Raiders vs Sea Eagles NRL R23 betting tips – Friday, August 20

There will be plenty at stake for both the Raiders and the Sea Eagles when they meet in Brisbane on Friday evening in round 23 of the 2021 NRL Premiership. Canberra desperately need two points as they chase eighth spot from the Titans, while Manly need a win to remain in the hunt for a fourth place finish.

The Raiders will be buoyed by the return of the much-loved Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, who hasn’t played since Round 5 following surgery on his neck. Captain Jarrod Croker is missing due to a concussion and Tom Starling is recovering from a broken jaw, so the Green Machine are dipping deep into their squad to find the answers.

Manly have the same 17 who destroyed Parramatta, having survived a huge scare when Tom Trbojevic was misdiagnosed with a fractured cheekbone. He has been named at fullback, but coach Des Hasler has been known to play ‘ducks and drakes’ with team lists before kickoff, so there will be intrigue right up until the final hour to see if Tommy Turbo will actually play.

Raiders vs Sea Eagles betting analysis

Desperate times are going to call on desperate men from the capital. Their backs are against the wall and they need to stand up, but they’ve shown already they can thwart Manly provided Tom Trbojevic doesn’t take the field. They were $4.50 to get the win in Round 17, can they deliver at the $5 price? Are Raiders fans going to assume Des Hasler is playing ‘silly buggers’ with his team list? Bailey Simonsson is $15 to score the first try on the back of a hat-trick against Melbourne, so that’s a terrific price for someone in that vein of form. The fairytale result would be Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad at $26 to score first if the run-on side is switched up, and that is well within the realms of possibility. The hard-running Matt Timoko absolutely butchered a try last week, but his physical gifts close to the line make him a great option in the anytime tryscorer market at $4.20. The desperation of the situation for them also makes them great value at the +16.5 line.

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Their form is irresistible and punters are going to throw down their cash on the 13 plus margin at the $1.62 price, but is that wise? They have scored 40 or more points in three of their last four games which suggests they’ll run the score up, but they scored 50 points for three consecutive weeks in rounds 14, 15 and 16 before losing to – you guessed it – the Canberra Raiders. Have they found their bogey side? It still looks as though they should get the win, but this has the feel of a 1-12 point game. Jason Saab, Reuben Garrick and Tom Trbojevic all scored last week and you’d be mad not to get on all of them individually. They all rank in the top five tryscorers for the season, so it is lunacy at this point if you don’t have them in your betting slip.

Key matchup: Sam Williams vs Tom Trbojevic

Sam Williams did a terrific job in the corresponding game six weeks ago in steering Canberra to a win with two tries, but Manly will no doubt attack him on Friday evening. Let’s assume Tom Trbojevic is playing; when Tommy Turbo goes down that left side, he is going to manipulate Williams’ lack of lateral speed, and it is going to cause huge issues for the Raiders on that side of the field.

Raiders vs Sea Eagles predictions & best bets

Match winner: Manly Sea Eagles

Manly will win and keep the pressure on the Roosters and Eels for a fourth-place finish. We believe Tom Trbojevic will take his place in the game and score a double, and Haumole Olakau’atu will score another try on the right edge. Matt Timoko will score for the Raiders in a losing effort.

Same game multi: 5 legs @ $88.50

Raiders +16.5 with a Tom Trbojevic double and Matt Timoko, Reuben Garrick and Jason Saab all to score a try gets you a whopping $88.50 return.