Round 6 was one of the tighter weekends of rugby league we’ve seen for some time. After kicking off with a two-point win to the Roosters on Thursday night, Friday night saw the Storm vs Bulldogs game go down to the wire as well, before a draw on Saturday between the Sea Eagles and Warriors was followed by a one-pointer to finish things off on Sunday afternoon. This weekend kicks off with what looms as another thriller between the Storm and the Roosters, while the round concludes with an intriguing battle between the Sharks and the Cowboys on Sunday afternoon. Below, we preview both those games as well as the other six set to take place over the course of Round 7.
NRL 2024 Round 7
Sydney Roosters vs Melbourne Storm
The Roosters and the Storm both entered season 2024 with very high expectations, and not a lot has changed six weeks into the season – particularly for the Storm. They’ve been perhaps the most consistent team in the league, winning four of their first five games and with the only loss coming by just two points in Newcastle. Admittedly they have been on the right end of a few other tight ones – before that loss they beat the Warriors by four points, before they beat the Broncos by two points in a come-from-behind win, and last week the Bulldogs by two points courtesy of a late try to Shawn Blore. The Roosters also enjoyed a two-point win last weekend, knocking off the Knights in a Thursday night thriller to take their record to 3-3. But while that record doesn’t look particularly inspiring, all of those three losses have come by seven points or less, while a couple of their wins have been very impressive. This should be a really high quality game, but the Roosters will have to overcome some pretty poor recent history against the Storm to notch up their third win here. In the past four years these two teams have played on nine occasions and the Roosters have won just once, and the memory of their five-point semi-final loss at the hands of the Storm last year will be front of mind in this one. Theoretically all those factors should be irrelevant to this particular game, but players on both teams will be well aware of all that history. In a tight game, the Storm will be confident in their ability to get over the line against a team which has been their bunny in recent years. They can continue their run of tight wins in a thrilling game this Thursday to kick off Round 7.
| Bookmaker | James’ Tip | Odds |
 | Storm to win | $1.95 |
 | Storm +1.5 | $1.91 |
 | Storm 1-12 | $3.10 |
Predicted Squads
Sydney Roosters: 1. James Tedesco 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Joseph Suaalii 4. Joey Manu 5. Fetalaiga Pauga 6. Luke Keary 7. Sam Walker 8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 9. Brandon Smith 10. Lindsay Collins 11. Nat Butcher 12. Angus Crichton 13. Victor Radley 14. Connor Watson 15. Naufahu Whyte 16. Egan Butcher 17. Terrell May
Melbourne Storm: 1. Ryan Papenhuyzen 2. Will Warbrick 3. Reimis Smith 4. Nick Meaney 5. Xavier Coates 6. Cameron Munster
7. Jahrome Hughes 8. Christian Welch 9. Harry Grant 10. Josh King 11. Shawn Blore 12. Eli Katoa 13. Trent Loiero 14. Tyran Wishart 15. Alec MacDonald 16. Jack Howarth 17. Nelson Asofa-Solomona
St. George Illawarra Dragons vs New Zealand Warriors
The Dragons couldn’t have started last week’s clash against the Tigers any better, with Zac Lomax crossing the line for a first minute try. That set the tone for a strong performance by one of the Wooden Spoon favourites, who picked up their third win for the season in the victory. That’s a strong start for a team not expected to do too much this year, but they will have a tough time making it 4-3 when they welcome the Warriors to the Illawarra this weekend. After two tight losses to start the season, they haven’t lost since, winning three in a row before playing out a thrilling draw last weekend against the Sea Eagles. And despite not picking up the full two points, that draw would have felt like a win given they were down by eight points with one minute to go before a remarkable finish saw Dallin Watene-Zelezniak score a try in the 80th minute, Shaun Johnson convert it, and then Johnson receive a penalty with five seconds to go which he converted to go to extra time. It was a remarkable end to the game and one which meant that the Warriors are now undefeated over the past month, and despite the Dragons’ strong start to the season they shouldn’t have too many troubles keeping that streak alive on Thursday night.
| Bookmaker | James’ Tip | Odds |
| Warriors to win | $1.42 |
| Warriors -7.5 | $1.91 |
| Warriors 13+ | $2.50 |
Predicted Squads
St. George Illawarra Dragons : 1. Tyrell Sloan 2. Christian Tuipulotu 3. Moses Suli 4. Zac Lomax 5. Mikaele Ravalawa 6. Kyle Flanagan 7. Ben Hunt 8. Francis Molo 9. Jacob Liddle 10. Hame Sele 11. Luciano Leilua 12. Jaydn Su'A 13. Tom Eisenhuth 14. Jesse Marschke 15. Blake Lawrie 16. Jack de Belin 17. Raymond Faitala-Mariner
New Zealand Warriors : 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 2. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 3. Rocco Berry 4. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 5. Marcelo Montoya
6. Te Maire Martin 7. Shaun Johnson 8. Addin Fonua-Blake 9. Wayde Egan 10. Mitch Barnett 11. Jackson Ford 12. Kurt Capewell 13. Tohu Harris 14. Chanel Harris-Tavita 15. Tom Ale 16. Jacob Laban 17. Dylan Walker
Parramatta Eels vs Dolphins
Consistency hasn’t exactly been a feature of the Eels’ game in recent years, and so far in 2024 they appear to be keeping that trend going. A solid start to the season which saw them knock off the Bulldogs and Sea Eagles, and lose competitively to the Panthers, was followed by a loss to the Tigers and then a thumping at the hands of the Raiders. That didn’t bode well for a clash against the in-form Cowboys, so what did they do? Bounce back and win, of course, taking their record to what has been a very adventurous 3-3. The Dolphins, meanwhile, have started the season well, just as they did last year, but they’ve been benefited by a cushy draw and were no match for the Broncos in Brisbane last Friday, going down by 14 points – though the scoreboard flattered them given they scored two tries in the last six minutes when the game was well and truly over. As most Wayne Bennett led teams do, they get the most out of themselves most weeks, meaning we generally know what we’re going to get when they run out. Not so with the Eels. They’ve already lost to one of the Wooden Spoon favourites and been thumped by the Raiders, but as they showed last week they’re also capable of taking it up to some of the better teams in the league. They should be winning this game, and they should be winning it easily, though it would be no surprise to see any result from a Dolphins win to an Eels thumping in this one.
| Bookmaker | James’ Tip | Odds |
| Eels to win | $1.50 |
| Eels -5.5 | $1.88 |
| Eels 13+ | $2.80 |
Predicted Squads
Parramatta Eels : 1. Clint Gutherson 2. Maika Sivo 3. Will Penisini 4. Morgan Harper 5. Sean Russell 6. Daejarn Asi
7. Dylan Brown 8. Reagan Campbell-Gillard 9. Joey Lussick 10. Junior Paulo 11. Shaun Lane 12. Bryce Cartwright 13. J’maine Hopgood 14. Luca Moretti 15. Ryan Matterson 16. Joe Ofahengaue 17. Kelma Tuilagi
Dolphins : 1. Kodi Nikorima 2. Jamayne Isaako 3. Jake Averillo 4. Tesi Niu 5. Jack Bostock 6. Sean O'Sullivan 7. Isaiya Katoa 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Jeremy Marshall-King 10. Mark Nicholls 11. Kenny Bromwich 12. Euan Aitken 13. Max Plath 14. Josh Kerr 15. Ray Stone 16. Jarrod Wallace 17. Lachlan Hubner
- The Cowboys’ lowest scoring game this season saw 41 points scored, and the other five have comfortably cleared the 42.5-point line set for this game. The Sharks’ last two games have also cleared it comfortably.
- The Storm have won eight of their last nine games against the Roosters.
- The Broncos have won 11 of their last 13 home games against the Raiders.
Multi of the Week
| Legs | Odds |
| Sharks vs Cowboys over 42.5 total match points | $1.90 |
| Storm to win outright | $1.90 |
| Broncos to win | $1.42 |
| Bet $10 for $51.26 with PlayUp | |
Penrith Panthers vs Wests Tigers
The Panthers haven’t really flexed their muscle all that much this year just yet, but they get a good chance to do so this Saturday afternoon. They were disappointing against the Sea Eagles a couple of weekends ago, going down 32-18 to record their second loss of the season, and they will have had a whole two weeks to mull over it after their week off last weekend. Nathan Cleary has been pegged for a return this weekend from a hamstring for some time but a setback may keep him out, though Scott Sorenson is a good chance to return from his knee injury. Regardless, the Tigers aren’t likely to be any match for the three-time reigning Premiers. They’ve been pretty decent in their first season under new coach Benji Marshall, winning back to back games in impressive fashion in Rounds 3 and 4 against the Sharks and the Eels. But after a ten-point loss to the Dolphins which followed that game, they were disappointing last weekend, going down by 12 points to the side with whom they shared the bottom two spots on the ladder throughout the course of last year in the Dragons. The Panthers in Penrith is a substantially sterner test than that was, and it’s not likely one they’re going to do particularly well in. This should be a cakewalk for the Panthers, who can take their record to 4-2 with a big win.
| Bookmaker | James’ Tip | Odds |
| Panthers 13+ | $1.70 |
| Panthers -14.5 | $1.91 |
| Panthers 7+ | $1.37 |
Predicted Squads
Penrith Panthers : 1. Dylan Edwards 2. Sunia Turuva 3. Izack Tago 4. Taylan May 5. Brian To'o 6. Jarome Luai 7. Brad Schneider 8. Moses Leota 9. Mitch Kenny 10. James Fisher-Harris 11. Scott Sorensen 12. Liam Martin 13. Isaah Yeo 14. Daine Laurie 15. Lindsay Smith 16. Liam Henry 17. Luke Garner
Wests Tigers : 1. Jahream Bula 2. Charlie Staines 3. Solomona Faataape 4. Justin Olam 5. Junior Tupou 6. Lachlan Galvin 7. Aidan Sezer 8. Stefano Utoikamanu 9. Api Koroisau 10. David Klemmer 11. Isaiah Papali’i 12. John Bateman 13. Fonua Pole 14. Bud Sullivan 15. Alex Seyfarth 16. Alex Twal 17. Samuela Fainu
Gold Coast Titans vs Manly Sea Eagles
After what’s been a disastrous start to the season for the Titans, they went agonisingly close to securing their first win for 2024 against the Raiders last weekend. Two tries in the last five minutes to Alofiana Khan-Pereira saw them overcome a ten-point deficit to take the game to extra time, but a Jamal Fogarty field goal in the 89th minute resigned them to a fifth consecutive loss. Considering the nature of their previous defeats, however, this was a much improved performance and continued a trend of increasing competitiveness in their five games so far this season. They look to be getting closer to securing that first win of the year, but the Sea Eagles will be a tough team to do it against. They have been impressive through their first month and a half – the lone exception was an eight-point loss to the Dragons, but they bounced back with a 14-point defeat of the Panthers. They were good again for the most part last week, but a last minute meltdown saw them lose an eight point lead within 60 seconds and ultimately only secure a solitary point for a draw. That will sting them throughout the course of the week, and against the team which is now the comfortable favourite to win the Wooden Spoon, they should be able to bounce back with a victory on Saturday evening.
| Bookmaker | James’ Tip | Odds |
| Sea Eagles to win | $1.33 |
| Sea Eagles -9.5 | $1.91 |
| Storm 1-12 | $2.20 |
Predicted Squads
Gold Coast Titans : 1. Keano Kini 2. Alofiana Khan-Pereira 3. Brian Kelly 4. Harley Smith-Shields 5. Jojo Fifita 6. AJ Brimson
7. Kieran Foran 8. Moeaki Fotuaika 9. Chris Randall 10. Jaimin Jolliffe 11. David Fifita 12. Beau Fermor 13. Klese Haas 14. Sam Verrills 15. Erin Clark 16. Isaac Liu 17. Josiah Pahulu
Manly Sea Eagles : 1. Tom Trbojevic 2. Jason Saab 3. Tolu Koula 4. Reuben Garrick 5. Jaxson Paulo 6. Luke Brooks 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Taniela Paseka 9. Lachlan Croker 10. Toafofoa Sipley 11. Haumole Olakau’atu 12. Corey Waddell 13. Jake Trbojevic 14. Karl Lawton 15. Ethan Bullemor 16. Aaron Woods 17. Nathan Brown
Brisbane Broncos vs Canberra Raiders
The Broncos continued the trend that has developed over their first six weeks of the season by trading wins for losses last weekend, bouncing back from a heartbreaking two-point loss to the Storm with a comfortable win over the Dolphins. They looked very good in that game, dominating their opposition before two late tries made the scoreboard look a little more respective for the visitors than the game actually was. Last year’s runners-up have now had a pretty good three weeks after losing two of their first three games of the season, smashing both the Cowboys and the Dolphins and only losing narrowly to the Storm. This weekend should be another comfortable victory for them. In fairness to the Raiders, they have actually been pretty good this year, winning four of their first six games, though a Golden Time win over the Titans last weekend was nothing to write home about. Given they were widely expected to tumble down the ladder this season after making the finals following an incredible number of tight wins last year, they have been very solid so far this year, but they are yet to play a team of the quality of the Broncos yet. Particularly with this game being played at Suncorp Stadium, the Broncos should be much too good and can continue their climb up the ladder with a fourth win of the season.
| Bookmaker | James’ Tip | Odds |
| Broncos to win | $1.42 |
| Broncos -7.5 | $1.91 |
| Broncos 13+ | $2.55 |
Predicted Squads
Brisbane Broncos: 1. Reece Walsh 2. Corey Oates 3. Kotoni Staggs 4. Selwyn Cobbo 5. Jesse Arthars 6. Ezra Mam 7. Jock Madden 8. Corey Jensen 9. Billy Walters 10. Fletcher Baker 11. Jaiyden Hunt 12. Jordan Riki 13. Patrick Carrigan 14. Tyson Smoothy 15. Xavier Willison 16. Kobe Hetherington 17. Tristan Sailor
Canberra Raiders: 1. Chevy Stewart 2. James Schiller 3. Matt Timoko 4. Seb Kris 5. Xavier Savage 6. Ethan Strange 7. Jamal Fogarty 8. Josh Papalii 9. Danny Levi 10. Joseph Tapine 11. Hudson Young 12. Ata Mariota 13. Morgan Smithies 14. Tom Starling 15. Pasami Saulo 16. Trey Mooney 17. Simi Sasagi
Canterbury Bulldogs vs Newcastle Knights
Sunday’s action kicks off with a clash between the 15th and 14th placed teams in the Bulldogs and Knights, but while those ladder positions might not inspire confidence in the quality of this game, there is plenty of reason to be intrigued by how it plays out. The Bulldogs had a big offseason and entered the year expecting to finally begin to drag themselves out of the doldrums and potentially into finals contention, and while they had a bad first fortnight they’ve been really competitive since. They suffered a second tight defeat in three weeks last weekend, but a two-point loss to the Storm in Melbourne is a pretty solid result for a team in their position, and followed on from a good four-point win over the Roosters the week prior – even if they completely melted down in the second half of that game. The Knights, meanwhile, also went down by two points, their loss coming at the hands of the Roosters. They have now lost four of their first six games, though with a couple of those having come by two points or less and another by eight points to the Warriors, they won’t be too disappointed by how they’ve played. They will, however, be desperate to start getting results. This should be a really interesting game between two teams whose current ladder positions probably bely the way they are each playing. It would be no surprise to see this one go right down to the wire for a couple of teams that have become accustomed to close games this year, but the Bulldogs have been really impressive the last couple of weeks. They can continue that strong form with a close win on their home turf this Sunday.
| Bookmaker | James’ Tip | Odds |
| Bulldogs to win | $2.08 |
| Bulldogs +2.5 | $1.85 |
| Bulldogs 1-12 | $3.30 |
Predicted Squads
Canterbury Bulldogs: 1. Blake Taaffe 2. Connor Tracey 3. Jacob Kiraz 4. Stephen Crichton 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Matt Burton 7. Drew Hutchison 8. Chris Patolo 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Poasa Faamausili 11. Viliame Kikau 12. Josh Curran 13. Jaeman Salmon 14. Bailey Hayward 15. Kurtis Morrin 16. Sam Hughes 17. Kitione Kautoga
Newcastle Knights : 1. Kalyn Ponga 2. Enari Tuala 3. Dane Gagai 4. Bradman Best 5. Greg Marzhew 6. Jack Cogger 7. Jackson Hastings
8. Jacob Saifiti 9. Jayden Brailey 10. Leo Thompson 11. Dylan Lucas 12. Kai Pearce-Paul 13. Adam Elliott 14. Phoenix Crossland 15. Daniel Saifiti 16. Jack Hetherington 17. Mat Croker
Cronulla Sharks vs North Queensland Cowboys
Round 7 concludes with what is probably the most interesting matchup of the weekend with the exception of Thursday night’s game. Both the Sharks and the Cowboys have started the season really well as they attempt to put themselves in the Premiership conversation, and six rounds in find themselves sitting in the top four – with the Sharks out on top with a 4-1 record. That solitary loss was a pretty bad one – they went down by 26 points to the Tigers – but that defeat is sticking out like a sore thumb in what has otherwise been a really good season. They put up 30+ points for the second consecutive week last round, beating the hapless Rabbitohs 34-22 after beating the Raiders 36-22 the week prior. The Cowboys didn’t have quite so much success. Despite starting positively with a fourth minute try to Jeremiah Nanai, they were ultimately overrun by the Eels and suffered their second win in three weeks. Having won their first three games of the season, however, they’re still sitting pretty up the top of the ladder. Scoring has been a breeze for the Cowboys this season, with the 177 points they have scored easily the most in the league, though defensively they have been a little leakier than they would like and have conceded less points than only the Bunnies. Given the way that the Sharks offence has been humming in the last couple of weeks, we could be in for a high-scoring game here to conclude Round 7. The Cowboys can easily win this, but given the way that the Sharks have been playing over the past fortnight, it’s hard to go past them on their home deck.
| Bookmaker | James’ Tip | Odds |
| Sharks to win | $1.70 |
| Sharks -2.5 | $1.91 |
| Over 42.5 total match points | $1.90 |
Predicted Squads
Cronulla Sharks : 1. Will Kennedy 2. Kayal Iro 3. Jesse Ramien 4. Siosifa Talakai 5. Ronaldo Mulitalo 6. Braydon Trindall 7. Nicho Hynes 8. Thomas Hazelton 9. Blayke Brailey 10. Oregon Kaufusi 11. Briton Nikora 12. Teig Wilton 13. Cam McInnes 14. Dale Finucane 15. Braden Hamlin-Uele 16. Toby Rudolf 17. Tukupa-Ke Hau Tapuha
North Queensland Cowboys : 1. Scott Drinkwater 2. Kyle Feldt 3. Valentine Holmes 4. Tom Chester 5. Murray Taulagi 6. Tom Dearden 7. Chad Townsend 8. Jordan McLean 9. Reece Robson 10. Jason Taumalolo 11. Kulikefu Finefeuiaki 12. Jeremiah Nanai 13. Reuben Cotter 14. Jake Granville 15. Griffin Neame 16. Sam McIntyre 17. Jack Gosiewski
