NRL Round 27 Top Games: Expert Picks and Odds

Hard as it may seem to believe, the NRL regular season comes to an end this weekend with a full slate of games on the schedule.

For the most part, we know which teams will be playing on beyond the end of the regular season, with the #1 seed also decided.

My Analysis for Round 27 top games

That said, there is still a battle raging for the 8th and final spot, and with 4 teams sitting on 28 points, it is going to be a very interesting round of games coming our way over the next few days.

As we do every week, we are going to take a look at those games and pick out the ones that we believe are worth your attention, so let’s get right to it.

The final round before #NRLFinals! 😤 pic.twitter.com/bnPRiKKRUp
— NRL (@NRL) September 4, 2024

St George Illawarra Dragons -149 vs Canberra Raiders +120

Friday, September 6, 1:00 AM | Both of these teams are sitting below the cut line, but it is realistically only the Dragons who have a shot at getting into the top 8.

They have the benefit of playing at home in the season ending game, but will that be enough to get them past a Raiders team that would love nothing more than to play the role of spoiler?

The Dragons are 6-5 at home this season, but they are also on a run that has seen them win just twice in their last 5.

The Riders have the same record over their last 5 games and are just 4-7 on the road.

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs -141 vs North Queensland Cowboys +113

Saturday, September 7, 3:30 AM | Both of these teams have safely booked their passage into the postseason, but they could end up swapping places, as they are both tied on 34 points right now.

Tiebreakers will not matter here, as the winner will end up with the higher seed.

The Bulldogs are in the #5 spot right now and could potentially move up with the win.

They have been solid of late, winning 4 of their last 5, plus they are an impressive 10-1 at home. The Cowboys are in the #6 slot and also playing well, winning 3 of their last 4. They have been good on the road, going 7-4.

Manly Sea Eagles -127 vs Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks +102

Saturday, September 7, 12:00 AM | Once again, we have another matchup between a pair of teams that will be playing beyond the end of the regular season.

The Sea Eagles are in the #7 spot and safe, and they are playing well at the moment, winning 3 of their last 4 games.

They have been outstanding at home, winning 9 of 11 this season. They will have a tough challenge against the Sharks, who are in the #4 slot right now and winners of 4 of their last 5 games.

The Sharks are 7-4 away from home this season.

Newcastle Knights -141 vs Dolphins (Nrl) +113

Sunday, September 8, 2:05 AM | This is the biggest game on the schedule this week, in my humble opinion, as it is almost certainly the one that decides who gets the #8 spot.

It is the Dolphins who own it right now, so all they really need to do is win to get in, but that’s still going to be a big ask.

They are just 2-3 in their last 5 games and have a losing record on the road. The Knights can jump into the #8 spot with a win at home, where they are 6-5 this season.

They have won 3 of their last 5 overall.