Raiders vs Tigers NRL Round 1 betting tips – 14/3/2021

Canberra Raiders vs West Tigers betting preview

The Wests Tigers will look to buck an alarming trend when they kick off their 2021 NRL Premiership campaign against the Canberra Raiders at GIO Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The Raiders have dominated this matchup of late, winning nine of their last 11 clashes and running up some big scores in the process. Canberra have scored 40 or more four times in that stretch and have even come back from a 22-0 deficit to record a win.

Tigers fans absolutely hate this game and cannot stand the sight of Jordan Rapana, who has 11 tries in nine games against Wests. They are sick of finishing ninth and being the butt of everyone’s jokes, and the best way to stop that would be to make a statement down in the capital in round one.

Key matchup: James Roberts vs Sebastian Kris

A happy and healthy James Roberts can give the Tigers the strike power they need to blow games open, but one centre he has struggled to get around has been Jarrod Croker. However, with Croker still sidelined as he recovers from a shoulder injury, Roberts will instead come up against the inexperienced Sebastian Kris. With that in mind, you cannot ignore the $21 at Sportsbet.com.au for the Westies centre to score the first try.

Canberra Raiders betting info

The 100% crowd capacity in the nation’s means the viking clap is going to look a lot less patchy in 2021. Forecasts of rain are going to make an early-autumn game feel more like a fresh June afternoon, which only plays further into the home side’s hands. A bit like the Panthers, the line is set at -9.5 and the Green Machine should take care of that in a dominant home win. A big $10 is also on offer for Jack Wighton to score two or more tries, and he will be eager to impress after a lacklustre State of Origin series.

Canberra Raiders

1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad
2. Bailey Simonsson
3. Sebastian Kris
4. Curtis Scott
5. Jordan Rapana
6. Jack Wighton
7. George Williams
8. Josh Papalii
9. Josh Hodgson
10. Dunamis Lui
11. Hudson Young
12. Elliot Whitehead
13. Joseph Tapine
14. Siliva Havili
15. Ryan Sutton
16. Iosia Soliola
17. Ryan James

Wests Tigers betting info

Michael Maguire spent last season coaching resilience and defensive resolve into his side, and he has had the chance to make some changes to the roster since then. It means the Tigers should be super competitive in every game they play, and we can expect a season where they win games they shouldn’t but also lose games they shouldn’t. Luke Brooks needs to have a blinder, as the rest of the spine is either on debut or just not that good. The Raiders may only need 20 points to win by 13 or more, and they will handle the conditions better than the Tigers.

West Tigers

1. Daine Laurie
2. David Nofoaluma
3. James Roberts
4. Joseph Leilua
5. Asu Kepaoa
6. Moses Mbye
7. Luke Brooks
8. James Tamou
9. Jacob Liddle
10. Joe Ofahengaue
11. Luke Garner
12. Luciano Leilua
13. Alex Twal
14. Tommy Talau
15. Thomas Mikaele
16. Stefano Utoikamanu
17. Russel Packer

Raiders vs Tigers betting predictions

Again, it feels like a lay-up to get the Raiders winning by 13 or more. Their forward pack and bench possess too much relentless pressure for the Tigers to handle. A cohesive spine and a big day running the ball from Wighton is the recipe for a win.

Raiders vs West Tigers same game multi

A Wighton double into the Raiders by 13+ points at $15.25 is where you want to be.