NRL Round 4 Review: Knights surge in premiership betting

A round of upsets, floggings and a hint of controversy signalled the real return of rugby league.

No refereeing issues in round three just didn’t feel right, but it only took one week to rectify that situation.

Before we move ahead to round five, let’s look back at the big talking points and NRL betting action from round four.

Broncos 059 Roosters

The Sydney Roosters‘ left edge, more specifically Josh Morris, took the chocolates in the first try scorer market as predicted for a nice return at $13. A perfect way to start the long weekend and a surprise to absolutely no one.

Two separate bets of $25,500 and $20,000 at $1.27 for a profit of $7,385 and $5,400 respectively also proved to be an easy way to make a significant return on a sure thing.

After two heavy defeats at their home ground, huge questions are being asked of the Brisbane Broncos ahead of their clash with Manly on Thursday.

Panthers 260 Warriors

Unfortunately for the New Zealand Warriors, they were unable to back up their fantastic win in round three and were held scoreless against an enthusiastic Panthers outfit.

It cost one punter $12,000 after the over 38.5 total points margin fell well under at the 26-0 scoreline.

Another lost $20,000 after the Warriors’ first-half line of +3.5 failed to deliver.

Storm 228 Rabbitohs

A close game down in Melbourne may have had South Sydney Rabbitohs fans believing their winless drought in the Victorian capital may end. That was until the Storm dominated the final 25 minutes to record a 22-8 win.

We rightly thought the under 39.5 total points line was the way to go with Souths’ spluttering attack, along with the 13+ margin paying $2.60.

One huge bet of note was a $60,000 stake at $1.33 on the Melbourne Storm in the head-to-head market for a return of $79,800, which feels a bit like stealing lollies from a child. It’s easy to say after the fact, but this punter was obviously aware of the previous 15 attempts by Souths to win in Victoria.

Eels 1916 Sea Eagles

It was the Parramatta Eels‘ first big test of the season and they survived to sit on top of the NRL ladder with a 19-16 win.

A controversial decision robbed the Manly Sea Eagles of a chance in the final seconds, but replays showed Reuben Garrick may have lost control of the ball anyway. Nonetheless, it was heartbreak for those who had Manly 1-12 at the $3.20 price.

One bet of note from this clash was a $20,000 wager at $1.95 on 19 points or less to be scored in the first half. A 12-2 score line at the break allowed a cool return of $39,000 and what we only can imagine as a stress-free second half.

Cowboys 1626 Sharks

The withdrawal of Jason Taumalolo gave the Cronulla Sharks a huge leg up as they went north in search of their first win in 2020.

They left Townsville with two competition points and a return to form for strike centre Jesse Ramien, who scored two tries and set up another in the 26-16 win over the North Queensland Cowboys.

Those who got on the Sharkies at $2.20 earlier in the week would have been cheering from their lounge rooms. Unfortunately, the $10 for Valentine Holmes to score twice against his old club didn’t pull through.

Raiders 1834 Knights

A dominant 34-18 win by the Newcastle Knights has changed the NRL Premiership landscape. For the first time in a long time, there is belief the Novocastrians can make a tilt at winning it all.

Newcastle have gone from $19 into $13 in premiership betting, while the Canberra Raiders have lost favouritism in the space of seven days with the Roosters moving to the top line at $4.50.

How many of you had the Knights to win 13+ at $8.50 and cheered home Bradman Best in the 80th minute to score? Commiserations to those who took 1-12. Heartbreak and triumph.

Titans 2823 Tigers

One gets the feeling the punters lost big time on this one and the bookies walked away with full pockets.

Everything looked set for the Wests Tigers to notch a comfortable win after they raced out to a 12-0 lead early, but the Titans did what they sometimes do: they pulled off an upset from nowhere.

All week no one could make a case for an upset, yet it happened. To the person who put $13,500 on the Gold Coast Titans paying $3.60, we salute you.

Bulldogs 222 Dragons

One reckless punter put down $10,000 at $1.92 on the St George Illawarra Dragons and, of course, they lost 22-2 to sit alone at the bottom of the table.

We thought the $1.90 for the Canterbury Bulldogs was a great price and under 37.5 was also terrific value, and both bets pulled through.

The Dogs flipped the script winning so convincingly, as the Dragons now sit at $3 for most losses in the 2020 NRL season.