Friday night NRL betting specials & tips, Bulldogs vs. Eels

Friday, March 18 from 8:05pm at ANZ Stadium

WHAT a Friday night game we have in store this week as the undefeated Canterbury Bulldogs host the Parramatta Eels.

The Bulldogs pulled out an outstanding comeback to beat the Penrith Panthers last week when Moses Mbye crossed the line in the 79th minute to tie the game. Rookie Kerrod Holland smoothly converting the try to help his team over the line.

The Bulldogs continued their hot start to 2016 after man-handling Manly in Round 1 and they now face an Eels side which caused an upset against the reigning champions last week, but they have lost some personnel for this game.

Manu Ma’u is suspended and Nathan Peats has injured his elbow. Kenny Edwards and Isaac De Gois will cover and David Gower comes on to the bench.

The Eels didn’t start their season well by losing to the Broncos, but New Zealand international Kieran Foran returned last week for their upset over the North Queensland Cowboys. He is the Eels’ catalyst and without him running the backline, they don’t appear to be the same outfit.

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NRL Round 3 Bulldogs vs. Eels head-to-head betting

Bulldogs – $1.60
Eels – $2.40

The line was much closer after their respective Round 2 games, but key player losses for the Eels has seen the line move in favour of the Bulldogs which are fully healthy.

There is some concern that New South Wales representative David Klemmer will miss this game due to a charge on making contact with a referee. If he is cleared Klemmer will be playing his 50th NRL game.

The current points spread line is set at 4 which could swing more towards 4.5 or 5 by the time this game is played on Friday night. We expect more money to come for the Bulldogs as punters can’t fully trust the Eels as of yet, and this should reflect in the line.

The Eels will also have to overcome a poor record at ANZ Stadium where they have won only 21 from 55 games. Compare that to the 107 from 188 games the Bulldogs have amassed and it’s one-sided traffic in that regard.

Who will win the game for the Bulldogs?

The Bulldogs have many threats across the park which includes their try-scoring winger Curtis Rona. He has a good ability to score tries in the corner and he will start most games as the first tryscorer favourite this season.

Rona is currently a $6 chance to score the game’s first try and although he came up short last week, we think he might be in for a big night here.

The halves pairing for the Bulldogs is another major factor as to why they are title contenders this season. Moses Mbye has developed into a more than handy player and Josh Reynolds has enormous ability when he screws his head on correctly.

Reynolds brings the toughness and Mbye brings the brilliance. Together they are tough to handle and the Eels defensive should have a tough time marking up. Both players are major tryscoring threats, but they can produce the odd 40/20 and Sportsbet are paying $5.50 that one will be kicked in this game – looks good to us.

In the forwards we like the look of big Sam Kasiano. He can turn the game on its head with powerful runs and he’s hard to stop close to the line. He also has an offload in his game which makes him dangerous, but we think he might cross the line himself this week.

If Kasiano scores and the Bulldogs win, punters will get $12 for Sportsbet which looks like a good NRL exotic bet this Friday.

The Eels key players and betting options

The loss of Ma’u and Peats won’t be easy for the Eels to overcome, but they still possess some talented players with Semi Radradra being the standout.

The Fijian winger is used to being the favourite for first tryscorer options, but punters are getting $7.50 for Radradra to score first which is good value. If he gets good delivery from Koran and Corey Norman, he should be able to score in this game.

Radradra is $1.62 to score at anytime with CrownBet.com.au.

With a forward pack that is struggling for the big names, the Eels will look towards their talented backline which includes noted speedster Michael Jennings. The NSW Blues representative hasn’t been in sparkling form to kick off this season, but it’s surely only a matter of time.

He is paying $14 to score first and the Eels will need a big performance from him if there are to topple the Bulldogs.

Despite the talents of the both Radradra and Jennings, we think the Bulldogs prevail by 10 points this Friday night. Go for broke and bet Bulldogs exact winning margin (10) at $20 with Sportsbet.