Roosters vs Warriors betting tips & odds – NRL 2021, Round 4

The New Zealand Warriors will be looking to spring another upset this Sunday when they take on the Sydney Roosters at the SCG in round four of the 2021 NRL season.

The Roosters’ premiership chances flew out the window when Luke Keary was diagnosed with a torn ACL, and in the short term they could have a difficult month. Lachlan Lam is also missing now with an MCL injury, and it’s opened the door for much-hyped rookie Sam Walker to make his NRL debut at halfback. Victor Radley makes his long-awaited return at lock and will help tremendously with the inexperienced halves pairing, but the Chooks lose more than a little zing without Keary pulling the strings.

The Warriors’ stunning win in Canberra has them flying high while justifying our prediction that they will be a tipster’s nightmare this season. They won’t get the advantage of playing against 13 fit players two weeks in a row, but Nathan Brown’s side are settled in the key positions and pose a real threat to the Roosters as they look to move to a 3-1 record.

Key matchup: James Tedesco vs Roger Tuivasa-Sheck

The form of both Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and James Tedesco has been nothing short of absurd so far in 2021, and they hold the result in their hands. Tedesco is going to have to prove he can be a creative player for others if the Sydney Roosters are going to be an attacking threat, while Tuivasa-Sheck will be able to stick closer to his natural role, which gives him an advantage over the Australia and New South Wales fullback. RTS has an experienced ally in Kodi Nikorima, who is having a terrific opening month in his own right, while Tedesco has a debutant, a rookie and a journeyman in his spine alongside him, which is going to make it hard for the Roosters to have any fluency.

Sydney Roosters betting info

In a perverse kind of way, the injury to Luke Keary might force Sydney’s veterans to sharpen their focus and provide them a new challenge. As $1.50 favourites they don’t have too much value and feel ripe for the picking, but they have won 15 of their last 18 at the SCG and should be in the contest because of that home-ground advantage alone. It is interesting to note that 17-year-old Joseph Suaalii is $2.70 with NRL betting sites to score a try at any time, despite not being named in the 17. Will he be a late inclusion to make his much-anticipated debut?

Sydney Roosters

1. James Tedesco
2. Daniel Tupou
3. Josh Morris
4. Joseph Manu
5. Brett Morris
6. Drew Hutchison
7. Sam Walker
8. Isaac Liu
9. Freddy Lussick
10. Siosiua Taukeiaho
11. Angus Crichton
12. Sitili Tupouniua
13. Victor Radley
14. Matt Ikuvalu
15. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves
16. Nat Butcher
17. Fletcher Baker

NZ Warriors betting info

It looks like the Warriors won’t get a better chance to topple the Chooks at the SCG, so find the best price in the head-to-head markets at our top-ranked online bookmakers and pick them to be the upset of the round for the second week in a row. They have a settled team that has barely changed since the opening round and should roll on full of confidence. The $5 for Kodi Nikorima to score at any time has to be jumped on, and the $3.10 for RTS should be thrown into your multis.

New Zealand Warriors

1. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck
2. David Fusitu’a
3. Adam Pompey
4. Marcelo Montoya
5. Ken Maumalo
6. Kodi Nikorima
7. Sean O’Sullivan
8. Addin Fonua-Blake
9. Wayde Egan
10. Bunty Afoa
11. Eliesa Katoa
12. Bayley Sironen
13. Tohu Harris
14. Jazz Tevaga
15. Ben Murdoch-Masila
16. Leeson Ah Mau
17. Jack Murchie

Roosters vs Warriors betting prediction

If you can get $2.70 or better for the Warriors, you should take it. They will take a lot of confidence from the way they came back against Canberra, their lineup is much more settled than Sydney’s, and realistically they should win.

Roosters vs Warriors same game multi

The Warriors in the head-to-head stakes with Ken Maumalo and RTS to both score any time will get you a handy $9.25 return at Sportsbet.