The ultimate club-by-club betting guide to the 2017 NRL season

WE’RE coming to the end of the Australian summer, which means footy season is just around the corner.

After one of the most exciting seasons in recent memory, there is a myriad of stories that are set to unfold in the NRL in 2017.

There’s one thing we’re sure of – an enthralling season lies ahead.

Can the Sharks go back-to-back after their fairy-tale win? Can the Storm utilise last year’s heartbreaking defeat in the grand final to go one better? Can the proud Rabbitohs, Roosters and Dragons bounce back into contention after disappointing campaigns? Who’s going to win the Dally M Medal?

We went through the entire league and offered our opinion on how we think each team will fare in 2017, as well as our best bets for the new season.

Teams are listed in order of their respective 2016 finish

Cronulla Sharks

The 2016 premiers head into the season looking to become the first team to go back-to-back since the Broncos of 1993.

Other than the loss of Michael Ennis, the Sharks will take in a very similar playing list into the new season and will be competing for the title once again.

It’s not often you can get $1.60 for the reigning premiers just to make the finals in their defending season, but Sportsbet.com.au is offering that price and we recommend you take it.

Best Dally M Chance: Valentine Holmes – +2000 at Sportsbet.com.au

2017 Premiership Odds: $13 at Sportsbet.com.au

Melbourne Storm

The Storm fell agonising short of a miraculous win last season without arguably their best player, Billy Slater.

Craig Bellamy has two key talents in the form of Blake Green and Marika Koroibete, but he has acquired former Cowboy young gun Jahrome Hughes.

The reports that Billy Slater is training the house down does not hurt either.

It’s hard to imagine the Storm will not be in the premiership conversation by the end of the year, and to our eye look to be the best premiership futures bet at $8 via WilliamHill.com.au

Best Dally M Chance: Cooper Cronk – $9.50 at Sporsbet.com.au

2017 Premiership Odds: $8 at WilliamHill.com.au

Canberra Raiders

The Raiders were one of the surprise packets in 2016 and will look to bring that stellar form into the new year. The Green Machine play one of the most exciting brands of footy in the league and should be a genuine contender again in 2017.

We’re expecting Jarrod Croker to again be a centrepiece of Ricky Stuart’s offense and the 26-year-old represents fantastic value at $4 to be the leading point scorer for the entire league at Sportsbet.com.au.

Best Dally M Chance: Josh Hodgson – $23 at Sportsbet.com.au

2017 Premiership Odds: $9 at WilliamHill.com.au

North Queensland Cowboys

The 2015 premiers performed well below expectations last year after entering 2016 as the outright premiership favourite.

The Cowboys will be without James Tamou, Rory Kostjaysen and youngster Jahrome Hughes in 2017, but still remain one of the main elects in the market.

We think North Queensland are far too short given the players they have lost and we expect the Cowboys to struggle to match their preliminary final finish in 2017.

Best Dally M Chance: Johnathan Thurston – $7.50 at Sportsbet.com.au

2017 Premiership Odds: $9 at Sportsbet.com.au

Brisbane Broncos

Brisbane were one of the hardest teams to pick last year round-to-round. They started the season in red-hot form, took a huge dip around Origin time, then rounded out the regular season winning six straight games before being bundled out in the opening week of the finals.

The Broncos lose two heart and soul players in the form of Corey Parker and Jarrod Wallace, which will have a big impact on and off the field.

We like the look of young gun Corey Oates ($15 at Sportsbet.com.au) to score the most tries in the NRL regular season given the 22-year-old will be asked to shoulder much more the offensive load in 2017.

Best Dally M Chance: Anthony Milford – $14 at Sportsbet.com.au

2017 Premiership Odds: $10 at Sportsbet.com.au

Penrith Panthers

Penrith finished last season strongly on the back of the form of Matt Moylan, Josh Mansour and Nathan Cleary, but were eliminated in the second week of finals.

In 2017, the Panthers welcome James Tamou.

The Panthers are the joint favourites at the top of the market alongside the Melbourne Storm and should be in the premiership frame at the business end of the season.

We think the $3 on offer from Sportsbet.com.au to Penrith to be the top NSW team in the league looks to be a sound bet given they look to be the standout team from the blue state.

Best Dally M Chance: Matt Moylan – $12 at Sportsbet.com.au

2017 Premiership Odds: +700 at WilliamHill.com.au

Canterbury Bulldogs

The Bulldogs take in a relatively unchanged team from the one that failed to make a finals impact last season.

Canterbury endured a rough off-season after speculation coach Des Hasler’s tenure could be coming to an end, but if there is one thing that you can bet on, it’s that the Dogs will come out swinging in 2017.

Will that be good enough to compete for a title? Maybe not, but a team coached by a back-against-the-wall-Hasler is a dangerous prospect.

Best Dally M Chance: James Graham $34 at Sportsbet.com.au

2017 Premiership Odds: $23 at Sportsbet.com.au

Gold Coast Titans

The 2017 season will be all about one man – Jarryd Hayne.

The Hayne plane will have a full pre-season under his belt on the Gold Coast after a failed NFL career.

Nathan Peats and Konrad Hurrell are the other two players the Titans acquired in the off-season, and despite being a relative outsider in the market, we’re expecting big things from the Coasters this season.

Given the Cowboys and Broncos could struggle to match their lofty expectations in 2017, the $6 on offer from WilliamHill.com.au for the Titans to be the top-ranked Queensland team by the end of the regular season looks to be a value bet.

Best Dally M Chance: Jarryd Hayne $17 at Sportsbet.com.au

2017 Premiership Odds: $17 at WilliamHill.com.au

Wests Tigers

2016 began in nightmarish fashion for the Tigers after Robbie Farah and the club were at loggerheads, but the former captain is gone and the future looks bright.

Wests boast some of the best talent in the league in the form of Luke Brooks, Mitchell Moses, James Tedesco and Aaron Woods –  we think that makes them a dark horse for this year’s title.

We think the $3.25 via Sportsbet.com.au for the Tigers to make the finals is well over the odds for such a talented team and we recommend anyone looking to punt on Wests to take advantage of Sportsbet’s generosity.

Best Dally M Chance: James Tedesco – $17 at Sportsbet.com.au

2017 Premiership Odds: $29 at Sportsbet.com.au

New Zealand Warriors

It was celebration time across the Tasman after the league cleared big name recruit Kieran Foran to play, handing the Warriors one of the best talents in the competition.

New Zealand was inconsistent across large chunks of the 2016 season, but the Kiwis were able to notch up wins against the best teams in the league. Will Foran’s presence help New Zealand develop some consistency?

We think so.

If the Warriors can turn their stadium into a fortress they will be a big factor in 2017 and not to be discounted in the premiership frame.

Best Dally M Chance: Shaun Johnson – $19 at Sportsbet.com.au

2017 Premiership Odds: $13 at WilliamHill.com.au

St George-Illawarra Dragons

The big red V enter the new season as huge outsiders in the NRL premiership market and justifiably so. The Dragons attack last year was horrendous, which was underlined by the fact they were kept scoreless on multiple occasions.

St George-Illawarra is paying $5 just to make the finals in 2017, and at $101 odds to win the premiership, you can all but put a line through the Dragons this campaign.

Best Dally M Chance: Gareth Widdop $51 at Sportsbet.com.au

2017 Premiership Odds: $101 at WilliamHill.com.au

South Sydney Rabbitohs

South Sydney have to improve significantly on their lacklustre 2016 if they are to make an impact in the new year.

Thankfully, the Rabbitohs will have skipper Greg Inglis and heavy-hitter Sam Burgess full fit, which is a huge boost.

The addition of Robbie Farah adds grunt and experience, which should help the painfully-inconsistent Souths in 2017. Unless injuries hit again, the Rabbits should be challenging for the premiership this season.

Best Dally M Chance: Sam Burgess – $23 at Sportsbet.com.au

2017 Premiership Odds: $17 at Sportsbet.com.au

Manly Sea Eagles

After a disastrous season last year, the Sea Eagles opened the cheque book to acquire Dylan Walker, Marty Taupau and former back-up Broncos hooker, Matty Parcell.

Straightening out their consistency issues will be the biggest challenge for the men from Brookvale, and while their roster changes are welcomed, we still think the Sea Eagles will struggle to play in the finals this season.

Best Dally M Chance: Daly Cherry-Evans $23 at Sportsbet.com.au

2017 Premiership Odds: $29 at WilliamHill.com.au

Parramatta Eels

The less said about Parramatta’s chaotic 2016 season the better, but there is no doubt the Eels will relish the chance to enter a new season free of the salary cap scandal shackles.

Parramatta losses their big name signing Kieran Foran, but last season before all hell broke loose the Eels were a genuine premiership contender. We are expecting them to bounce back in style and challenge for a finals position.

Best Dally M Chance: Corey Norman – $15 at Sportsbet.com.au

2017 Premiership Odds: $17 at WilliamHill.com.au

Sydney Roosters

The Roosters are set to be one of the big improvers of 2017 after their second last-placed finish last season.

The Chooks added Luke Keary, Michael Gordon and Paul Carter in the off-season, which will complement the young talent of Latrell Mitchell and Dale Copley.

The Sydney roster looks strong across the board and it is not beyond the glamour club of the NRL to push for a premiership in 2017. The $1.65 on offer from Sportsbet.com.au for the Roosters to make the finals in 2017 looks to be a safe bet heading into the new campaign.

Best Dally M Chance: Mitchell Pearce – $19 at Sportsbet.com.au

2017 Premiership Odds: $11 at WilliamHill.com.au

Newcastle Knights

The only positive that can be said about Newcastle’s one win season in 2016 is that the only way to go is up.

Newcastle should improve after the signings of Manly’s Jamie Buhrer and North Queensland’s Rory Kostjasyn, but your money is better spent investing on the Knights to win back-to-back spoons ($1.67 at Sportsbet.com.au) than take on the huge premiership betting odds.

Best Dally M Chance: Trent Hodkinson – $126 at Sportsbet.com.au

2017 Premiership Odds: $151 at WilliamHill.com.au