Sydney Roosters vs Canberra Raiders
9th October 0905hrs
Rugby League – Australia – NRL
Pick Roosters -6 handicap
Bookmaker Bet365
Odds: Even money odds taken 00:23 GMT Wednesday, 7th October
The Sydney Roosters lost out in a tremendous battle with Penrith in the qualifying round of the Finals series in the NRL last weekend.
A one-point defeat means that they don’t have a week’s break but instead will fight with Canberra for the right to face the Melbourne Storm in the semi finals.
So there are no more second-chances, but the Roosters may not need them here as they are the red-hot favourites for the match win.
This is a rematch of last season’s Grand Final.
Table of Contents
Sydney Roosters Preview – Defending double-Premiers still in the hunt
In the qualification round last week in the NRL Finals, the Roosters were up against minor premiers the Penrith Panthers.
What a scrap it was as well, between two of the bracket’s front runners. The Roosters fell to a 29-28 defeat, meaning that they have to play this quarter final match.
Penrith meanwhile skip the round and go straight to the semi finals, where they await the winner of the Parramatta Eels v South Sydney Rabbitohs match.
The Sydney Roosters finished the regular season as the top-scoring team in the ladder, so they always have that going for them.
But that is back to back losses for them now having suffered a heavy defeat against the Rabbitohs won the final weekend of the regular season.
The Roosters are 4/9 odds-on to pick up the win in this match however* (odds taken 00:23 GMT Wednesday, 7th October).
They are going to be well supported, having won the last two Premiership titles. They are not down and out yet.
When the Roosters met the Raiders this season, they traded away wins with them interestingly enough.
Back in August the Raiders claimed a 24-20 road win, before the Roosters turned the tables with an 18-6 road success against them.
The Roosters have won four of the last five clashes between the two clubs but none of those wins were by a margin of more than 12 points.
In the handicap market fo NRL betting, a Roosters -6 is at even money and that’s reasonable considering the occasion* (odds taken 00:23 GMT Wednesday, 7th October).
So this is very interesting considering a bit of lost momentum for the Sydney Roosters. The Raiders have had no such problems.
Canberra Raiders Preview – Raiders can give a good account of themselves
The Raiders had no problems last weeked in their elimination match against the Cronulla Sharks.
It was a 32-20 win that they took over Cronulla, having beaten them equality as comfortably on the final weekend of the regular season with an unders-strength side.
The Canberra raiders are on a four match winning streak at the moment and are not to be immediately discounted from this contest at 7/4* (odds taken 00:23 GMT Wednesday, 7th October).
They were the runners up last year’s Grand Final and this has been a very good campaign for them to get straight back there.
It is a W7 L1 record in their last eight games that Canberra have taken, and they are an ambitious, attacking side.
But they produced nowhere near the kind of output that the Roosters did across the course of the regular season, despite finishing with the same W14 L6 record as Sydney.
Raiders scored an average of 22 points per game in the regular season, compared to the 27.6 produced on average by the Roosters.
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Canberra Raiders should be fully in this contest given their form and a Raiders +6 handicap is at even money* (odds taken 00:23 GMT Wednesday, 7th October).
Can they make the Roosters sweat at the SCG?
The Raiders were a little slow out of the blocks in their elimination final match last weekend against Cronulla.
But they showed the patience and the quality to get through the trial and pick up the victory.
Over the course of the regular season there was nothing between the two teams from a defensive point of view.
So it’s not worth pushing towards any kind of big margin in NRL betting for this bracket fixture because the Raiders will be competitive.
Sydney Roosters vs Canberra Raiders Betting Advice
We would expect the win for the Roosters to come. They so nearly got the better of Penrith last weekend.
They have the scoring power to edge their way through this contest and a -6 handicap is just about right for NRL betting at even money* (odds taken 00:23 GMT Wednesday, 7th October).
The two teams traded regular season wins, but a game of this pressure is a totally different kettle of fish.
Key Facts – Sydney Roosters vs Canberra Raiders Betting Tip
- Sydney Roosters and Canberra Raiders finished the regular season with the same W/L record
- Sydney Roosters beat Canberra in last year’s Grand Final
- Canberra Raiders are on a four match winning streak
The Roosters have proven themselves a force to be reckoned with in the last couple of seasons in the Finals and can edge this.
It has been the Roosters on top in the most recent meetings, finding their win last October in the Grand Final over them by a 14-8 scoreline.
This is going to be good. Who will get through to face Melbourne in the semi’s
The best betting odds for Sydney Roosters vs Canberra Raiders
Sydney Roosters to win: 4/9 at Bet365
Draw: 20/1 at Bet365
Canberra Raiders to win: 7/4 at Bet365
