Cowboys Vs Eels Telstra Premiership Round 8 - NRL Odds & Picks

Cowboys Vs Eels Telstra Premiership Round 8 – NRL Odds & Picks

Written by on July 1, 2020

The league-leading Parramatta Eels will be looking to take care of business on their home pitch when they host the visiting North Queensland Cowboys in their round 8 matchup on Friday. Parramatta will be without superstar fullback Mitchell Moses for this contest, but they have plenty of motivation as they look to snap a two-game skid against the Cowboys. Will the Eels hold down the fort at home or are the offensively explosive Cowboys the pick to get the big road upset? Let’s find out where the best betting value lies in this Cowboys Vs Eels affair right now so you can place your bets against their NRL odds.

NRL Cowboys Vs Eels Round 8

Why Bet On The Eels

The Eels are sitting atop the NRL standings with 12 points and the status that they the only team in the league with six victories heading into round 8. Parramatta has scored 158 points while allowing 88 points defensively (+70). The Eels have gone a perfect 4-0 at home and 2-1 on the road. Parramatta comes into this affair off a thrilling 25-24 golden point win over Canberra on Saturday that helped them rebound from their only loss of the season in round 6. Ryan Matterson, Ray Stone, Michael Jennings and Maika Sivo all scored tries while Mitchell Moses added one conversion and Clinton Gutherson added a pair to go along with one penalty goal and one field goal. Parramatta overcame a 12-8 halftime deficit to get the win, but they will be without the services of Moses who suffered a calf injury in last week’s win. Veteran Brad Takairangi or youngsters, Jaeman Salmon and Jai Field could all see action in this contest, as could the newly signed Jordan Rankin.

Why Bet On The Cowboys

North Queensland is sitting in 10th place in the NRL standings with six points. The Cowboys have scored an impressive 175 points this season which is tied for the second most in the league, but they’ve also given up an overly generous 169 points defensively (+6). North Queensland has gone 2-2 at home and 1-2 on the road this season. The Cowboys head into round 8 coming off a stunning 32-20 home win over the Newcastle Knights on Saturday that snapped a three-game skid. Justin O’Neill, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Jake Clifford, Kyle Feldt and Coen Hess all scored tries in the convincing win while Feldt went a perfect 5-for-5 on conversions while adding a penalty goal for good measure. For this matchup, Valentine Holmes is questionable to return from an ankle injury.

General Match Info North Queensland Cowboys (3-0-4) vs. Parramatta Eels (6-0-1)

  • When: Friday, July 3, 2020 t 4:55 AM AEST
  • Where: Bankwest Stadium, Sydney
  • Cowboys Vs Eels Live: Nine/Fox Sports
  • Handicap: Eels -7.5
  • Money Lines: Eels -303 / Cowboys +229

Expert Analysis and Prediction

You wouldn’t know it from looking at these two teams this season, but North Queensland has dominated Parramatta by winning four of the last five meetings in this rivalry including a 17-10 home win on May 18, last season that followed an emphatic 44-6 smackdown a year earlier.

No matter. Right now, the Eels are by far, the better team in this matchup and particularly on defense. Parramatta is playing at home and looking to maintain their one-point lead over Penrith and two-point lead over Sydney and Melbourne. Keep it simple. The Eels are the pick to get the convincing home win in round 8 while covering the 7.5-point spread in the process.

Pick: Eels 32 Cowboys 20

Telstra Premiership 2020 Round 8 Matches