The Newcastle Knights will be looking to hold down the fort at home when they host the league-leading Parramatta Eeels in what looks like a matchup that could be the best on the entire round 9 docket. With Newcastle alternating wins and losses over their last five matches and Parramatta looking to extend its two-game winning streak, let’s find out where the best value lies in this matchup, along with their NRL odds.
NRL Eels Vs Knights Round 9
Why Bet On The Knights
The Knights are sitting in fifth place in the NRL standings with 11 points. Newcastle has scored 183 points this season while allowing 132 points defensively (+51). The Knights have gone 2-1 at home and 3-1 on the road this season. Newcastle comes into this contest off a hard-fought 14-12 road win over the Manly Sea Eagles on Sunday. Andrew McCullough and Kurt Mann scored tries in the win and Kayln Ponga went 2-for-2 on conversions and 1-for-1 on penalty goals. Newcastle held on for the win despite failing to score in the second half after entering the break up 14-6. Now, heading into round 9, winger Edrick Lee (broken arm) is out and Tex Hoy starts in his place. Sione Mata’utia is out due to a head knock suffered against Manly with Aidan Guerra starting in the back row. Star Toa and Brodie Jones join the interchange. Utility playmaker Connor Watson (ankle) has been named on the reserves and could come onto the bench.
Why Bet On The Eels
The Eels are sitting atop the NRL standings with 14 points and the status that they the only team in the league with seven victories heading into round 9. Parramatta has scored 200 points while allowing a league-low 92 points defensively (+108). The Eels are a perfect 5-0 at home and 2-1 on the road this season. The Eels have won two in a row and come into this contest off an emphatic 42-4 rout over the North Queensland Cowboys on Friday. Maika Sivo led the way to victory with a stupendous four tries while Michael Jennings, Waqa Blake and Jai Field added scoring tries and Clinton Gutherson went 6-for-7 on conversions. For round 9, Nathan Brown returns from suspension at lock, pushing Marata Niukore to the bench. Stefano Utoikamanu debuts off the bench with Ray Stone and Oregon Kaufusi out of the lineup.
General Match Info Parramatta Eels (7-0-1) vs. Newcastle Knights (5-1-2)
- When: Sunday, July 12, 2020 at 1:05 AM AEST
- Where: McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle
- Eels Vs Knights Live: Nine/Fox Sports
- Handicap: Eels -3.5
- Money Lines: Knights +135 / Eels +135
Expert Analysis and Prediction
The Knights won four straight in this rivalry, but the Eeels snapped that streak by recording a hard-fought 20-14 home win the last time they met back on August 10, 2019. With that said, Parramatta is clearly the better team at both ends of the pitch as they rank second in scoring and first in defense. The Knights are a modest 2-1 at home and they suffered a 32-20 loss against the same North Queensland team that Parramatta just smacked senseless in round 7. Keep it simple rugby bettors. The Eeels will get the win and narrowly cover the chalk as a 3.5-point road favorite.
Pick: Eels 26 Knights 18
Telstra Premiership 2020 Round 9 Matches
- Roosters vs Cowboys – Thursday 9th July, 05:50 AM | Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville
- Warriors vs Titans – Friday 10th July, 04:00 AM | Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast
- Wests Tigers vs Rabbitohs – Friday 10th July, 05:55 AM | Bankwest Stadium, Sydney
- Panthers vs Sharks – Friday 10th July, 01:00 AM | Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, Sydney
- Bulldogs vs Broncos – Saturday 11th July, 03:30 AM | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
- Storm vs Raiders – Saturday 11th July, 05:35 AM | GIO Stadium, Canberra
- Sea Eagles vs Dragons – Sunday 12th July, 04:30 AM | Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, Sydney
