Round 24 is done and dusted and what a round it was! The Sharks bounced back, beating the Titans on Tino’s return while the Storm thrashed the Raiders and the Knights beat the Bulldogs with ease. Now onto round 25, filled with exciting matchups! Stay tuned as we help you find value across all 8 games.
NRL 2023 Round 25
Cowboys vs Sharks
Kicking off the round we have the Cowboys hosting the Sharks. The Sharks are coming off an impressive 30-point victory against the Titans, silencing the doubters, while the Cowboys will be well rested after the bye. This game has massive implications for finals footy with the Sharks sitting in 5th spot just 2 points ahead of the 9th place Cowboys. Both sides are missing marquee players in this one, with the Sharks still without fullback Will Kennedy as well as Dale Finucane and Teig Wilton, while the Cowboys are missing Holmes.
At home I think the Cowboys are the better side here, but my major concern is their goal kicking without Holmes. In Round 23 they lose 30-14, with Townsend kicking just 1 from 4. The goalkicking is a huge advantage to the Sharks and I think it makes this game extremely close. I think this one should be decided by a few points.
| Bookmaker | Daniel’s Tip | Odds |
 | Either team by 6 or less | $2.90 |
 | Sharks +4.5 | $1.87 |
 | Either team to win by 1-12 | $1.80 |
Official Squads
Cowboys: 1. Scott Drinkwater 2. Kyle Feldt 3. Valentine Holmes 4. Peta Hiku 5. Semi Valemei 6. Tom Dearden 7. Chad Townsend 8. Jordan Mclean 9. Reece Robson 10. Jason Taumalolo 11. Luciano Leilua 12. Jeremiah Nanai 13. Reuben Cotter 14. Jake Granville 15. Coen Hess 16. Heilum Luki 17. Griffin Neame
Sharks: 1. Connor Tracey 2. Sione Katoa 3. Jesse Ramien 4. Siosifa Talakai 5. Ronaldo Mulitalo 6. Braydon Trindall 7. Nicho Hynes 8. Toby Rudolf 9. Blayke Brailey 10. Braden Hamlin-Uele 11. Briton Nikora 12. Wade Graham 13. Cameon Mcinnes 14. Jack Williams 15. Royce Hunt 16. Tom Hazelton 17. Matt Moylan
Warriors vs Sea Eagles
Our early Friday Night game sees the Warriors hosting the Sea Eagles. The Warriors are coming off an 8-point win against the Tigers while the Sea Eagles are coming off a 12-point loss to the Panthers. Despite losing last week, the Sea Eagles fought hard all game, even going into halftime level against the back-to-back Premiers. The Warriors on the other hand were quite disappointing, however, they were missing fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad who is so crucial to them in both attack and defense.
The biggest concern for the Sea Eagles is their lack of middle forwards, with no Lodge, Paseka and Aloiai. The Warriors are definitely the better side here with more to play for but with Shaun Johnson carrying a quad injury and the Warriors not looking at their best recently, I think the line is a bit too big here.
| Bookmaker | Daniel’s Tip | Odds |
| Warriors 1-12 | $3.10 |
| Sea Eagles +12.5 | $1.87 |
| Under 45.5 | $1.91 |
Official Squads
Warriors: 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 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. Bunty Afoa 11. Jackson Ford 12. Marata Niukore 13. Tohu Harris 14. Dylan Walker 15. Jazz Tevaga 16. Bayley Sironen 17. Josh Curran
Sea Eagles: 1. Reuben Garrick 2. Jason Saab 3. Tolutau Koula 4. Morgan Harpen 5. Raymond Tuaimalo Vaega 6. Josh Schuster 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Toafofoa Sipley 9. Lachlan Croker 10. Sean Keppie 11. Haumole Olakau’atu 12. Kelma Tuilagi 13. Jake Trbojevic 14. Jake Arthur 15. Dean Matterson 16. Aaron Woods 17. Ethan Bullemor
Eels vs Roosters
Our second game on Friday Night sees the Eels hosting the Roosters. The Eels are coming off an extremely disappointing 44-point loss to the Broncos while the Roosters are coming off an impressive 16-point win at home against the Dolphins. Both sides sit just 2 points outside the top 8, however the Eels point difference makes finals footy a far more real possibility. The big news coming into this one is the injury of Mitchell Moses who is so pivotal to the Eels. However, with Dylan Brown recently back and Gutherson able to take over the goal kicking duty, I think they will cover him better than expected.
The Eels will welcome back Campbell-Gillard and Sivo from suspension who are both big ins for the Eels. The Roosters haven’t beat the Eels at CommBank Stadium and I think taking the home side as an underdog is the play here.
| Bookmaker | Daniel’s Tip | Odds |
| Eels -3.5 First Half | $2.80 |
| Eels +3.5 | $1.87 |
| Eels to win | $2.25 |
Official Squads
Eels: 1. Clint Gutherson 2. Maika Sivo 3. Will Penisini 4. Bailey Simonsson 5. Sean Russell 6. Daejarn Asi 7. Dylan Brown 8. Reagan Campbell-Gillard 9. Joey Lussick 10. Junior Paulo 11. J’maine Hopgood 12. Bryce Cartwright 13. Joe Ofahengaue 14. Luca Moretti 15. Ryan Matterson 16. Wiremu Grieg 17. Brendan Hands
Roosters: 1. Jamed Tedesco 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Billy Smith 4. Joey Manu 5. Joseph Suaalii 6. Luke Keary 7. Drew Hutchison 8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 9. Brandon Smith 10. Lindsay Collins 11. Siua Wong 12. Nat Butcher 13. Victor Radley 14. Sandon Smith 15. Fletcher Baker 16. Terrell May 17. Angus Crichton
Tigers vs Dolphins
Kicking off Super Saturday we have the Tigers hosting the Dolphins. The Tigers are coming off an 8-point loss to the Warriors in New Zealand while the Dolphins are coming off a 16-point loss to the Roosters. The Tigers sit in 17th while the Dolphins sit in 14th, both out of contention for finals footy and playing for pride and roster spots next year. The Tigers now have an awful 10 game losing streak, compared to the Dolphins 4, yet they still come into this game as favourites.
The Tigers have looked much better in recent weeks with Laurie at 6 and Koroisau back starting, losing to the Raiders by 4 and the Warriors by 8 in their last 2 weeks. The Dolphins are a bruised and battered side, likely without Marshall-King, Bromwich, Lemuelu and Tabuai-Fidow, all of which played last week. With the Dolphins ridiculous injury toll, I have to back the Tigers to snap their losing streak.
| Bookmaker | Daniel’s Tip | Odds |
| Halftime/Fulltime – Tigers/Tigers | $2.05 |
| Tigers -4.5 | $1.87 |
| Either team to win by 1-12 | $1.90 |
Official Squads
Tigers: 1. Jahream Bula 2. David Nofoaluma 3. Staford To’a 4. Asu Kepaoa 5. Junior Tupou 6. Daine Laurie 7. Luke Brooks 8. Stefano Utoikamanu 9. Api Koroisau 10. David Klemmer 11. Isaiah Papali’I 12. John Bateman 13. Fonua Pole 14. Jake Simpkin 15. Alex Seyfarth 16. Alex Twal 17. Shawn Blore
Dolphins: 1. Kodi Nikorima 2. Jamayne Isaako 3. Jack Bostock 4. Robert Jennings 5. Tesi Niu 6. Isaiyah Katoa 7. Sean O’Sullivan 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Harrison Graham 10. Herman Ese’ese 11. Felise Kaufusi 12. Euan Aitken 13. Mark Nicholls 14. JJ Collins 15. Josh Kerr 16. Anthony Milford 17. Jarrod Wallace
Titans vs Panthers
Our second game of Super Saturday sees the Titans host the Panthers. The Titans are coming off a poor performance agains the Sharks, losing by 30, while the Panthers are coming off a lackluster performance against the Sea Eagles despite winning. The Panthers showed last week that they are absolute winners, resting Luai and Kenny, playing well below their best and still winning by 12-points. They now have a winning streak of 9 games and the Broncos look like the only team who can compete with them.
I expect the Panthers to name a fully fit side and I think this game will just be a formality for them. The Panthers are looking to get into form for finals footy without the added pressure of needing wins at this point in the season. I think the Panthers win this one comfortably.
| Bookmaker | Daniel’s Tip | Odds |
| Panthers 13+ | $1.50 |
| Panthers -18.5 | $1.87 |
| Panthers to win both halves | $1.53 |
Official Squads
Titans: 1. Keano Kini 2. Alofiano Khan-Pereira 3. Brian Kelly 4. Aaron Schoupp 5. Phillip Sami 6. Jayden Campbell 7. Tom Weaver 8. Moeaki Fotuaika 9. Chris Randall 10. Jaimin Jolliffe 11. David Fifita 12. Klese Haas 13. Tino Fa’asuamaleaui 14. Kruise Leeming 15. Isaac Liu 16. Joe Stimson 17. Jacob Alick
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. James Fisher-Harris 11. Scott Sorensen 12. Liam Martin 13. Isaah Yeo 14. Soni Luke 15. Lindsay Smith 16. Matt Eisenhuth 17. Jaemon Salmon
Dragons vs Storm
Our final game of Super Saturday sees the Dragons hosting the Storm. The Dragons are coming off a 12-point loss against the Rabbitohs where neither side looked great, while Melbourne put on a clinic, beating the Raiders by 46-points. The Storm are finding form at the perfect time in the season, right before finals footy and I think they will use this game against the Dragons to really boost their confidence. The Dragons are down a lot of troops in the forwards including De Belin, Sua and Bird.
The Storm have won 4 of their last 5 games against the Dragons and I see no reason for this one to be any different. Grant, Munster, Hughes and Meaney are all playing unbelievable footy and they should terrorize a weak Dragons defense.
| Bookmaker | Daniel’s Tip | Odds |
| Halftime/Fulltime Double – Storm/Storm | $1.42 |
| Storm -15.5 | $1.87 |
| Storm -6.5 First Half | $1.91 |
Official Squads
Dragons: 1. Tyrell Sloan 2. Mat Feagai 3. Moses Suli 4. Zac Lomax 5. Mikaele Ravalawa 6. Talatau Amone 7. Ben Hunt 8. Francis Molo 9. Jacob Liddle 10. Blake Lawrie 11. Billy Burns 12. Dan Russell 13. Michael Molo14. Connor Muhleisen 15. Ryan Couchman 16. Ben Murdoch-Masila 17. Zane Musgrove
Storm: 1. Nick Meaney 2. Remis Smith 3. Marion Seve 4. Young Tonumaipea. Xavier Coates 6. Cameron Munster 7. Jahrome Hughes 8. Tui Kamikamica 9. Harry Grant 10. Christian Welch 11. Trent Loiero 12. Eliesa Katoa 13. Josh King 14. Bronson Garlick 15. Tom Eisenhuth 16. Tepai Moeroa 17. Nelson Asofa-Solomona
Knights vs Rabbitohs
For our first game on Sunday, we see the Knights hosting the Rabbitohs. The Knights are coming off an impressive win against the Bulldogs, while the Rabbitohs are coming off a win against the Dragons. The Knights have looked tremendous recently, winning 6 in a row to sit in 7th spot. The Rabbitohs have been mediocre recently and will need an uptick in form in order to play finals footy. The big concern for the Knights here is the Jackson Hastings injury. The Knights took a while to look back to normal last week once he went off.
The Rabbitohs are still without Tatola and Burgess, leaving their middle forwards weak. When at their best I would say the Rabbitohs are the better side, but with their recent form I am not so confident. I expect them to lift their game this week and it should be a close one.
| Bookmaker | Daniel’s Tip | Odds |
| Either team by 6 or less | $2.85 |
| Knights +2.5 | $1.87 |
| Either team by 1-12 | $1.80 |
Official Squads
Knights: 1. Kalyn Ponga 2. Dominic Young 3. Dane Gagai 4. Bradman Best 5. Greg Marzhew 6. Tyson Gamble 7. Jackson Hastings 8. Jacob Saifiti 9. Phoenix Crossland 10. Leo Thompson 11. Tyson Frizell 12. Lachlan Fitzgibbon 13. Adam Elliot 14. Kurt Mann 15. Daniel Saifiti 16. Jack Hetherington 17. Mat Croker
Rabbitohs: 1. Latrell Mitchell 2. Alex Johnston 3. Isaiah Tass 4. Campbell Graham 5. Taane Milne 6. Cody Walker 7. Lachlan Ilias 8. Jai Arrow 9. Damien Cook 10. Shaquai Mitchell 11. Keaon Koloamatangi 12. Jacob Host 13. Cameron Murray 14. Tallis Duncan 15. Michael Chee Kam 16. Siliva Havili 17. Davvy Moale
Raiders vs Bulldogs
Closing out the round we have the Raiders hosting the Bulldogs. Both sides are coming off embarrassing losses, with the Raiders losing to the Storm by 46, while the Bulldogs lost to the Knights by 36. The Bulldogs sit in 15th place and their season is all but over, however, they will be playing for pride and this is one of the strongest their side has been all season. He Raiders have slid to 6th position and with a point difference of -120, they will likely need a win here. The Raiders despite winning 12 of 21 games have been rather disappointing this season, with their biggest winning margin being 10-points.
The Raiders struggled without Kris at fullback, moving Rapana. While the Bulldogs were atrocious last week, they won their previous match and I expect them to make this one a tough battle for the Raiders.
| Bookmaker | Daniel’s Tip | Odds |
| Raiders 1-12 | $3.00 |
| Bulldogs +9.5 | $1.87 |
| Either team by 1-12 | $1.95 |
Official Squads
Raiders: 1. Jordan Rapana 2. Albert Hopoate 3. Jarrod Croker 4. Matthew Timoko 5. Nick Cotric 6. Jack Wighton 7. Jamal Fogarty 8. Josh Papalii 9. Zac Woolford 10. Joseph Tapine 11. Hudson Young 12. Ellot Whitehead 13. Corey Horsburgh 14. Tom Starling 15. Emre Guler 16. James Schiller 17. Ata Mariota
Bulldogs: 1. Jake Averillo 2. Blake Wilson 3. Jacob Kiraz 4. Braidon Burns 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Matt Burton 7. Toby Sexton 8. Max King 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Liam Knight 11. Viliame Kikau 12. Corey Waddell 13. Ryan Sutton 14. Kyle Flannagan 15. Luke Thompson 16. Raymond Faitala-Mariner 17 Tevita Pangai-Junior
