Who would have thought the Dolphins would be table-toppers after a month in the NRL 2024? And that Wests Tigers would have bagged two wins already? This season has certainly been a rollercoaster, and there’s plenty more to come this weekend. We break down every match in round five, using odds from the best betting sites to outline our betting tips and predictions.
NRL 2024 Round 5
Melbourne Storm vs Brisbane Broncos
This season is making a habit of beginning each round with a doozy of a game, and this Thursday is no different. The Broncos head to Melbourne to take on the Storm, in a clash between two of the big top four contenders in 2024.
What makes this match even better is the head-to-head between these two sides. Between March 2016 and August 2023, the Storm won 14 straight against Brisbane, well and truly having the Bronco’s number. That is, until last year, when the Broncos broke their hoodoo in stunning style, thumping Melbourne 26-0.
Will we see this fixture revert to the norm, or a new trend emerge? It ain’t easy to pick, but given how skewed the odds are here, and both sides’ most recent performances, we’re inclined to pick Brisbane for an upset here.
| Bookmaker | Bren’s Tip | Odds |
 | Broncos to win | $2.75 |
 | Broncos +6.5 | $1.85 |
 | Broncos 1-12 | $4.00 |
Official Squads
Storm: 1. Ryan Papenhuyzen 2. Will Warbrick 3. Reimis Smith 4. Nick Meaney 5. Xavier Coates 6. Cameron Munster 7. Jahrome Hughes 8. Tui Kamikamica 9. Harry Grant 10. Josh King 11. Shawn Blore 12. Eli Katoa 13. Trent Loiero 14. Tyran Wishart 15. Christian Welch 16. Tepai Moeroa 17. Alec MacDonald
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. Benjamin Te Kura 16. Kobe Hetherington 17. Corey Oates
Canterbury Bulldogs vs Sydney Roosters
Surprisingly, both of these teams come into their round five clash in pretty good form. Despite both having lost in round four, they went down valiantly, with Sydney losing by one score to the Panthers, and the Bulldogs getting edged out by the Rabbitohs. Prior to that, each had impressive wins over the Rabbitohs and Titans respectively.
There’s a temptation to pick the Bulldogs here to continue their handy start to 2024. Playing at home they’ll be a tough beat, but we just can’t quite find it in us to pick them. Expect Sydney to win this one, with the scoreboard blowing out late after a strong showing from Canterbury initially.
| Bookmaker | Bren’s Tip | Odds |
| Roosters to win | $1.26 |
| Roosters -10.5 | $1.95 |
| Roosters 13+ | $2.00 |
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. Samuel Hughes 11. Villiame Kikau 12. Josh Curran 13. Jaeman Salmon 14. Kurt Mann 15. Harrison Edwards 16. Liam Knight 17. Kitione Kautoga
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. Lindsay Collins 11. Nat Butcher 12. Angus Crichton 13. Victor Radley 14. Connor Watson 15. Naufahu Whyte 16. Sitili Tupouniua 17. Terrell May
Newcastle Knights vs St. George-Illawarra Dragons
Friday night serves up another brilliant match, as the Knights host the Dragons in Newcastle. The Dragons are 2-2 so far this season, having most recently upset the Sea Eagles in round four. Newcastle, on the other hand, have managed just the one win, despite running it close against both the Warriors and Cowboys.
While there’s a real argument for St. George-Illawarra winning this one, as they’ve been playing great footie at times in 2024, we say backing the Knights is your best bet. They have been solid the past three weeks despite only getting one win, and are always a tough beat at home. Expect them to win what could be a back-and-forth affair in round five.
| Bookmaker | Bren’s Tip | Odds |
| Knights to win | $1.42 |
| Over 37.5 points | $1.87 |
| Knights 1-12 | $3.00 |
Official Squads
Knights: 1. Kalyn Ponga 2. Tom Jenkins 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. Tyson Frizell 12. Kai Pearce-Paul 13. Adam Elliott 14. Phoenix Crossland 15. Daniel Saifiti 16. Jack Hetherington 17. Mat Croker
Dragons: 1. Tyrell Sloan 2. Zac Lomax 3. Mosese Suli 4. Jack Bird 5. Mikaele Ravalawa 6. Kyle Flanagan 7. Ben Hunt 8. Francis Molo 9. Jacob Liddle 10. Jack de Belin 11. Luciano Leilua 12. Jaydn Su’A 13. Tom Eisenhuth 14. Jesse Marschke 15. Blake Lawrie 16. Michael Molo 17. Raymond Faitala-Mariner
South Sydney Rabbitohs vs New Zealand Warriors
Bookies are expecting this to be one of the closer matches of the round. We say they’ve got it wrong though. The Rabbitohs have looked poor to date in 2024, eking out their first win just last week against the lowly Bulldogs. New Zealand, after two opening losses, have been building well with back-to-back wins across rounds three and four.
Over the past fortnight, the Warriors have shown flashes of the kind of brilliance that saw them finish fourth last year. This has been mixed in with some fairly average footy as well to be fair, but we believe that this week, they’ll hit their best. Expect the Warriors to fire on all cylinders at Accor Stadium, putting a big score line on what has been a fragile Rabbitoh’s outfit this season.
| Bookmaker | Bren’s Tip | Odds |
| Warriors to win | $1.77 |
| Over 40.5 points | $1.87 |
| Warriors 13+ | $3.60 |
Official Squads
Rabbitohs: 1. Latrell Mitchell 2. Izaac Tu’itupou Thompson 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
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. Marata Niukore 13. Tohu Harris 14. Freddy Lussick 15. Tom Ale 16. Bunty Afoa 17. Jazz Tevaga
Manly Sea Eagles vs Penrith Panthers
Headlining Saturday afternoon in the NRL is a mouth-watering clash between the Sea Eagles and Panthers in Manly. Penrith have been their usual invincible selves this year after an initial blip in the opening round where Melbourne held them scoreless. Manly, on the other hand, will be disappointed to have lost a close one to the Dragons last round—their second loss in a row.
This will be another hotly contested match, but by the way Penrith are playing, it’s hard to see any result here other than a Panthers’ victory. Absent Nathan Cleary they’ve still been dominant, with the likes of Turuva and Edwards stepping up big time. Expect another clinic as they bag their fourth win of the season in Manly.
| Bookmaker | Bren’s Tip | Odds |
| Panthers to win | $1.67 |
| Panthers -2.5 | $1.95 |
| Turuva to score | $2.15 |
Official Squads
Sea Eagles: 1. Tom Trbojevic 2. Tommy Talau 3. Tolutau 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. Toafofoa Sipley 17. Nathan Brown
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. Luke Garner 12. Liam Martin 13. Isaah Yeo 14. Daine Laurie 15. Lindsay Smith 16. Liam Henry 17. Matt Eisenhuth
Redcliffe Dolphins vs Wests Tigers
Who would have thought this would be a top six clash heading into 2024? Both the Dolphins and Tigers have exceeded expectations so far this season, bagging some nice wins across the opening month of the competition. One of them now has an opportunity to extend their advantage with a win on Saturday night.
Wests have been unpredictable this year, and look a different team under Benji Marshall and with Justin Olam firing. They certainly won’t roll over without a fight at Suncorp, but equally, it’s hard to see the Dolphins dropping this one at home. Wayne Bennett had them operating as a well-oiled machine in the first half of 2023, and we expect it’ll be the same this weekend. Could be close though.
| Bookmaker | Bren’s Tip | Odds |
| Dolphins to win | $1.55 |
| Dolphins +4.5 | $1.85 |
| Dolphins 1-12 | $3.25 |
Official Squads
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. Ray Stone 14. Josh Kerr 15. Kurt Donoghoe 16. Mark Nicholls 17. Kenneth Bromwich
Tigers: 1. Jahream Bula 2. Charlie Staines 3. Solomona Faataape 4. Justin Olam 5. Junior Tupou 6. Jayden Sullivan 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 Seyfarth 16. Alex Twal 17. Samuela Fainu
North Queensland Cowboys vs Gold Coast Titans
To date, the NRL 2024 has been one of the most competitive seasons in memory. With the exception of one team, that is—the Gold Coast Titans. It’s rare that you see outright winner odds of 6.00+ on betting apps, and yet that’s exactly what the Titans are staring down the barrel of on Sunday afternoon.
For eight games in a row now, the Titans have leaked 28 points or more. Up against a Cowboy’s outfit that won their first three matches of the season and will be seeking retribution for a humbling loss against the Broncos last weekend, this could get ugly. The winner of this one doesn’t feel like it’s in question, it’s more a matter of how much North Queensland will prevail by.
| Bookmaker | Bren’s Tips | Odds |
| Cowboys -16.5 | $1.90 |
| Over 47.5 | $1.87 |
| Cowboys 13+ | $1.62 |
Official Squads
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
Titans: 1. Jayden Campbell 2. Harley Smith-Shields 3. Brian Kelly 4. AJ Brimson 5. Jojo Fifita 6. Kieran Foran 7. Tanah Boyd 8. Moeaki Fotuaika 9. Chris Randall 10. Jaimin Jolliffe 11. Klese Haas 12. Beau Fermor 13. Erin Clark 14. Sam Verrills 15. David Fifita 16. Joe Stimson 17. Josiah Pahulu
Canberra Raiders vs Parramatta Eels
Wrapping up the weekend is a clash between the Raiders and Eels in Canberra. Both teams will be desperate to make amends for round four, where the Raiders blew an 18-0 lead and the Eels missed a penalty on full-time to lose by one point.
This is a tough one to call. Canberra have looked decent in flashes this year, but also very bad at times. On the most part the Eels have been solid, putting up a fight in each of their two losses so far in 2024. While Canberra have home ground advantage, we actually think Parramatta might sneak across the line here in a low-scoring arm wrestle.
| Bookmaker | Bren’s Tips | Odds |
| Eels to win | $2.05 |
| Under 43.5 | $1.87 |
| Eels 1-12 | $3.40 |
Official Squads
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. Ata Mariota 13. Morgan Smithies 14. Tom Starling 15. Corey Horsburgh 16. Simi Sasagi 17. Pasami Saulo
Eels: 1. Clint Gutherson 2. Maika Sivo 3. Will Penisini 4. Bailey Simonsson 5. Sean Russell 6. Blaize Talagi 7. Dylan Brown 8. Reagan Campbell-Gillard 9. Joey Lussick 10. Junior Paulo 11. Shaun Lane 12. Ryan Matterson 13. J’maine Hopgood 14. Luca Moretti 15. Wiremu Greig 16. Joe Ofahengaue 17. Kelma Tuilagi
