to-head at Mount Smart Stadium in what is a rematch of last year’s semi-final. New Zealand won that comprehensively, putting up a 40-10 score to end the Knight’s unbeaten run of 10 matches. This weekend we say they’ll also come away victorious, but we aren’t quite so confident it will be by such a heavy margin.
The Warriors could well come right and put a big one on Newcastle. However, they haven’t shown enough so far this season for that to be a guarantee. Take them outright in a low-scoring affair to be safe.
| Bookmaker | Bren’s Tip | Odds |
| Warriors to win | $1.42 |
| Warriors -7.5 | $1.85 |
| Under 41.5 | $1.93 |
Official Squads
Warriors: 1. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 2. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 3. Rocco Berry 4. Adam Pompey 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. Marata Niukore 16. Bunty Afoa 17. Dylan Walker.
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. Daniel Saifiti 11. Tyson Frizell 12. Kai Pearce-Paul 13. Adam Elliott 14. Jayden Brailey 15. Mat Croker 16. Jack Hetherington 17. Brodie Jones.
Cronulla Sharks vs Canberra Raiders
Both the Sharks and Raiders come into this round four match off the back of their first losses of the season. The nature of these losses, however, was very different. For Canberra, they travelled to New Zealand and lost a tight one against an improved Warriors side. For Cronulla, they faced leading wooden spoon candidates Wests Tigers, and were thrashed 32-6.
Combine Cronulla’s shocking performance last weekend with their mounting injury toll in the forwards, and things aren’t looking good. Add in the fact that the Sharks have only won one of the last 10 matches between these two sides and this match looks like a no-brainer. The bookies have other ideas, favouring the home side, but don’t be swayed—backing the Raiders here is your best bet.
| Bookmaker | Bren’s Tip | Odds |
| Raiders to win | $2.45 |
| Raiders +4.5 | $1.85 |
| Raiders 13+ | $6.50 |
Official Squads
Sharks: 1. Will Kennedy 2. Sione Katoa 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. Siosifa Talakai 12. Teig Wilton 13. Cam McInnes 14. Daniel Atkinson 15. Jack Williams 16. Billy Burns 17. Tukupa-Ke Hau Tapuha.
Raiders: 1. Jordan Rapana 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. Elliott Whitehead 13. Morgan Smithies 14. Tom Starling 15. Ata Mariota 16. Zac Hosking 17. Pasami Saulo.
Parramatta Eels vs Wests Tigers
Rounding out round four, Monday night football sees the Eels host Wests Tigers in Parramatta. The Eels have been solid in 2024 so far, with their only loss a hard-fought away game against Penrith. While they’ll miss Mitchell Moses who is still out with an injury, Blaize Talagi looks to be a capable replacement.
For the Tigers, the big question is whether last weekend—a shock 32-6 victory over the Sharks—was a flash in the pan, or a sign of things to come. Unfortunately, we’ve seen such flashes all too often from the Tigers over the years, and rarely do they lead to anything of substance. The smartest bet is to expect a return to the norm here, with Wests slipping to a 10th loss in 11 games against Parramatta.
The only consolation is that Wests have actually made this fixture competitive over recent years. The past three games have been decided by eight or less, so the Tigers could cover the handicap.
| Bookmaker | Bren’s Tip | Odds |
| Eels to win | $1.47 |
| Tigers +6.5 | $1.90 |
| Eels 1-12 | $3.40 |
Official Squads
Eels: 1. Clint Gutherson 2. Maika Sivo 3. Will Penisini 4. Morgan Harper 5. Sean Russell 6. Blaize Talagi 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. Kelma Tuilagi.
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. Asu Kepaoa 17. Samuela Fainu.
