The long season of struggle is almost over for both the New Zealand Warriors and the Canterbury-Bankston Bulldogs as these two bottom-tier teams square off in one of their final four matches of the season.
This meeting of the bottom five clubs can be a tough one to handicap for round 22 rugby betting picks. Neither team has shown much reason for optimism really at any point this season.
This could be a coin flip match, especially with this being the first and only time they square off in 2022.
NRL Previous Scoreboards
The New Zealand Warriors vs. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs analysis features two clubs just ready for 2022 to be over with. The Warriors are 1-11 in their last 12 games, with the lone win coming against the 4-16 Wests Tigers.
New Zealand played Melbourne close in a 24-12 defeat two weekends ago, but that might be more of an indictment on the banged-up Storm rather than an impressive showing by the Warriors. South Sydney demolished New Zealand 48-10 last Saturday.
The Bulldogs definitely have the better form as of late as they are 4-3 in their last seven matches. This is a team that lost 11 of their first 13 matches this season, but you have to give them credit for not throwing in the towel down the stretch.
String of Strong
This string of strong play was kicked off by a 34-4 win over Parramatta in a result that hardly anybody betting on rugby saw coming. Last weekend’s 28-14 loss to North Queensland wasn’t even that bad for Canterbury-Bankston, considering the Cowboys are the #2 team on the ladder behind Penrith.
While the Bulldogs have shown improved form over the past two months, they still have to deal with a three-game losing streak in the head-to-head series with New Zealand. Canterbury-Bankston fell 24-10 in 2021, 20-14 in 2020, and were blown out 40-6 in 2019.
The Bulldogs had won seven of the previous nine head-to-head matches from 2012-2018, so they’ll want to get back on track in Friday’s meeting.
New Zealand vs. Canterbury-Bankstown Betting Analysis
This particular matchup on the rugby schedule is definitely not Penrith vs. Melbourne or Parramatta vs. South Sydney, but it can still be an interesting one.
NRL Odds for this Matchup
The Warriors are in an absolute rut right now with a single win in their last 12 matches, but they are just +4.5 underdogs in round 22 rugby betting odds.
The Bulldogs have great value as -4.5 favorites and even at -190 on the moneyline, considering two-thirds of their season total wins have come in the last seven games.
There were no previous bouts between the two this year, but the last two have been lower scoring than the 44.5 total.
New Zealand a Team to Fade
The Warriors are not finishing 2022 on a strong note, and it looks like they could officially be done with the year.
New Zealand had played tight in close defeats to the Eels (28-18), Raiders (26-14), and Storm (24-12), but that went by the wayside with a 48-10 loss to the Rabbitohs last match.
The Storm, Eels, and Rabbitohs look headed for the finals, and the Raiders are in a dogfight to get into the top eight, so it’s possible that they overlooked the Warriors in their matches over the past month.
Not a Big Moment for the Bulldogs
The Bulldogs will not look past this game as they want to continue to build momentum for next season.
This will be the fourth straight year and seventh in the last eight that New Zealand misses the finals. Even being at home doesn’t give much of an edge to the Warriors and their disgruntled fan base.
Bulldogs Finishing Strong
Canterbury-Bankston knows what it’s like to miss out on the finals, as their successful run from 2012-2016 looks way back in the rearview as the team has finished in the bottom six for five straight years.
That includes 15th in 2020 and 16th in 2021, so the fact that the Bulldogs have climbed out of the basement and into 12th is at least a sign for some optimism.
New Zealand vs. Canterbury-Bankston Betting Preview
Only one win separates these two teams on the NRL ladder, but this still seems like a mismatch with the way each club’s respective ends of their season have played out. The Warriors – although suffering close losses at times – have still lost 11 of their last 12.
Canterbury-Bankstown started off their season while the Warriors are ending theirs. The Bulldogs managed to win four of their last seven, and all three of those defeats were to top eight teams, including close losses to the Sharks (18-6) and Rabbitohs (36-28).
New Zealand vs. Canterbury-Bankstown Betting Prediction
The Bulldogs are in great form, and it’s a testament to their resiliency that they have played this well to close out the season even after starting so slow and being out of finals contention rather early. Take Canterbury-Bankstown -4.5
NRL Pick: Bulldogs -4.5 (-120)
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