NRL Titans v Tigers preview, best bets & odds – Thursday 8/6/23

Titans v Tigers NRL predictions & best bets

Gold Coast Titans v Wests Tigers NRL R15 match preview

Round 15 of the 2023 NRL Premiership kicks off on the Gold Coast with the Titans hosting the Wests Tigers at Cbus Super Stadium. Both clubs suffered losses in round 14 and will be eager to re-establish winnings habits through the middle third of the season.

The Gold Coast Titans have been forced to make several changes after David Fifita (injury, concussion) and Chris Randall (suspension) were ruled out of this weekend’s match. The losses have been partially remedied with AJ Brimson returning at fullback and Sam Verrills at hooker, with Klese Haas replacing Fifita in the second row.

The Wests Tigers have named an unchanged line-up from the side that was narrowly beaten by the Raiders at Campbelltown. The only late adjustment that was made saw Apisai Koroisau begin on the interchange bench having backed up from State of Origin one, but he is expected to start this weekend.

These two sides have met on 25 occasions with the Titans winning 16 times, including six of 11 matches at Cbus Super Stadium. The loss of Fifita is a major blow for the Titans, not only for his x-factor ability to pull off big plays at will, but also for the incredible work rate he has developed in 2023.

The Titans also showed a major weakness with Jayden Campbell playing in the defensive line, a weakness the Tigers will be looking to exploit. This makes the visitors brilliant value to get a win away from home at $2 odds with PalmerBet.

The weakness of Campbell in the defensive line is purely based on his size and strength. By no means is he a poor defender, but a huge target for opposition playmakers to isolate him one-on-one with a second rower who is incredibly difficult to tackle.

Bateman will likely be the man who will be running at the Titans right edge on Thursday following his try scoring effort in round 14. Should he replicate this performance, he will be incredibly difficult to tackle close to the line and is another great value play to score at any time during the match (3.35).

Warm, dry conditions are predicted for the Gold Coast this week which will produce a brilliant surface for an entertaining, fast paced game of football. Last week’s match between the Titans and Rabbitohs is evidence that this ground is one of the best in the country for scoring points, which both clubs can do, which will see the total match points for this game exceed 45.5 ($1.90).

Key matchup: Jayden Campbell vs Luke Brooks

Jayden Campbell vs Luke Brooks

The battle on the right edge has already been highlighted in terms of Campbell’s defence. It will be equally important that Brooks defends the incredible fast, agile, and deceptively strong Campbell when he has the ball in hand. The son of one of the first Indigenous All Star’s and a former Titan, Campbell will need to counter any poor defence with incredible attack to help his side win on Thursday.

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