NRL 2024: How have pre-season premiership odds stacked up?

The 2024 NRL finals are here, with only eight teams remaining in the hunt for the premiership.

Looking at the pre-season odds for the title at Australia’s top bookmakers, five of this year’s finals combatants sat within the top eight outright betting lines in early February.

Here are the 2024 NRL Premiership winner odds from Bet365 ahead of round one:

• Penrith Panthers – $3.75
• Brisbane Broncos – $4.33
• South Sydney Rabbitohs – $8.50
• Sydney Roosters – $9
• Melbourne Storm – $11
• North Queensland Cowboys – $19
• New Zealand Warriors – $19
• Cronulla Sharks – $21
• Parramatta Eels – $21
• Newcastle Knights – $23
• Manly Sea Eagles – $29
• Canterbury Bulldogs – $41
• Dolphins – $41
• Gold Coast Titans – $51
• Wests Tigers – $101
• St George Illawarra Dragons – $101

The Knights, Sea Eagles and Bulldogs all punched above their weight, making the top eight after sitting 10th, 11th and 12th respectively in early premiership betting.

Though they did not make the cut, the Dragons also exceeded expectations in 2024.

They were in the running to make the top eight up until the last round, despite starting with the longest odds to win this year’s grand final.

Noticeable failures this season were the Broncos, Rabbitohs, Warriors and Eels.

The Broncos and Rabbitohs were expected to be title contenders. Instead, both had tough runs of form and injury, finishing 12th and 16th respectively.

The Warriors were picked to squeeze into the eight having made the semi-finals in 2023, but they could only 13th place this year.

While the Eels’ pre-season odds to win the title implied they would be touch-and-go to make the top eight, they instead ended up being in a fight for the wooden spoon, finishing 15th.

Storm, Panthers favourites in NRL Premiership betting

This is how odds to win the 2024 NRL Grand Final are now looking as we head into the first weekend of the post-season:

• Melbourne Storm – $2.50
• Penrith Panthers – $3.10
• Sydney Roosters – $7
• Cronulla Sharks – $12
• North Queensland Cowboys – $17
• Manly Sea Eagles – $21
• Canterbury Bulldogs – $21
• Newcastle Knights – $51

The Storm are the big improvers, moving from pre-season odds of $11 to outright premiership favouritism at $2.50.

The Panthers also remain firm title contenders at $3.75, as do the Roosters, who have come in from $9 to $7 since the start of the season.

Both the Sharks and Cowboys remain moderate chances, as they were pre-season.

The Sea Eagles, Bulldogs and Knights are still not given a strong chance of winning the premiership, with odds between $21 and $51.

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