NRL Round 8 Footy Form: The stats that matter, what’s been backed and where the money is going
CHECK out all the best stats for NRL Round 8 plus what’s being backed and where the money is going in order to find a winner.
Footy Form
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Check out all the best stats, what’s been backed and where the money is going in order to find a winner.
Bulldogs v Titans
ANZ Stadium, Saturday 3pm
HEAD TO HEAD
Gold Coast has won seven of the 13 matches played between these teams, including winning four of their past five matches against Canterbury. Four of the past five matches have been decided by 10 points or more.
RED ZONE
Canterbury have the best red-zone defence of any team this season conceding a try for every 25.4 tackles that opponents have inside its 20m line, the best ratio of any team.
HOME SICK
Gold Coast have lost eight of their past nine away matches, including seven straight from Round 16, 2015 to Round 2, 2016.
CURTIS CAN
Curtis Rona has scored four tries in two games against the Titans, bagging doubles in each match. Rona has scored 15 tries in 16 career games at ANZ Stadium.
Betting summary: The Titans are not seeing much love in the betting with all the support sitting with the Bulldogs.
TAB Latest market for Bulldogs v Titans
Raiders v Tigers
GIO Stadium, Saturday 5:30pm
POUNCING TIGER
The Tigers have won 11 out of 14 matches against the Raiders since 2009 – this is their best record against any team in this period.
STADIUM SORROW
After a 12-game winning streak at Canberra Stadium in 2012-13 the Raiders have fallen on somewhat hard times in the capital, winning just nine of 32 matches since. In that period they have had just one losing streak of less than three games.
LOSING STREAK
This season is the fifth straight that the Tigers have recorded a five game or worse losing streak. They have not lost six straight matches since 2014; coincidentally on that occasion their sixth loss was away to the Raiders.
LONGING FOR HOME
The Tigers have won just one of their past nine away matches – the 20-18 win against the Raiders in Round 22 last season.
Betting summary: Punters can’t split these two sides with money running 50/50 in the head-to-head. However, Tigers are seeing support to cover the 7.5 line.
TAB Latest market for Raiders v Tigers
Cowboys v Eels
1300SMILES Stadium, Saturday 7:30pm
WINNING SIDE
The Cowboys have won eight of their past nine matches between these two sides in Townsville, including the past four – scoring at least 40 points in all four matches.
HISTORY MAKING
The Cowboys have begun the season with four straight wins in Townsville – they have never won their first five home games of a season.
GRAND FINAL CALLING
On six of the past seven occasions Parramatta have won five of their opening seven matches they have made the Grand Final, going on to win the Premiership on four occasions.
KYLE FELDT
Scored in the Cowboys win over the Rabbitohs last week and has now scored in each of his past three games. He has scored 11 tries in 13 career games at 1300SMILES Stadium including scoring in each of his past three at the venue.
Betting summary: Punters can’t split these two sides with money running pretty close to 50/50 in the head-to-head. The Cowboys are seeing support at the -8.5 line.
TAB Latest market for Cowboys v Eels
Sharks v Panthers
Southern Cross Group Stadium, Sunday 4pm
STRONG RECORD
Cronulla have a good winning record over Penrith, winning five of their past seven matches since 2011. Five of these have been decided by eight points or less, including three being decided by two points or less.
HOME ADVANTAGE
The Sharks are three from three at home this season, but have not won their first four home fixtures of a season since their minor premiership year in 1999 when they won their first eight matches on their way to a 12 win and one loss season in the Shire.
SHARK ATTACK
The big improvement in Cronulla has been their attack. The Sharks have scored 169 points this season – the second-most in club history. The most was 170 in 1978 when they made the Grand Final
SOSAIA FEKI
Has scored three tries in four games against the Panthers.
Betting summary: The Sharks have won four in a row and our customers think their winning ways will continue as they are seeing 80 per cent of the money in the head-to-head market.
TAB Latest market for Sharks v Panthers
Knights v Sea Eagles
Hunter Stadium, Monday 2pm
SPLIT HISTORY
Newcastle has a poor record over Manly winning just 17 of 45 games in total, and just one of the past seven matches. The story is reversed through in Newcastle with the Knights winning 12 of 20 overall.
TRY TROUBLE
The Knights have only scored 15 tries in seven games this season.
DEFENCE WOES
The Knights’ lacklustre results can be attributed to their defence. They are the worst team in the competition with points conceded (32.7 per game), tries conceded (5.9 per game), metres conceded (1526 per game), line-breaks conceded (6 per game) and penalties conceded (9.1 per game).
HOME AWAY
Manly have won six of their past seven games away including two of their three away games this season. During this time the Sea Eagles have scored 20 or more points in the six of the seven matches.
Betting summary: Manly to win by 13+ and the draw are the popular picks in the margin betting. In head-to-head, Manly are seeing just a little more support than the Knights.
TAB Latest market for Knights v Sea Eagles
Dragons v Roosters
Allianz Stadium, Monday 4pm
ANZAC DAY
Since their 2010 Grand Final win over the Roosters, the Dragons have won just three of 10 games in total against the Roosters. However all three wins have come on Anzac Day.
DRAGONS ATTACK
The Dragons’ attack is the worst in the league scoring the fewest points (just 8.4 per game), tries (1.3 per game) and making the fewest line-breaks (2.4 per game). They are also making the most errors (12.7 per game).
IT CAN BE DONE
Just three teams in the NRL era (1998-2015) have made the finals after winning just one of their opening seven matches – the Dragons and Raiders both in 2002 and Broncos in 1999.
DANIEL TUPOU
Is one try shy of his 50th for his career, all for the Roosters. He has scored three tries in five career games against the Dragons. Tupou has scored 30 tries in 42 career games at Allianz Stadium, however he has only scored one try in his past seven games at the venue.
Betting summary: In both the head-to-head and line there isn’t much separating these two sides in support. The Roosters are seeing slightly more than the Dragons.
TAB Latest market for Dragons v Roosters
Storm v Warriors
AAMI Park, Monday 7pm
HEAD TO HEAD
Melbourne have won 19 of 37 matches against the Warriors, with two draws also recorded. The Warriors have won three of the past five matches between these teams.
CLOSE CALL
The Storm have won five of their seven matches this season, but have not won back-to-back matches since Round 3. Six of the seven matches have been decided by eight points or less, including three that were by four points or less.
ONE TO WATCH
Marika Koroibete scored his fourth try of the season against the Tigers last week, also running for a season-high 201 metres to go with two line-breaks. He has scored four tries in three games against the Warriors, plus scored 12 tires in 18 games at AAMI Park.
BLAKE’S BACK
Blake Ayshford has scored more tries this season (four) than he scored in the previous three seasons combined (three tries in 36 games). His two line-breaks last week against the Bulldogs was the first time in 79 games in which he made multiple line-breaks in a match.
Betting summary: It’s all about the Warriors in the head-to-head market. In the first tryscorer market, Solomone Kata is the popular pick.
TAB Latest market for Storm v Warriors
Originally published as NRL Round 8 Footy Form: The stats that matter, what’s been backed and where the money is going
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