Cowboys vs Roosters NRL tips & top value bets – Round 4, 2022

The Sydney Roosters travel north to Townsville on Saturday to take on the North Queensland Cowboys in round four of the 2022 NRL Premiership.

After starting the season with a narrow loss to the Bulldogs, the Cowboys have recorded two convincing victories against the Raiders and the Broncos to go second on the ladder. Meanwhile, the Roosters have started in far less impressive fashion for the campaign with big losses to the Newcastle Knights and rivals South Sydney Roosters. This clearly has no bearing on current NRL betting markets, as the Roosters have been backed from $1.65 favourite into $1.45, pushing the Cowboys from $2.20 to $2.80.

The Roosters have won all three of their matches at Queensland Country Bank Stadium, while the Cowboys have only amassed nine wins in 24 starts there. Add into the equation that Easts have won 25 head-to-head clashes from 37 matches with the Cowboys and it’s easy to see why they’re hot favourites. However, this match may not be so straightforward.

Both teams have named unchanged line-ups from their round three sides, and that creates some concerning matchups in this game. Jeremiah Nanai comes off the back of an incredible hat-trick against the Brisbane Broncos, and young half Sam Walker will be marking up on Nanai’s side. Factor into this the fact that NSW backrower Angus Crichton has been named to start on the bench, Walker is without an experienced man inside him to mitigate his defensive weaknesses. Nanai can target that spot and also create additional space for centre Peta Hiku, who represents incredible value to score any time at $4.50 with BetOnline.

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When assessing the first three rounds of this year’s competition, the Cowboys have landed themselves in fifth position for most points scored in the year, alongside the likes of the Sharks and Eels. The Roosters are also allowing an average of 20 points per game to be scored against them. This suggests Saturday night could be a high-scoring affair, especially when you consider the attacking potential of this Roosters outfit. Three of the last five encounters have been over the total points for the game, and with the over/under line set at 40.5 points, it’s easy to see that total being well and truly eclipsed on Saturday night.

Picking the winner of this match, however, is not so straightforward. Considering the two wins already this season, you can expect the Cowboys to run out to a full house on Saturday night, giving them a major home ground advantage. The Cowboys have also completed their sets much better than Easts have to date, and with Chad Townsend at halfback, they will take full advantage of their ball control. The Cowboys have also had the least number of points scored against them of any club this year. It’s for all these reasons outlined that the North Queensland Cowboys are set up to shock the competition and beat the Sydney Roosters on Saturday evening.

Key matchup: Cowboys halves vs Roosters halves

Cowboys halves partners Chad Townsend and Tom Dearden have started the 2022 NRL season in incredible form, amassing five forced drop outs, seven try assists and four line-break assists in three matches. The comparative numbers of the Sydney halves are almost half of those figures, suggesting the Roosters will have to step up their game a long way to put their team in positions to score points and win this game of football. If the Cowboys halves continue their hot start to the 2022 NRL season, they will be the determining factor in beating the Sydney Roosters.

Cowboys vs Roosters betting predictions

This is not an easy one to tip, but we are taking the value about the Cowboys to spring an upset. Their halves are producing better numbers this season, while the Nanai-Walker matchup should give the home side’s outside backs some space to roam.

Cowboys vs Roosters NRL same-game multi

The North Queensland Cowboys are more than capable of scoring what some would call an ‘upset’ win, with the total match points going above 40.5 and Peta Hiku scoring a try. That will give you $15.32 of great value with Ladbrokes.

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