Knights v Titans betting tips & value bets | NRL Rd 16, 1/7/22

Friday Night Football will get underway in the Hunter Valley when the Gold Coast Titans head south to take on the Newcastle Knights.

The Knights had their hearts broken just before the competition paused for Representative Round when they lost to the Raiders in the last minute, while the Titans fell to the Sharks by eight points to remain anchored to the bottom of the NRL ladder. The Newcastle Knights are the big loser coming out of State Of Origin with Kalyn Ponga being rested for the match after copping a heavy knock from Nathan Cleary in Game II of State Of Origin.

It has caused wild fluctuations in the betting market, with the Knights as short as $1.28 with Bet365 before their superstar captain was ruled out. Punters could get as much as $2 for the home team in the lead up to kick off and it will be an interesting market to monitor throughout the week. Considering the Knights are having their worst-ever season at home, the fact they were less than $1.30 at one stage tells you just how both bookies and punters feel about the Gold Coast Titans.

What could keep the Knights in the drivers’ seat is the probable return of their star hooker Jayden Brailey from an Achilles injury. Newcastle have lacked direction around the ruck all year and Brailey’s inclusion against a team as weak defensively through the middle as the Titans are shapes as the key factor in this game. Newcastle have struggled to score in home games this year, but it might turn for them this week and fans will want to be on Dominic Young to score a try. He is quietly putting together a season that is well beyond expectations in a team that’s struggled and it feels like his good form will be rewarded.

While the Knights blew out in the head-to-head market, the Gold Coast Titans came from the clouds to make this virtually an even-money game. At one stage punters could have got $3.40 with online bookmakers for the Gold Coast before the Ponga Injury news, but you’d have been a brave person to take those odds with any kind of confidence. The Titans have a habit of putting the cleaners through the Knights in recent years, with big wins on the Gold Coast in each of the last three seasons.

Travelling to Newcastle has been a concern for Titans’ teams in recent seasons, losing 38-4 in 2019, 30-24 in 2018 and 34-26 in 2017. The story of their season suggests they’ll struggled again to defend well, even if they are against the worst attacking team in the competition without its best player. As is the tip against the Knights in 2022, find a prop and put the house on them to score a try. Jarrod Wallace has shown this year he is more than capable of finding the stripe from close range, so find your best price and get some cash on the big man.

Key Match Up: Toby Sexton & Adam Clune

This contest isn’t exactly screaming with match-ups that fans should be flocking to the screen to see, but the key in this game will be Toby Sexton and Adam Clune. Both have had their moments where they’ve put good football on tape, but each of them go into the game knowing they need to be the calm head in team’s that play frantically.

Newcastle Knights vs Gold Coast Titans Betting Prediction

With not much confidence the Knights will sneak home in a close game at the 1-12 point margin. Titans recent record at the ground is hard to go past and they’re 16th for a reason.

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