Round 9 is in the books and what an eventful round it was! The Tigers got their first win of the season, against the Panthers of all opposition, while Jack Wighton rallied the troops after a tough week to edge the Dolphins in golden point. Now onto Magic Round, one of the most exciting weeks in the calendar. Stay tuned to find value across all 8 NRL games this week.
NRL 2023 Round 10
Bulldogs vs Raiders
Starting off a weekend full of footy at Suncorp Stadium, we have the Bulldogs facing off against the Raiders. Both sides showed real guts to get wins last week, with the Bulldogs defeating the Dragons thanks to an outstanding performance from Braidon Burns who was practically playing on one leg for the whole game. The Raiders had a tough week with the announcement of Jack Wighton’s departure, but despite the talk, he scored a try and led his team to a tough fought victory.
The Bulldogs are already very depleted but lost Max King midweek last week and have now likely lost Braidon Burns. While they are proving to be tough while undermanned, the Raiders are quickly finding form, picking up 3 wins on the trot and I see Friday Night being another Raiders win.
| Bookmaker | Daniel’s Tip | Odds |
 | Raiders to win | $1.66 |
 | Raiders -3.5 | $1.77 |
 | Canberra Raiders 1-12 | $3.10 |
Predicted Squads
Bulldogs: 1. Hayze Perham 2. Declan Casey 3. Jake Averillo 4. Paul Alamoti 5. Jayden Okunbor 6. Josh Reynolds 7. Matt Burton 8. Ryan Sutton 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Tevita Pangai Junior 11. Corey Wadell 12. Jacob Preston 13. Raymond Faitala-Mariner 14. Kurtis Morrin 15. Karl Oloapu 16. Samuel Hughes 17. Harrison Edwards
Raiders: 1. Sebastian Kris 2. Albert Hopoate 3. Jared Croker 4. Matthew Timoko 5. Jordan Rapana 6. Jack Wighton 7. Jamal Fogarty 8. Josh Papalii 9. Zac Woolford 10. Joseph Tapine 11. Hudson Young 12. Elliott Whitehead 13. Corey Horsburgh 14. Tom Starling 15. Emre Guler 16. Pasami Saulo 17. Corey Harawira-Naera
Sea Eagles vs Brisbane
In our second game on Friday, we have the Sea Eagles playing the Broncos. While this may be a home fixture on the schedule for Manly, it is anything but, being played at a packed Suncorp Stadium. This fixture is a staple of Magic Round and this year should be the best installment so far with Brisbane back at their absolute best. Last year the Broncos ambushed Manly 38-0 as underdogs and will be looking for a similar performance this year, although as favourites.
The Broncos were taken care of easily by the Rabbitohs last week, however, this week they have key men Payne Haas and Ezra Mam returning. Manly had a disappointing performance, losing by 16 point to the Gold Coast but should be welcoming Tom Trbojevic back into the side, but the million-dollar question is how fit is he? Tom hasn’t looked in peak condition recently and if he isn’t, I expect Brisbane to win this one comfortably.
| Bookmaker | Daniel’s Tip | Odds |
| Halftime/Fulltime Double – Broncos/Broncos | $1.90 |
| Broncos to win | $1.36 |
| Broncos -7.5 | $1.72 |
Predicted Squads
Sea Eagles: 1. Tom Trbojevic 2. Jason Saab 3. Brad Parker 4. Morgan Harper 5. Reuben Garrick 6. Cooper Johns 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Taniela Paseka 9. Lachlan Croker 10. Jake Trbojevic 11. Haumole Olakau’atu 12. Kelma Tuilagi 13. Josh Aloiai 14. Toafofoa Sipley 15. Ethan Bullemor 16. Sean Keppie 17. Karl Lawton
Broncos: 1. Reece Walsh 2. Jesse Arthars 3. Kotoni Staggs 4. Herbie Farnworth 5. Selwyn Cobbo 6. Ezra Mam 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Thomas Flegler 9. Billy Walters 10. Payne Haas 11. Kurt Capewell 12. Jordan Riki 13. Patrick Carrigan 14. Cory Paix 15. Corey Jenses 16. Kobe Hetherington 17. Martin Taupau
Warriors vs Panthers
Kicking off our Super Saturday we have the Warriors playing the Panthers. Both sides are coming off tough results in monsoonal conditions, with the Warriors failing to score in a defense-dominant game, losing 14-0 to the Roosters. The Panthers couldn’t get their expansive footy going in the rain and lost to the Tigers 12-8 in what was an upset for the ages.
The Warriors will be without their fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad for a second straight game as this game falls within the 11-day period since his head knock on Anzac Day, a big loss for them. Nathan Cleary played last week but still is battling a groin injury and did not kick goals. Both these sides are built on the back of their tough defense, and while I think the Panthers should be too good for the Warriors here, I do like the unders.
| Bookmaker | Daniel’s Tip | Odds |
| Warriors to score 3+ tries - No | $1.98 |
| Panthers to win | $1.30 |
| Panthers -10.5 | $1.91 |
Predicted Squads
Warriors: 1. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 2. Marcelo Montoya 3. Viliame Vailea Montoya 4. Adam Pompey 5. Edward Kosi 6. Ronald Volkman 7. Shaun Johnson 8. Addin Fonua-Blake 9. Wayde Egan 10. Bunty Afoa 11. Jackson Ford 12. Marata Niukore 13. Josh Curran 14. Freddy Lussick 15. Bailey Sironen 16. Tom Ale 17. Demitric Sifakula
Panthers: 1. Dylan Edwards 2. Sunia Turuva 3. Tyrone Peachey 4. Stephen Crichton 5. Brian To'o 6. Jarome Luai 7. Nathan Cleary 8. Moses Leota 9. Mitch Kenny 10. Matthew Eisenhuth 11. Scott Sorensen 12. Zac Hosking 13. Isaah Yeo 14. Soni Luke 15. Linday Smith 16. Spencer Leniu 17. Jaeman Salmon
Sharks vs Dolphins
Following on, our next game sees the Sharks face the Dolphins. The Sharks have really hit their stride and were absolutely dominant last week, thrashing the Cowboys 44-6, looking almost perfect in both attack and defense. The Dolphins may have fallen short, but they almost pulled of another remarkable comeback, coming back from 18-0 down, to lose in golden point.
While on paper the Sharks do look the far better side here, the Dolphins should be up for this one. I expect the Dolphins to lift after suffering an agonizing defeat, playing in front of a home crowd and not to mention it’s Bennett’s 900th game! This one should be closer than many expect and could be another points fest as both teams are looking unbelievable in attack.
| Bookmaker | Daniel’s Tip | Odds |
| Dolphins to score 3+ tries - Yes | $1.63 |
| Dolphins +8.5 | $1.87 |
| Sharks 1-12 | $3.10 |
Predicted Squads
Sharks: 1. Will Kennedy 2. Sione Katoa 3. Jesse Ramien 4. Siosifa Talakai 5. Ronaldo Mulitalo 6. Matt Moylan 7. Nicho Hynes 8. Oregon Kaufusi 9. Blayke Brailey 10. Braden Hamlin-Uele 11. Briton Nikora 12. Teig Wilton 13. Dale Finucane 14. Wade Graham, 15. Jack Williams 16. Royce Hunt 17. Cameron Mcinnes
Dolphins: 1. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow 2. Jamayne Isaako 3. Euan Aitken 4. Brenko Lee 5. Tesi Niu 6. Kodi Nikorima 7. Isaiya Katoa 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Jeremy Marhsall-King 10. Kenny Bromwich 11. Felise Kaufusi 12. Connelly Lemuelu 13. Tom Gilbert 14. Jarrod Wallace 15. Mark Nicholls 16. Ray Stone 17. Herman Ese’ese
Storm vs Rabbitohs
Saturday Night brings us the game of the round as the Storm face off against the Rabbitohs. The Rabbitohs are coming off an incredibly impressive victory against the first place Broncos, beating them comfortably in their own back yard. The Storm are in good form and come in well rested, having the bye last week.
Teams coming off the bye this year are 6-2, showing just how valuable a week of rest can be for sides. While the Rabbitohs are the form side of the comp, beating the Panthers recently and now on an impressive 4 game win streak, the Storm have the blueprint to beat them as they did away in Round 5. I think Bellamy will evoke a strong reaction from his side and while I expect this to be an extremely close one, I give a slight edge to Melbourne.
| Bookmaker | Daniel’s Tip | Odds |
| Either team by 6 or less | $2.65 |
| Storm to win | $1.87 |
| Either team to win by 1-12 | $1.65 |
Predicted Squads
Rabbitohs: 1. Latrell Mitchell 2. Alex Johnston 3. Isaiah Tass 4. Campbell Graham 5. Taane Milne 6. Cody Walker 7. Lachlan Ilias 8. Tevita Tatola 9. Damien Cook 10. Jai Arrow 11. Michael Chee Kam12. Jacob Host 13. Cameron Murray 14. Jed Cartwright 15. Davvy Moale 16. Hame Sele 17. Thomas Burgess
Storm: 1. Nick Meaney 2. Will Warbrick 3. Reimis Smith 4. Justin Olam 5. Xavier Coates 6. Cameron Munster 7. Jahrome Hughes 8. Nelson Asofa-Solomona 9. Harry Grant 10. Christian Welch 11. Trent Loiero 12. Tariq Sims 13. Josh King 14. Bronson Garlick 15. Alec MacDonald 16. Tom Eisenhuth 17. Tyran Wishart
Tigers vs Dragons
Our early Sunday game sees the Tigers face off against the Dragons. The Tigers will be on an absolute high after last week’s performance. They proved all the doubters wrong and put in a gutsy 80-minute performance against the back-to-back Premiers, focusing on completion and good defense. The Dragons are under enormous pressure, once again losing a close game, sliding down to 15th on the ladder.
While the Dragons have clearly not been fantastic, only winning 2 of 8 games, they have shown glimpses of a solid footy side in recent weeks, losing their last 4 games by only a combined 11 points! The Dragons will no doubt be looking at this fixture thinking this is a must win game against poorer opposition. I think the Dragons are the better and now the more desperate side here and should get it done.
| Bookmaker | Daniel’s Tip | Odds |
| Halftime/Fulltime Double – Dragons/Dragons | $2.35 |
| Dragons to win | $1.63 |
| Dragons -1.5 | $1.75 |
Predicted Squads
Tigers: 1. Jahream Bula 2. David Nofoaluma 3. Starford To’a 4. Brent Naden 5. Junior Tupou 6. Brandon Wakeham 7. Luke Brooks 8. Stefano Utoikamano 9. Api Koroisau 10. David Klemmer 11. Isaiah Papali’i 12. John Bateman 13. Fonua Pole 14. Jake Simpkin 15. Joe Ofahengaue 16. Alex Twal 17. Tommy Talau
Dragons: 1. Tyrell Sloan 2. Mathew Feagai 3. Moses Suli 4. Zac Lomax 5. Max Feagai 6. Talatau Amone 7. Ben Hunt 8. Michael Molo 9. Moses Mbye 10. Blake Lawrie 11. Ben Murdoch-Masila 12. Jack Bird 13. Jack de Belin 14. Jacob Liddle 15. Toby Couchman 16. Jaiyden Hunt 17. Josh Kerr
Roosters vs Cowboys
Our second Sunday game sees the Roosters playing the Cowboys. The Roosters have gone about their business quietly in the last few weeks, sneaking up to 5th position, while the Cowboys have gone from bad to worse, sitting in an abysmal 15th spot. Historically the Roosters have had the upper hand in this fixture, winning the last 5 games, with the Cowboys last win over the Roosters coming in 2019.
The Roosters are starting to look like a serious side, and it will be interesting to see whether they continue with their experiment of Joey Manu at 6 over Sam Walker. On the other hand, the Cowboys have lost another key man in Nanai to suspension for a hip drop tackle. Sadly, this Cowboys team isn’t the same team they were last year, and I think the Roosters are going to expose their poor defense.
| Bookmaker | Daniel’s Tip | Odds |
| Roosters -5.5 first half | $1.72 |
| Roosters -11.5 | $1.82 |
| Halftime/Fulltime Double – Roosters/Roosters | $1.57 |
Predicted Squads
Roosters: 1. James Tedesco 2. Corey Allan 3. Joseph Suaalii 4. Paul Momirovski 5. Jaxson Paulo 6. Joseph Manu 7. Luke Keary 8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 9. Brandon Smith 10. Lindsay Collins 11. Egan Butcher 12. Nat Butcher 13. Victor Radley 14. Drew Hutchison 15. Angus Crichton 16. Sitili Tupouniua 17. Matt Lodge
Cowboys: 1. Scott Drinkwater 2. Kyle Feldt 3. Valentine Holmes 4. Peta Hiku 5. Murray Taulagi 6. Tom Dearden 7. Chad Townsend 8. Jordan Mclean 9. Reece Robson 10. Coen Hess 11. Jack Gosiewski 12. Heilum Luki 13. Reuben Cotter 14. Jake Granville 15. Tom Chester 16. Jamayne Taunoa-Brown 17. Mitchell Dunn
Titans vs Eels
Ending off Magic round we have the Titans facing off against the Eels. Both sides are coming off big wins, with the Titans upsetting the Sea Eagles 26-10 on the back of a great David Fifita performance, while the Eels put on a masterclass against the Knights. The Eels looked unstoppable last week thanks to Mitchell Moses, Clint Gutherson and Dylan Brown all having enormous games, combining for 5 tries and 2 try assists.
The last 2 times these sides have faced, it has been decided by 6 points or less and I think we are in for another close one. The Titans are playing in front of a home crowd and are finally looking like a structured footy side. Their forward pack is shining through with Fotuaika, Tino and Fifita all running for 160m+ per game on average, while young gun Khan-Pereira is in fine try scoring form, scoring 9 tries already. While I do think that Paramatta are the better outfit here, I wouldn’t put it past the Titans to pull off another upset.
| Bookmaker | Daniel’s Tip | Odds |
| Either team by 6 or less | $3.00 |
| Titans +6.5 | $1.93 |
| Either team by 1-12 | $1.90 |
Predicted Squads
Titans: 1. Jayden Campbell 2. Alofiano Khan-Pereira 3. Brian Kelly 4. Jojo Fifita 5. Phillip Sami 6. Kieran Foran 7. Tanah Boyd 8. Moeaki Fotuaika 9. Chris Randall 10. Tino Fa’asuamaleaui 11. David Fifita 12. Joe Stimson 13. Isaac Liu 14. Kruise Leeming 15. Erin Clark 16. Klese Haas 17. Joe Vun
Eels: 1. Clint Gutherson 2. Maika Sivo 3. Will Penisini 4. Sean Russell 5. Haze Dunster 6. Dylan Brown 7. Mitchell Moses 8. Wiremu Grieg 9. Josh Hodgson 10. Junior Paulo 11. Shaun Lane 12. Ryan Matterson 13. J’maine Hopgood 14. Bryce Cartwright 15. Brendan Hands 16. Matt Doorey 17. Makahesi Makatoa
