The Melbourne Storm are 8-3 in the NRL ladder which leaves them in a good spot overall, but this team needs the distinction of B.P (before Papenhuyzen) and A.P. for after this team lost the leading scorer in the NRL Ryan Papenhuyzen and have subsequently lost three straight.
The Manly Sea Eagles would love to continue to add to the Storm misery when they meet up in Round 12 rugby betting action. Manly is down a bit in the ladder at 5-6, but this is a great time to kick Melbourne when they are down and end a five game losing streak for the Sea Eagles in the head to head series.
Last Game Records
Melbourne dropped a second straight game last weekend, following up a 32-6 loss to Penrith in the magic round by losing 36-6 to North Queensland. Melbourne was tied atop the ladder just three weeks ago, but injuries have decimated this team. Give credit to the opposition though, as Penrith is the premier team in the NRL this season while the Cowboys are also on a nice run at 8-3.
Manly played well last weekend, but ultimately fell 22-20 to a good Parramatta squad. It was the second straight loss for the Sea Eagles, who were absolutely demolished 38-0 by Brisbane in round 10.
Storm vs Sea Eagles Betting Analysis
Rugby betting odds have the Storm with a -12.5 favorite in this rugby betting matchup but once again they look like a different team the last two weeks without Papenhuyzen and others. Melbourne leads the NRL in scoring with 347 points, but have put up a total of 12 the last two weeks after scoring 42,50, and 70 the previous three contests with Papenhuyzen in the lineup.
Something to note about the Storm’s last two losses is that they came against two very good teams, in Penrith and North Queensland. Manly played well last week in a two point loss to Parramatta, another very good team that has handed Penrith their only loss this season.
Melbourne Tries to Heal
The Storm have posted their two worst offensive outings of the season in succession over the last two weekends, and it can’t be considered a coincidence that those have come after the team lost Papenhuyzen to a hamstring and knee injury that could keep him out another month.
Even after missing the last two games Papenhuyzen still leads the NRL in scoring (127) by 20 points, and tries (12) by two. He still ranks third in goals (39) as well so that is no small loss.
The negative thing for Melbourne is that Papenhuyzen is not their only major injury, as center Reimis Smith (pectoral) is out for maybe two more months while Jahrome Hughes has missed some key matchups lately as well. Harry Grant’s status is in doubt for round 12 rugby predictions as he left last weekend’s game with a groin injury.
Great Opportunity for Manly
The Sea Eagles were solid vs. Parramatta last weekend but inconsistency has been the knock on Manly for most of this season. This team has one win in the last five games and that came against Wests Tigers who are just 3-8 on the year.
Manly will get a taste of what Melbourne has gone through with injuries as they get set to play their first game without Tom Trbojevic who was lost for the remainder of the season last week after suffering a shoulder injury against the Eels. Trbojevic has struggled statistically this year, but he’s still a leader whose absence will be felt.
The good news is the Sea Eagles have some players who can step up, notably Ruben Garrick who is fourth in the NRL with 88 points. Manly as a team is just 9th in scoring so they’ll also have to rely heavily on their defense for round 12 rugby predictions.
Storm vs Sea Eagles Betting Preview
The Storm do return home for the first time in a couple weeks so maybe that will key them to break their losing streak. The two straight losses have come against some very good teams though, and perhaps now Melbourne has gotten used to playing without the likes of Papenhuyzen and Smith as other players settle into new roles.
Rugby betting picks say manly is getting +12.5 points here and are +285 in rugby odds to pull off the upset. Melbourne swept 40-12 and 28-18 last season, and all five Storm wins on their current streak have come by double digits.
Storm vs Sea Eagles Betting Prediction
With those rugby betting predictions, The Storm should be able to get back on the right track in this round 12 rugby predictions call. They’ll be getting Hughes back which is a big lift, as is the support of being in front of your own fans who know how important it is to end this current slide.
How to bet on Storm vs Sea Eagles
Take Melbourne -12.5
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