Fiji vs Cook Islands NRL Pacific Championship preview & tips
| Fiji vs Cook Islands NRL Pacific Championship 2023 Odds & Game Info | |
|---|---|
| Best odds | Fiji -1666.67 at Neds | Cook Islands +825 at Dabble |
| When | Sunday, October 22 | 4pm AEST |
| Where | Santos National Football Stadium, Port Moresby |
| Watch live | Nine, 9Now, Kayo, Fox Sports |
Fiji vs Cook Islands Best Bets
Fiji -25.5
Maika Sivo 2+ Tries
Steven Marsters Anytime Tryscorer
New Zealand vs Samoa NRL Preview
Week two of the Pacific Championships continues on Sunday afternoon as Fiji face off against the Cook Islands in Port Moresby
Playing their first match since their stellar World Cup campaign last year, Fiji will be looking to hit the ground running with a squad filled with NRL talent.
New captain Tui Kamikamica leads an inexperienced forward line, while Brandon Wakeham and Kurt Donoghoe make up the halves pairing.
NRL rookies Jahream Bula and Sunia Turuva make their debuts in the backline as they combine with the experience of Maika Sivo, Waqa Blake, and Mikaele Ravalawa.
Unfortunately, Origin hooker Api Koroisau has been ruled out with a calf injury but is set to return later in the Championships.
The Cook Islands will be looking to bounce back from their disappointing effort in their opening game as they went down 46-10 to Papua New Guinea last weekend.
Adding to the disappointment last weekend, was a facial injury sustained by halfback Tevin Arona and as such Esan Marsters will move into the position.
Prop Makahesi Makatoa was also injured in the clash and has been replaced by William Samuel.
New Zealand vs Samoa NRL Betting Tips
After their unimpressive performance last weekend, it is hard to see the Cook Islands improving substantially this weekend. As such, we are backing the Fijian team as heavy favourites at the line of -25.5 for greater value at -111.11 with top online bookmakers.
With such heavy favouritism, the odds for individual try scorers do not show much value, therefore we are looking for players to score multiple tries. Although the whole Fiji backline is incredibly explosive, the standout is Maika Sivo who has six tries in his eight matches for Fiji. Back him in at +160 to score two or more tries at Neds.
After scoring last weekend, Cook Islands winger, Steven Marsters looks like the most likely option as an anytime try scorer at +185 with top rugby league bookmakers.
