Knights v Titans NRL betting preview & best bets | Sunday 14/5/23

Sunday afternoon NRL kicks off in Newcastle with the Knights hosting the Gold Coast Titans at McDonald Jones Stadium. In one of the most even matches of the year, both sides are fighting for their spot in the top eight, but who will earn their place?

Returning from a bye, the Newcastle Knights have been forced to make just one change with Kurt Mann (Injury, abdomen) being ruled out indefinitely. This opens this door for Mat Croker to shift into the starting side with off-season recruit Adam Elliot to make his club debut from the interchange bench.

The Titans have named Kruise Leeming on the bench with Keano Kini in the reserves which could be the only change in an otherwise unchanged Titans line-up.

These two sides have met 27 times in the NRL with the Knights winning on 14 occasions including nine wins from 13 matches in Newcastle. The Titans were admirable in their win against the Eels but continue to concede second half points that risks being beaten late. The Knights will be fresh coming off of the bye, a trend that has been profitable for punters this season. Further, the two losses the Knights have suffered at home this season were to the Dolphins and Panthers, two teams that are in great form. $1.90 for the home side to secure a win is the value bet of the weekend with PalmerBet.

The Knights have had two weeks to prepare for the possibility of right winger Greg Marzhew taking on the much smaller Alofiana Khan-Pereira for the Gold Coast Titans. Marzhew is one of the strongest outside backs in the NRL, proving week-by-week to be almost impossible to tackle. The almost 20kg difference in size between the two means centre Dane Gagai only needs to get the ball to Marzhew early for an almost certain try ($1.76) any time during the match.

History between these two sides suggests this will be a high scoring affair. The last two matches alone have had more than 50 points scored. Sunday afternoon will be ideal conditions for both forward packs to move through the middle of the field to set their sides up with plenty of point scoring opportunities. Should the platforms be set, this game should have plenty more than 45.5 points ($1.90) recorded.

Key matchup: Greg Marzhew v Alofiana Khan-Pereira

Greg Marzhew vs Alofiana Khan-Pereira

The battle on the edge between these two wingers really could decide the outcome of the match. Khan-Pereira has been in brilliant form in his debut season at the Titans scoring tries with relative ease. Marking up against a former club teammate, he will need to be acutely aware of the target he will be in the defensive line. If the Titans rookie cannot hold his own early on Sunday, he could be in for the longest day of his short career.

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