With North Queensland hot on their tail in the NRL ladder, the Melbourne Storm will try to keep pace as they head to SCG for Saturday’s rugby betting predictions. The Storm are 9-3 on the year, with the Cowboys already taking a 31-12 win over the Dragons this week to get to 10-4.
The Roosters sit in seventh in a jam-packed middle of the ladder. A mere two games in the win column separates fourth-place Brisbane (8-4) and 11th-place Canberra, so there is a lot of seeding still up for grabs. Sydney is 7-6 on the season.
Last Game Records
Melbourne is arguably the team hardest hit by injuries for this year’s NRL rugby betting predictions, and it showed in losses to Penrith and North Queensland (although those are two high-quality teams). The Storm were able to get back on the right side of the win-loss column with a 28-8 victory over Manly-Warringah in round 12.
The Storm had a bye last weekend, but it’s still not enough time to get the likes of Ryan Papenhuyzen and Reimis Smith back on the field. Is Melbourne back on track, or was their success last time out a byproduct of playing 6-7 Manly-Warringah?
The Roosters have changed their form a bit as of late with wins in three of their last five – and one of those defeats coming against Penrith, who is rolling through everybody in this season’s rugby betting picks. Sydney did suffer a disappointing 22-16 loss at the Raiders last weekend, though.
Roosters at Storm Betting Analysis
Melbourne is just a -4.5 favorite on the rugby betting odds for Saturday’s matchup at the Sydney Cricket Ground, a number that seems on the low side given the Storm’s recent success in the head-to-head series.
The Storm have won four straight in the head-to-head matchup, and recently it hasn’t been close. Melbourne swept last year’s series 46-0 and 20-4, and in 2020 the Storm posted 24-6 and 27-25 victories.
Sydney Out of Origin
Melbourne got a pretty favorable draw in the schedule, having their bye on Origin weekend. Sydney was not as lucky as they were without captain James Tedesco as well as Daniel Tupou and Lindsay Collins. Those absences could have been a big factor in the 22-16 loss to the Raiders in last weekend’s rugby betting picks.
The good news for the Roosters is that their origin trio returns in round 14 as they search for their fourth win in the last six games. The bad news, of course, is that Melbourne is fresh after their bye week, and the Roosters haven’t gotten a win in the head-to-head series since September 2019.
Melbourne Still a Bit Short Handed
At full strength, Melbourne was posting record-setting offensive numbers. In consecutive weeks they had a 70-10 win over the Warriors and a 50-2 victory over the Knights. The Storm still leads the NRL in points (375), goals (55), and tries (66), but how much of that is just a leftover from their early-season success?
Papenhuyzen’s absence is the big one, as he still leads the league in points and tries and is fourth in goals despite playing, in some cases, four fewer games than other players on the table. Smith is also a big loss at the center, but Jahrome Hughes returning in the round 12 victory is a welcome sign.
Updates
Each team has cut its roster to 19 sports going into the match.
Roosters at Storm Betting Preview
The Storm being just a -4.5 favorite in Saturday’s rugby betting odds shows that oddsmakers don’t quite trust Melbourne to be out of the woods just yet in regards to their recent struggles. They also don’t seem too concerned with the Roosters’ loss last weekend due largely in part to it being Origin week.
The Storm are going on the road for this matchup, but that seemingly negative component is offset by the fact that they are also coming off their bye week. It may be a lost cause to catch Penrith at this point, but the Storm are still one of the few teams within striking distance of the dominating Panthers.
With the current injury status of the Storm, there may be no better time for the Roosters to snap their skid in the series. Sydney is a +155 underdog for these rugby predictions.
Roosters at Storm Betting Prediction
This seems like overthinking not to take Melbourne. Their two recent losses came against very good teams in North Queensland and Penrith and also as the Storm were trying to figure out how to play without Papenhuyzen. l
How to Bet on Roosters at Storm
Take Melbourne -4.5
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