Sharks vs Tigers NRL Round 3 betting odds, tips & predictions

Sharks vs Tigers NRL betting preview

Some NRL betting sites have the Tigers as high as $2.20, but this game should be more like a toss of the coin with the inclusion of star halfback Luke Brooks and emerging rake Harry Grant for Wests.

The Tigers looked the goods against St George in week one but followed it up with a diabolical performance against Newcastle before the break.

The big-name inclusions of Josh Dugan, Matt Moylan and Briton Nikora add much-needed strike power for the Cronulla Sharks, who struggled for points in the opening rounds of the season.

It’s not all good news in the Shire, however, as Bronson Xerri was handed a provisional suspension this week after failing a drug test.

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Michael Maguire will have the Tigers primed for a bounce-back performance after their round-two capitulation, while the Sharks were close in both their games but lacked an extra gear to get the chocolates.

Under John Morris, Cronulla have shown their best is good enough to be in the top eight, but they also have a lot of days where they don’t turn up with Shaun Johnson and Chad Townsend producing some inconsistent form.

‘Madge’ is one of the competition’s elite coaches and is a specialist at controlling the ruck to his team’s advantage. Just how quickly the Wests Tigers react to the change of one referee and the new ‘six-again’ rule will determine if they come out on top in this clash.

Wests also need to settle on where Adam Doueihi belongs in the backline. The Lebanese international showed stunning improvement at fullback with the Rabbitohs in 2019 but found himself a lot at left centre to start the season.

Best bet for Sharks vs Tigers

The return of several key players on both sides makes this a tough game to call. It should be close, but Xerri’s absence for the Sharks may tip the balance ever so slightly in favour of the Tigers.