NRL Dragons v Raiders betting preview & round 16 tips | 3/7/22

Round 16 of the 2022 NRL Premiership concludes with a big showdown in Wollongong when the St George-Illawarra Dragons host the Canberra Raiders on Sunday afternoon.

Both teams are coming off a win in their previous start and with both teams still in the hunt for a Finals berth, this game essentially becomes a four-point win over a rival in the chasing pack.

To see the St George-Illawarra Dragons as the outsider for this game is a little surprising. Their last performance was a big win over the Rabbitohs at the same venue, so either the bookies really don’t rate South Sydney or they think Canberra are better than what their record suggests.

The Dragons will field the same side that demolished the Bunnies and they are currently sitting in eighth position, so why the underdog status is a bit of a mystery.

The Saints have won three of their past four games and have found a bit of rhythm since Cody Ramsey moved to fullback, which a few weeks ago looked like a confusing move.

It has been a problem position for them but they looked settled with Ramsay there and Talatau Amone partering Ben Hunt in the halves.

Will their pack be able to dominate against Joe Tapine and Josh Papali’I like they did against South Sydney remains the big question and if you had a gun to your head you’d have to say no.

Can they remain in the grind and keep it tight? Absolutely, so you’d be mad not to consider the Saints as the best pick for an underdog winning this weekend.

The 1-12 margin at $3.20 looks a terrific pick and Zac Lomax at $3.30 to score a try is also worth a look.

Lomax has tremendous highs and also moments where it leaves you scratching your head, but he can get the better of Sebastian Kris.

Canberra Raiders almost surrendered a 14-0 lead at home to Newcastle in their last game and come in as a road favourite. While they traditionally have a good record against the Dragons, the fact they barely scraped home against a poor football team a fortnight ago doesn’t exactly fill you with confidence if you’re keen on investing in the Raiders.

If not for Hudson Young producing some individual brilliance, the Raiders/opposition team combo in the halftime/fulltime market would have saluted again.

That combination for this game is currently at a tasty price with our top NRL bookmakers of $9.75 and everyone should be backing that for every Raiders game. They don’t call them the ‘Faiders’ for nothing.

Nick Cotric is the shortest-priced Raider at $2.25 in the anytime tryscorer market with Palmerbet, but the value pick could be Joseph Tapine at $7.50.

His form is absolutely insane at the minute and his footwork close to the line will pose huge issues for the Saints defensive line.

Key Match Up: Ben Hunt v Jamal Fogarty

Ben Hunt has been one of the best halfbacks in the competition for half a decade now and unless Canberra’s Jamal Fogarty can put in a performance that somewhat resembles the player the club thought they were buying, they will make it extremely hard to close out a competitive Dragons outfit. Hunt is one of the best on-field leaders in the competition and the Raiders need the same from the former Gold Coast skipper.

St George Dragons v Canberra Raiders betting tips

The Saints get a win in what is an upset on paper. 1-12 will be the margin as the Raiders haven’t lost 13 plus since Round Seven against Penrith.

Dragons vs Raiders same-game multi tips

Saints 1-12 with Moses Suli, Mikaele Ravalawa to score tries pays a tidy $17.45 at Ladbrokes.

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