A battle of top four teams highlights round 17 of NRL play as the second place Melbourne Storm host the fourth seeded Cronulla Sharks in this weekend’s rugby betting predictions. Neither team will likely catch 15-1 Penrith, but Thursday’s game is still important for seeding.
Last Game Records
Melbourne suddenly has some concerns again after a 36-30 loss to Manly last time out. The Storm thought they were back on form with two wins since getting star Ryan Papenhuyzen, but falling to the ninth place Sea Eagles has kept at least a shred of doubt as to if this team is a legitimate contender for the finals.
The Sharks had a much better go of it last weekend, beating the Bulldogs 18-6. Perhaps that was a closer game than many expected against 4-12 Canterbury, but it was a victory nonetheless and pushed Cronulla’s win streak to three games. Weather conditions weren’t exactly ideal last week either.
Melbourne did pick up a 34-18 win back in mid-April for their fifth straight win against the Sharks in the head to head series. Most of those rugby betting picks haven’t been close either with 12 points being the smallest margin of victory aside from a 12-10 Storm victory back in 2020 with no fans in attendance due to the COVID pandemic.
Sharks vs. Storm Betting Analysis
The Storm are -6.5 favorites for the round 17 rugby betting odds, a somewhat surprising number on the road and following a loss. Melbourne did look good against the Sharks earlier in the year though, and their five straight wins in the series must be taken into consideration.
The Sharks have some value considering they are on a three game win streak, and can pull even with Melbourne on the ladder with a win. One thing to note about the Cronulla 10-5 record is that they haven’t beaten a team in the current top eight since beating the Dragons at the end of March. Will that lack of quality opposition be exposed in week 17 rugby betting predictions?
Cronulla With Something to Prove
The Sharks are on a three game win streak which is always key for momentum, but the real shocker would have been if they lost any of those tilts against the Warriors, Titans, or Bulldogs – three of the bottom four teams on the ladder.
In fact the Sharks should probably be on a five match win streak if not for a 36-16 loss to the Roosters who are a sub .500 team.
Cronulla will be without Siosifa Talakai in this week’s rugby betting picks because of his Origin commitment, but other than that they are nearly full strength except for Jack Williams who is still on the mend from a separated shoulder.
Melbourne a Few Men Down
One of the problems in being 11-4 is that you have some talented players, and thus risk losing them at times due to Origin duties. That’s the spot the Storm are in in round 17 without Cameron Munster and Harry Grant, and with Felise Kaufusi on family leave.
Of course the Storm are still a very talented and deep team, led by Papenhuyzen who is second in the NRL in scoring. As a team Melbourne is second in the league in points (463) while leading in tries (83).
The Storm desperately need a bounce back here, as their 36-30 loss to Manly last week wasn’t as close as the final score looked. Melbourne scored four tries in the final four minutes to make things look respectable, but many people consider it overall to be their worst performance of the year.
Sharks vs. Storm Betting Preview
This one seems like it really could go a number of ways. A Storm team angry about playing poorly against the Sea Eagles last weekend could dominate and easily cover the -6.5 rugby betting odds.
It also wouldn’t be a shock if the Sharks kept this one close or even pulled off the outright upset. Regardless of who their victories have come against, a three match win streak is still great for momentum.
Sharks vs. Storm Betting Prediction
Can we trust Melbourne after how bad they looked last weekend? Not on the road and not to cover a -6.5 number.
How to bet on Sharks vs. Storm
Take Cronulla +6.5
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