There are plenty of contests with finals seeding implications on the docket for the round 24 schedule – the Gold Coast Titans vs the Newcastle Knights is not one of them.
Gold Coast sits in 13th place on the ladder with just 14 points on the season, while the Titans are even worse with a mere 10 points on the year.
Sunday’s rugby picks may actually favor Gold Coast for the simple fact they are trying to avoid last place and receiving the infamous wooden spoon. The Titans and Wests Tigers are both tied at the bottom of the ladder.
Gold Coast Titans vs. Newcastle Knights Matchup Information
Fans may tune out by the time this matchup gets underway on Sunday to close out the round 24 rugby schedule. Then again, this is the last chance of the weekend for betting on rugby so it may get a considerable draw.
Consider a Draw
It’s been a disappointing season for both teams who made it into the finals a season ago, albeit with both bowing out in the first round. There’s not a lot of motivation for either side here, so the Titans vs. Knights best bet may just be to flip a coin.
For a team that is just 6-16 on the season, the Knights’ 4-7 record away from Newcastle is somewhat impressive.
It seems that neither of these teams like playing in front of their own fans, as Gold Coast is a mere 3-7 at home.
Titans’ Winning Streak
One thing the Titans do have going for them is that they have a six-game win streak against Newcastle when playing at Clous Super Stadium which does give them some value when betting on rugby this weekend.
NRL Performance Recap
For two bottom tier clubs, both Gold Coast and Newcastle have posted some recent wins. Two rounds ago Gold Coast pulled off an impressive 44-24 victory over Manly and although the Sea Eagles aren’t headed for the finals they still have double the points of the Titans this season.
The Knights’ lone victory of the month wasn’t as impressive as they were able to outlast the last place Wests Tigers just 14-10 on August 7th.
Both teams were back to their losing ways last weekend, although Newcastle hanging in for a 28-22 defeat to Canberra was a good fight.
Must-Win Situation
That’s especially true when the Raiders were in a must-win situation as they are trying to scrape into the top eight.
Gold Coast ruined all the momentum of their big win over Manly with a 46-26 loss to the Dragons last weekend.
The Dragons are in 10th on the ladder though so that victory was expected, you just would have loved to see the Titans put up more of a fight.
Gold Coast Titans vs. Newcastle Knights Analysis
Does this game come down to solely where it is played? The Knights scored a 38-18 win at home over Gold Coast on July 1st as Edrick Lee scored five tries (a club record) but Newcastle has also lost six straight road games against the Titans.
David Klemmer was sin-binned and Jarrod Wallace sent off in the first meeting so perhaps this match could get chippy, especially being the last one of the weekend.
These two teams have split the season series the last four years with the exception of 2020 when Gold Coast won 36-6 in their only meeting of the season. That would leave the Titans in line for the victory if the trend holds true.
Odds Breakdown
Oddsmakers Like the Titans
The Titans vs. Knights best bet on Sunday looks like Gold Coast -6.5. They may not have to do anything to avoid getting the wooden spoon as the Wests Tigers close out with the Dragons and Raiders, who they will more than likely lose to. Gold Coast has a 60-point edge in the tiebreaking margin as well.
That being said, the Titans still want the win to avoid even being associated with a points tie for last place. They’ve won six in a row at home in the head-to-head series and played sharp vs. Manly on their own turf two weeks ago.
Knights Might Be in Trouble
There’s not a whole lot but pride on the line this Sunday for Newscastle, who has gone 1-6 since their win over Gold Coast on July 1st.
Gold Coast Titans vs. Newcastle Knights Betting Pick and Prediction
It’s not even necessarily a Titans vs. Knights best bet to take the +6.5 points here.
NRL Pick: Titans -6.5 (-120)
NRL Pick: Over 55.5 (-120)
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