Round 6 is in the rear-view mirror and what a thrilling season it continues to be! The games were jam-packed with excitement, suspense and of course upsets, leaving fans on the edge of their seats. Round 7 should be no different, with bottom place Tigers having a bye as well as league leaders Brisbane looking to avenge their loss. I'm here to help you uncover all the best value across the NRL this week.
NRL 2023 Round 7
Dolphins vs Rabbitohs
Kicking us off on Thursday night we have the Dolphins hosting the Rabbitohs for the first time. Both sides come into this game in red hot form, with the Dolphins beating their cross-town rivals, the Cowboys 32-22 as underdogs, while the Bunnies rinsed the Bulldogs 50-16 in their Good Friday clash.
The Dolphins are really solidifying themselves as a top 8 contender, winning 4 of their 6 games to put them in 4th spot. The Dolphins have suffered some heavy injuries though, adding Jarrod Wallace to the already long list. On the flip side, the Bunnies welcome back Alex Johnston from a head knock and Jai Arrow from a hamstring injury. This is a big boost to their squad and I think they should be too good for the Dolphins, who I do think can keep it close in front of a home crowd.
| Bookmaker | Daniel’s Tip | Odds |
 | Souths 1-12 | $3.00 |
 | Dolphins +10.5 | $1.87 |
 | Under 44.5 | $1.91 |
Predicted Squads
The Dolphins: 1. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow 2. Jamayne Isaako 3. Euan Aitken 4. Brenko Lee 5. Robert Jennings 6. Isaiya Katoa 7. Kodi Nikorima 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Jeremy Marhsall-King 10. Ray Stone 11. Kenny Bromwich 12. Connelly Lemuelu 13. Tom Gilbert 14. Herman Ese’ese 15. Mark Nicholls 16. JJ Collins 17. Kurt Donoghue
Rabbitohs: 1. Latrell Mitchell 2. Alex Johnston 3. Isaiah Tass 4. Campbell Graham 5. Izaac Thompson 6. Cody Walker 7. Lachlan Ilias 8. Jai Arrow 9. Damien Cook 10. Thomas Burgess 11. Keaon Koloamatangi 12. Jacob Host 13. Cameron Murray 14. Jed Cartwright 15. Daniel Suluka-Fifita 16. Davvy Moale 17. Hame Sele
Sharks vs Roosters
We have Friday night Fireworks in the Sharks hosting the Roosters. Both sides have shown glimpses of what they can do this season, but haven’t been firing on all cylinders, sitting 7th and 11th respectively. The Roosters have had the Sharks’ number in recent history, winning each of their last 7 encounters.
While the Sharks will be well rested, coming off the bye, they lose key forward and captain Dale Finucane to suspension, whereas the Roosters are gaining their skipper and Dally-M medalist, James Tedesco. On top of this, Matt Lodge is returning from a facial injury. The Roosters are looking back to full strength, something that has been incredibly rare in recent seasons, and I can see them winning this one quite comfortably.
| Bookmaker | Daniel’s Tip | Odds |
| Roosters to win the first half | $1.88 |
| Roosters to win | $1.72 |
| Roosters to lead after 60minutes | $1.70 |
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. Royce Hunt 9. Blayke Brailey 10. Braden Hamlin-Uele 11. Briton Nikora 12. Teig Wilton 13. Cameron Mcinnes 14. Wade Graha, 15. Jack Williams 16. Oregon Kaufusi 17. Thomas Hazleton
Roosters: 1. James Tedesco 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Joseph Suaalii 4. Joseph Manu 5. Jaxson Paulo 6. Luke Keary 7. Sam Walker 8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 9. Brandon Smith 10. Lindsay Collins 11. Egan Butcher 12. Nat Butcher 13. Victor Radley 14. Drew Hutchison 15. Terrell May 16. Naufahu Whyte 17. Matt Lodge
Sea Eagles vs Storm
The Friday Footy Fun continues with the Sea Eagles hosting the Storm. The Sea Eagles will be desperate to make amends for their 44-12 loss at the hands of the Panthers, while the Storm will look to keep up their momentum.
Both sides are looking a bit different coming into this one, with the Sea Eagles losing Reuben Garrick to a head knock last week. Josh Schuster remains on the extended bench but in good news, Tom Trbojevic is named after he didn’t look 100% last week. The Storm are without Nick Meaney, slotting Cameron Munster into fullback and the talented Jonah Pezet takes his spot in the halves. While both sides are a little depleted, if Schuster doesn’t play, I think Manly will lack creativity, while Melbourne have an exciting spine including Munster, Pezet and Hughes for the first time. It should be an interesting affair but I am backing Melbourne.
| Bookmaker | Daniel’s Tip | Odds |
| Halftime/Fulltime Double, Storm/Storm | $2.15 |
| Storm -5.5 | $1.85 |
| Storm by 11-20 | $4.00 |
Predicted Squads
Sea Eagles: 1. Tom Trbojevic 2. Christian Tuipulotu 3. Brad Parker 4. Morgan Harper 5. Raymond Tuaimalo Vaega 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. Kaeo Weekes 15. Ethan Bullemor 16. Aaron Woods 17. Sean Keppie
Storm: 1. Cameron Munster 2. Will Warbrick 3. Reimis Smith 4. Justin Olam 5. Xavier Coates 6. Jonah Pezet 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. Alec MacDonald 16. Tom Eisenhuth 17. Tariq Sims
Warriors vs Cowboys
The Warriors host the Cowboys in our first game on Super Saturday. Despite the Warriors loss to the Knights, they are an impressive 4-2 to start the season while last year’s 3rd place Cowboys are sitting at a miserable 2-4. The Warriors are undefeated at home while the Cowboys are winless away.
You may think everything points to an easy Warriors win, with the Warriors already beating the Cowboys away in round 3. However, the Cows will be looking for revenge and are a stronger team on paper now, with fullback Scott Drinkwater back. The Warriors have also lost 2 key men in Wayde Egan and Te Maire Martin due to injury while the Cows have gained 2 in Nanai and Taulagi. I think the Cows will be desperate for a win here and considering 3 of the last 5 encounters have been decided by 4pts or less, I am backing a tight affair.
| Bookmaker | Daniel’s Tip | Odds |
| Cowboys +1.5 | $1.95 |
| Cowboys to win | $1.95 |
| Under 42.5 | $1.91 |
Predicted Squads
Warriors: 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 2. Edward Kosi 3. Viliami Vailea 4. Adam Pompey 5. Marcelo Montoya 6. Dylan Walker 7. Shaun Johnson 8. Addin Fonua-Blake 9. Freddy Lussick 10. Bunty Afoa 11. Jackson Ford 12. Bailey Sironen 13. Tohu Harris 14. Taine Tuapiki 15. Josh Curran 16. Jazz Tevaga 17. Tom Ale
Cowboys: 1. Scott Drinkwater 2. Kyle Feldt 3. Valentine Holmes 4. Peta Hiku 5. Murray Taulagi 6. Tom Dearden 7. Chad Townsend 8. Mitchell Dunn 9. Reece Robson 10. Reuben Cotter 11. Coen Hess 12. Jeremiah Nanai 13. Jason Taumalolo 14. Jake Granville 15. Tom Chester 16. Jamayne Taunoa-Brown 17. Riley Price
Knights vs Panthers
The second game of Super Saturday sees the Knights hosting the Panthers. Both sides have found great form recently, with the Knights undefeated in their last 3, while the Panthers have won their last 2 games by a combined 73 points!
There’s no way to sugar coat this one, the Panthers are the far better side here and are finding their form from the past 2 seasons. The new linkup of Cleary and Hosking on the right edge looks damaging, while To’o is getting back to his meter eating best, running for almost 250m last week. To add insult to injury, The Knights have just lost their hooker and skipper Jayden Brailey. Penrith are looking back to their best, making me think that points will be hard to come by for the Knights. I see the Panthers winning this one 13+
| Bookmaker | Daniel’s Tip | Odds |
| Panthers to win both halves | $1.77 |
| Under 44.5 | $1.87 |
| Score First/ Halftime / Full time – Penrith/Penrith/Penrith | $1.83 |
Predicted Squads
Knights: 1. Lachlan Miller 2. Dominic Young 3. Dane Gagai 4. Bradman Best 5. Greg Marzhew 6. Tyson Gamble 7. Jackson Hastings 8. Daniel Saifiti 9. Phoenix Crossland 10. Leo Thompson 11. Tyson Frizell 12. Lachlan Fitzgibbon 13. Matt Croker 14. Kurt Mann 15. Jack Hetherington 16. Jack Johns 17. Brodie Jones
Panthers: 1. Dylan Edwards 2. Sunia Turuva 3. Izack Tago 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
Titans vs Broncos
Ending off our Saturday Night, we have a Queensland derby, as the Titans host the Broncos. Both sides have been impressive this year, with the Broncos only losing their first game of the season last week to the Raiders, while the Titans have defied the odds to be currently sitting in the top 8.
Although the Broncos have won the last 3 matchups between the 2 sides, each of their last 5 encounters has been decided by 12 points or less. The Titans are in good form, welcoming back Kieran Foran who should bring some control and experience to the halves. While the Broncos are the better side here, I can see this one being a hard-fought encounter. It would be surprising to see the Broncos pick up back-to-back losses, but we’ve certainly seen crazier things happen this season.
| Bookmaker | Daniel’s Tip | Odds |
| Gold Coast to score 3+ tries | $1.63 |
| Khan-Pereira any time | $2.18 |
| Titans +12.5 | $1.70 |
Predicted Squads
Titans: 1. Jayden Campbell 2. Alofiano Khan-Pereira 3. Brian Kelly 4. Aaron Schoupp 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. Jo Vuna 16. Eric Clark 17. Iszac Fa’asuamaleaui
Broncos: 1. Reece Walsh 2. Jesse Arthars 3. Kotoni Staggs 4. Herbie Farnworth 5. Selwyn Cobbo 6. Ezra Mam 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Corey Jensen 9. Billy Walters 10. Payne Haas 11. Kurt Capewell 12. Jordan Riki 13. Patrick Carrigan 14. Cory Paix 15. Keenan Palasia 16. Kobe Hetherington 17. Martin Taupau
Raiders vs Dragons
Starting off our Sunday we have the Raiders hosting the Dragons. The Raiders will be exuberating confidence after their win against the undefeated Broncos at Suncorp Stadium. On the other hand, the Dragons are struggling to find consistency, not winning or losing back-to-back games yet.
The Dragons remain relatively unchanged, while the Raiders welcome back a host of star players. They have star playmaker Jack Wighton returning from suspension, while Tapine returns after missing the game due to the birth of his child and Cotric returns from injury. While everything looks right for the Raiders to win, I can’t back such an inconsistent side at that price and think they may struggle after investing so much energy into last week’s win. I think the Dragons keep this one close and potentially upset the Raiders.
| Bookmaker | Daniel’s Tip | Odds |
| Either team by 6 or less | $2.90 |
| Dragons to win | $2.65 |
| Dragons +6.5 | $1.91 |
Predicted Squads
Raiders: 1. Sebastian Kris 2. Nick Cotric 3. Jared Croker 4. Matthew Timoko 5. Albert Hopoate 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
Dragons: 1. Tyrell Sloan 2. Mathew Feagai 3. Moses Suli 4. Zac Lomax 5. Tautau Moga 6. Talatau Amone 7. Ben Hunt 8. Zane Musgrove 9. Jacob Liddle 10. Blake Lawrie 11. Ben Murdoch-Masila 12. Jaydn Su’A 13. Jack Bird 14. Moses Mbye 15. Toby Couchman 16. Jack de Belin 17. Josh Kerr
Eels vs Bulldogs
Finishing off the round, we have the Eels hosting the Bulldogs. Both sides will be looking to improve their performances from last week, as the Eels just about survived a late onslaught from the winless Tigers while the Bulldogs got played off the park by the Rabbitohs.
The Bulldogs look like a new team on paper this week, losing Josh Addo-Carr to a nasty ankle injury but welcoming back Viliame Kikau, Tevita Pangai-Jr and Raymond Faitala-Mariner amongst a few others. The Parramatta pack is bolstered this week, with Junior Paulo returning from suspension. I think the Eels are the better side here and are finding form, winning 2 of their last 3, including a win against the Panthers. I can see this one being a hard-fought battle through the middle with points being hard to come by.
| Bookmaker | Daniel’s Tip | Odds |
| Eels -3.5 First half | $1.77 |
| Under 43.5 | $1.87 |
| Either team by 1-12 | $1.80 |
Predicted Squads
Eels: 1. Clint Gutherson 2. Maika Sivo 3. Will Penisini 4. Sean Russell 5. Haze Dunster 6. Dylan Brown 7. Mitchell Moses 8. Reagan Campbell-Gillard 9. Josh Hodgson 10. Junior Paulo 11. Shaun Lane 12. Bryce Cartwright 13. Ryan Matterson 14. J’maine Hopgood 15. Brendan Hands 16. Wiremu Grieg 17. Makahesi Makatoa
Bulldogs: 1. Hayze Perham 2. Jacob Kiraz 3. Jake Averillo 4. Paul Alamoti 5. Braidon Burns 6. Matt Burton 7. Kyle Flanagan 8. Max King 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Tevita Pangai Junior 11. Viliame Kikau 12. Jacob Preston 13. Raymond Faitala-Mariner 14. Josh Reynolds 15. Jayden Okunbor 16. Corey Wadell 17. Ryan Sutton
