Newcastle Knights vs Melbourne Storm
13th June 0830hrs
Rugby League – Australia – NRL
Pick Newcastle Knights
Bookmaker Bet365
Odds: 13/10 odds taken 23:58 GMT, Thursday 11th June
Both the Knights and the Storm collected wins in round 4 so they are both on the search for bigger momentum. The Knights have remained undefeated so far this season.
Will they be able to ride out the storm that Melbourne are going to be bringing to the Central Coast Stadium in Saturday’s match up? It should be a fantastic showdown.
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Can the Knights defend their unbeaten record?
The Knights went out and put a strong 34-18 win on the board over the Raiders last weekend. That moved them on to an unbeaten W3 D1 record for this Premiership season.
They closed out round 4 of league action sitting in second place behind the Parramatta Eels. But the Knights, with 110 points on the board from their four games, are the top scorers in the ladder.
They are trailing the Storm in the head to head, Newcastle being 15-26 down in that stat since 1998. They lost both of their Premiership meetings with the Storm last season as well.
The Knights look set to be unchanged from their last match. This is, because of a jiggling of venues due to the coronavirus, Newcastle’s first match at the Central Coast Stadium since 2010.
So they don’t have an actual home advantage on their side here. Just out of interest, Newcastle have won 6 of 15 previous matches played at this particular venue.
One area in which they have outshone the Storm this season is in the scoring department. Newcastle have averaged 27 points per game compared to the 14 point average from Melbourne.
Will that be enough to get them across the line and secure what would be an excellent couple of points for their ladder campaign?
They are the underdogs for this match. Maybe that lies in their horrible losing streak that they are on against the Melbourne Storm. The Knights have lost their last seven straight against them.
Big game for the Storm
The Storm closed out round 4 in fifth place in the ladder with a W3 L1 record. The lone defeat that they tasted this season happened against Canberra two games ago.
But they put things to right last weekend with a strong display to claim a 22-8 win over the Rabbitohs. The Storm were dominant in that game. The question is, whether or not they are going to be able to match the Knights in the scoring department.
With only a tally of 58 points on the board, Melbourne are the lowest-scoring team in the top eight of the ladder. But on the flip side of that they boast the third-best defensive record.
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They couldn’t afford to lose last weekend to take back to back losses. They avoid that, which has eased pressure ahead of this tough game. A win in this fixture would be a massive fillip of confidence for them.
A look at their recent head to head record over them should give them confidence.
The Storm are not changing things up much either besides a replacement coming in for Jahrome Hughes at halfback. Now we move on what could be a massive trend for punters.
Melbourne have won their last seven straight matches against Newcastle. The last five have all been by a margin of at least 18 points as well and the Storm have scored at least 40 points in three of their last five against them.
Newcastle Knights vs Melbourne Storm Betting Advice
So the Melbourne Storm have that massive head to head strength going on. Seven in a row over the Newcastle Knights is going to be something sizable for a punter to weigh up.
The recent ones have all been thoroughly convincing ones as well. But the Newcastle Knights this season are a different beast as they look to establish themselves in the top four.
Key Facts – Newcastle Knights vs Melbourne Storm Betting Tip
- Newcastle Knights are unbeaten at W3 D1 this season
- Newcastle Knights are the league’s top scorers after four rounds
- Melbourne Storm are on a 7 match winning streak over the Knights
They are good enough to pose a massive threat to Melbourne here with Bradman Best and Edrick Lee both having scored four tries each this season, the Knights have the firepower.
We can’t find a reason not to back the Newcastle Knights to buck their losing streak against Melbourne in this one. The Storm have shown a bit of fragility this season, and the Knights can take advantage.
There is a big discrepancy between the scoring output of these two this season, in favour of the Knights. A +4 handicap on the Knights at 21/20 is massive value* (betting odds taken 23:58 GMT, Thursday 11th June 2020)
The best betting odds for Newcastle Knights vs Melbourne Storm
Newcastle Knights to win: 13/10 at Bet365
Draw: 20/1 at Bet365
Melbourne Storm: 8/13 at Bet365
