Two of the best teams in the National Rugby League will be going all-out for the big victory when the Melbourne Storm host the visiting Sydney Roosters in a matchup of legitimate championship hopefuls on Thursday. With Melbourne coming off an emphatic win the last time out and Sydney riding the wave of a fantastic winning streak, let’s find out which team is offering the best value against their NRL odds in this affair.
NRL Roosters Vs Storm Round 8
Why Bet On The Storm
Melbourne is sitting in fourth place in the NRL standings with 10 points. The Storm have scored 148 points this season while allowing 83 points defensively (+65). Melbourne has gone 2-1 at home and 3-1 on the road this season. Melbourne has won three of their last four and got back in the win column in round 7 by smacking the New Zealand Warriors senseless in their 50-6 blowout win on Friday. Suliasi Vunivalu led the way to victory by scoring three tries while Paul Momirovski and Ryan Papenhuyzen both added a pair of tries in the win. Brandon Smith and Josh Addo-Carr also scored tries in the completely dominating win. Cameron Smith went 7-for-9 on conversions and the Storm allowed just one scoring try in the win. Cameron Munster’s absence with a knee injury means that either Ryley Jacks or Cooper Johns will be called up to partner with Jahrome Hughes in the halves. Tui Kamikamica has recovered from a back injury while Josh Addo-Carr, Christian Welch and Kenny Bromwich will be monitored after head knocks last week.
Why Bet On The Roosters
The Roosters are sitting in third place in the NRL standings with 10 points. The two-time defending champs have scored a league-high 201 points while allowing just 69 points defensively to own the league’s best point differential total (+132). Sydney has gone an identical 3-1 at home and 2-1 on the road this season. The Roosters have won five straight and come into this contest off a solid 26-12 win over the St. George Dragons on Friday. Brett Morris scored a trio of tries to lead the way to victory while Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Luke Keary added scoring tries. Kyle Flanagan went 3-for-5 on conversions while the Roosters limited the Dragons to a pair of tries and one conversion. Victor Radley and Sam Verrills are out after rupturing their ACLs. Isaac Liu is also expected to be sidelined with a broken rib. Nat Butcher will likely replace Radley at lock while Jake Friend will power through 80 minutes in Verrills’ absence. Josh Morris (calf) and James Tedesco (head knock) will also be on the pitch.
General Match Info Sydney Roosters (5-0-2) vs Melbourne Storm (5-0-2)
Expert Analysis and Prediction
While these two rivals have identical records coming into this matchup, Sydney is playing much better as the defending champs have clearly found their form in recent weeks following a slow start. The Roosters have won three of the last five meetings in this series including a hard-fought 14-6 home win the last time they met on September 28. Three of the last five meetings has been decided by two points or less, so I’m expecting another knock-down, drag-out street brawl in this matchup. I’m going with streaking Sydney to get it done because they have the far more dangerous offense and the statistically better defense as well.
Pick: Roosters 24 Storm 20
Telstra Premiership 2020 Round 8 Matches
- Dragons vs Raiders – Friday 3rd July, 04:00 AM | GIO Stadium, Canberra
- Cowboys vs Eels – Friday 3rd July, 05:55 AM | Bankwest Stadium, Sydney
- Sharks vs Titans – Friday 3rd July, 01:00 AM | Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast
- Broncos vs Warriors – Saturday 4th July, 03:30 AM | Central Coast Stadium, Central Coast
- Panthers vs Wests Tigers – Saturday 4th July, 05:35 AM | Bankwest Stadium, Sydney
- Knights vs Sea Eagles – Sunday 5tht July, 02:05 AM | Lottoland, Sydney
- Rabbitohs vs Bulldogs – Sunday 5th July, 04:30 AM | Bankwest Stadium, Sydney