NRL bookies finally taking Storm seriously after round 15 win

As recently as last week, bookmakers’ odds didn’t give the Melbourne Storm much chance of winning the 2024 NRL Grand Final.

Now, with the Storm having come from behind to defeat the New Zealand Warriors 38-24 in front of a packed-out Auckland crowd, bookies are finally seeing the light.

Melbourne have improved to second favourites overall, level with the Sydney Roosters on $5.50 to win the NRL this season.

Storm take control against error-riddled Warriors

A quarter of an hour into their round 15 match against the Warriors, Melbourne did not look likely to leave Auckland victorious.

NRL bookmakers had given New Zealand favouritism heading into this clash, courtesy of their three-match winning streak and injuries to the likes of Ryan Papenhuyzen and Cameron Munster.

The Warriors lived up to these expectations across the opening exchanges, scoring twice in front of a sold-out crowd to grab an early 14-0 lead.

That was as good as it got for the home team, however, as they promptly fell asleep and went into the break behind 20-14.

A brief renaissance post-oranges gave the Kiwi fans some hope, but it was short-lived, with Melbourne running in a pair of tries to cut off any hope midway through the second-half.

Big shifts in outright NRL odds after round 15

Other results in round 15 included the Brisbane Broncos suffering a poor loss to the South Sydney Rabbitohs on Friday night.

The Rabbitohs were well and truly up for this one, racing out to a 22-0 lead across the first hour. Brisbane ended up making the scoreboard competitive with two late tries, but they were comprehensively blown away by a team that went 1-9 to start the season.

As a result, rugby league bookmakers have made some big adjustments to their outright betting odds.

Heading into the round, the Broncos were second favourites to win the NRL at $5.75. Now, sit on the fourth line of betting at $7.

The Roosters have improved slightly to sit level with the Storm on $5.50 thanks to their win over the Eels, while the Sharks have also taken a hit.

Cronulla are now paying $9, out from $7 last week, courtesy of their two-point loss to the Dolphins on Thursday night.

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