The Magic Round is over, and now it’s time for the dust to settle. The Melbourne Storm have fallen out of a tie for 1st place on the NRL ladder after getting blown out in their showdown with Penrith, 32-6. Things don’t get any easier for Melbourne with the third-place North Queensland Cowboys just a game back ahead of Saturday’s head-to-head matchup.
The Cowboys are on a five-game win streak, scoring 30+ points in each of their last four. North Queensland (7-3) is at home on Saturday and are also betting underdogs against Melbourne (8-2). The Storm have put up some impressive offensive numbers this year but are also dealing with a couple of very significant injuries coming into this matchup. Check the Cowboys vs Storm Betting Analysis.
Last Game Records
North Queensland brings a five-game win streak into Saturday’s rugby betting picks, although they’ve played two of the three worst teams in the NRL the last two weekends. Melbourne is trying to rebound from a devastating loss to Penrith in the Magic Round last Saturday.
Cowboys vs Storm Betting Analysis
Melbourne is the favorite in this spot at -220 on the rugby betting odds. The Storm have been one of the premier teams in the NRL all season, but they looked completely different without star Ryan Papenhuyzen last weekend against Penrith.
There’s definitely some value on North Queensland at +170 in front of their home crowd and with the momentum of a five-game win streak.
North Queensland Tries to Keep Rolling
North Queensland is on a roll with five straight wins. They have a couple of tough weekends ahead of them, with 2nd place Melbourne visiting on Saturday and the Cowboys having to visit first place Penrith next Friday.
We will see if North Queensland’s current run is because they are good – or because they have played the likes of the West Tigers and the Knights the last couple of rounds.
Regardless of the quality of the opponent, the Cowboys have looked good during their current win streak. The most impressive was a 35-4 win over the sixth-placed Eels, but North Queensland has really padded their stats with a 30-4 win over the Titans, a 36-16 victory over the Knights, and a 36-12 win over Wests Tigers as well over the past month.
The impressive stretch has the Cowboys up to the #4 scoring team in the NRL with 251 points. They are also fourth in tries (43) and goals (39), largely fueled by former NFL player Valentine Holmes who is second in the league in points (95) and tied for the lead in goals (39).
Melbourne Searching For Depth
The big question ahead of Saturday’s meeting is if Craig Bellamy can get his squad to rebound after the disappointing loss to Penrith last weekend in a rematch of the 2020 Grand Final. Many people consider Melbourne and the Panthers to be the top two teams in the NRL this season, so how demoralized are the Storm after the loss.
It’s hard to have much more momentum than Melbourne did coming into last weekend’s Magic Round. The Storm had beat the Warriors 70-10, the Knights 50-2, and the Dragons 42-6 prior to the 32-6 loss to Penrith that broke the tie for first place in the ladder.
The six points scored last week was a season-low for Melbourne, and one has to wonder if that is going to be their output moving forward. That’s because the team is without Ryan Papenhuyzen, who is gone indefinitely with knee and hamstring injuries.
Papenhuyzen had been the most dominant force in the NRL this season, leading the league in points (127), tries (12), and goals (39). Last week was the Storm’s first game without their star.
The problem for Melbourne is that Papenhuyzen isn’t their only injury as centre Reimis Smith is out 10-12 weeks with a torn pectoral. There is some positive news on the Storm injury front, though, as Jahrome Hughes is expected to return at halfback after missing the Penrith game.
Cowboys vs Storm Betting Preview
Melbourne is a -220 favorite for Saturday’s rugby betting matchup, a line that would be a steal if Papenhuyzen was in the lineup.
The Storm should take this one just based on their overall dominance of North Queensland in the last 12 meetings, but there are indicators that this is a much different Cowboys team.
North Queensland is +170 as a home underdog, with the point spread being Melbourne -6.5.
Cowboys vs Storm Betting Prediction
It’s going to be a packed house in Townsville, and the Cowboys can smell blood in the water. Melbourne is banged up, and there’s perhaps no better time for North Queensland to end their suffering 12-game losing streak against the Storm.
How to bet on Cowboys vs Storm
Take North Queensland +6.5!
If you love sports and want more sports betting information follow us as @InsidersBetDig on Twitter and sign up to our mailing list for free betting picks.