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The league-leading Penrith Panthers will look to remain unbeaten when they host the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in Round 9 on Friday. In another more intriguing matchups, the Parramatta Eels host the Sydney Roosters in a matchup of Top 5 NRL Grand Finals title contenders.

With both contests going down in just over 48 hours, let’s find out where the best NRL betting value lies so you can place your bets against their Rugby odds.

Rugby Betting Analysis – NRL Round 9 Preview

Penrith Panthers (8-0-0) Vs Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks (2-0-6)

When: Friday, May 7, 2021, at 3:00 AM
Where: Venue: BlueBet Stadium, Penrith
NRL Odds: Cronulla +18.5 / Penrith -18.5
Moneyline: Cronulla +688 / Penrith -1999
Total: 41.5

Analysis: Penrith is in first place in the NRL ladder, having scored 212 points while allowing a league-low 60 points defensively (+152). The Panthers have won all five of their home dates this season and come into this affair fresh off a hard-fought 28-16 win over the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles on Saturday. Dylan Edwards, Brian To’o, Liam Martin, Tyrone May and Stephen Crichton all scored tries in the win while Nathan Cleary wen 4-for-5 on conversions.

Cronulla-Sutherland is in 13th place in the NRL ladder, having scored 160 points while conceding 178 points defensively. The Sharks have dropped four straight and come into this Round 9 matchup fresh off an embarrassing 40-14 smackdown loss against Melbourne on Friday. Briton Nikora and Connor Tracey scored tries, but it wasn’t nearly enough as the Sharks gave up eight tries, three conversions and one penalty goal.

Prediction: If you think the 18.5-point spread looks daunting, think again. Penrith is far, far superior to Cronulla and has won the last two meetings against the Sharks by 32 and 26 points respectively. The Panthers are shutting down the opposition at a nearly historic rate this season and just don’t allow their opponents many quality scoring chances. I’m going with Penrith minus the points, to cover the high spread on Friday.

Pick: Penrith Panthers -18.5

Parramatta Eels (7-0-1) Vs Sydney Roosters (6-0-2)

When: Saturday, May 8, 2021 at 4:55 AM
Where: Venue: Bankwest Stadium, Sydney
NRL Odds: Sydney +4.5 / Parramatta -4.5
Moneyline: Sydney +149 / Parramatta -212
Total: 42.5

Analysis: Parramatta is in second place in the NRL ladder, having scored 229 points while allowing only 106 points defensively. The Eels have gone 3-1 at home this season and come into this matchup having won three straight including a convincing 32-10 win over the Canterbury Bulldogs in Round 8 on Saturday. Maika Sivo and Clinton Gutherson both scored a pair of tries while Shaun Lane and Marata Niukore added tries in the win. Mitchell Moses went 4-for-6 on conversions.

Sydney is in fourth place in the NRL standings with 236 points scored and 100 points conceded. The Roosters have gone 2-2 on the road this season and come into this clash riding a two-game winning streak that includes an emphatic 38-4 rout over the Newcastle Knights in Round 8 on Saturday. Josh Morris scored three tries while Daniel Tupou, Angus Crichton and Matt Ikuvalu added tries in the win. Sam Walker went 5-for-7 on conversions.

Prediction: Sydney has won each of the last four meetings against Parramatta, but now, the Eels look like the better team, if ever so slightly. These two rivals have scored and allowed a nearly identical amount of points this season and for me, that makes Parramatta the pick simply because they are playing at home. Parramatta has its offense going solidly right now, having scored 32 points or more in four of their last five games. While I don’t expect to see either team reach that figure in this meetings, I am going with Parramatta to scratch out the super-narrow win at Bankwest Stadium.

Pick: Parramatta Eels -212

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