With the 2020 National Rugby League moving closer to its official midway mark, the North Queensland Cowboys should be getting a bit desperate to make a move up the standings. On the flip side of the coin, the two-time defending champion Sydney Roosters will look to stay among the league leaders after getting humbled in round 8. With the Cowboys looking to pull off the huge upset and the Roosters looking to take care of business against a clearly lesser opponents, let’s find out if Sydney can cover the chalk as a huge road favorite of an outright moneyline pick or whether the Cowboys are the pick to cover the chalk or dare I say it, pull off the outright win. Let’s take a closer at this affair so you can make your bets against their NRL odds.
NRL Roosters Vs Cowboys Round 9
Why Bet On The Cowboys
North Queensland is sitting in 11th place in the NRL standings with six points. The Cowboys have scored 179 points this season, good for sixth most in the league. Unfortunately, the Cowboys have allowed 211 points defensively, which is the third most in the league heading into round 9. North Queensland has gone 2-2 at home, but just 1-3 on the road this season.
Making matters even worse is the fact that North Queensland got blown out of the water in their abysmal 42-4 blowout loss against Parramatta on Friday. The Cowboys got one try from Tom Opacic, but gave up a whopping seven tries, six conversions and a penalty goal in the loss. Now, as they get set for round 9, coach Paul Green has made changes to his backline, recalling Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow at fullback, moving Val Holmes to wing, recalling Connelly Lemuelu at center with Justin O’Neill injured and Tom Opacic dropping out. Tom Gilbert replaces Reuben Cotter on the bench.
Why Bet On The Roosters
The Roosters are sitting in fifth place in the NRL standings with 10 points. The two-time defending champs have scored a league-high 226 points while allowing just 96 points defensively, good for second fewest in the league. . Sydney has gone 3-1 at home and 2-2 on the road this season. The bad news is that the Roosters were on the wrong end of a crushing 27-25 road loss against the Melbourne Storm. Sydney blew a 22-12 lead in the final nine minutes before Melbourne’s Ryan Papenhuyzen leveled the score with a huge field goal as the clock ran out before a penalty goal ended it. Now, heading into round 9,winger Daniel Tupou (ankle) and skipper Boyd Cordner (head knock) are out. Ryan Hall starts on the wing and Mitch Aubusson in the back row with Lachlan Lam joining the bench.
General Match Info Sydney Roosters (5-0-3) vs. North Queensland Cowboys (3-0-5)
- When: Thursday, July 9, 2020 at 4:50 AM AEST
- Where: Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville
- Roosters Vs Cowboys Live: Nine/Fox Sports
- Handicap: Roosters -13.5
- Money Lines: Cowboys +380 / Roosters -555
Expert Analysis and Prediction
While Sydney had their five-game winning streak snapped last week, I fully believe that will give them ample motivation to lay a Texas-sized smackdown on the overmatched Cowboys in this affair. North Queensland hasn’t been able to stop running water this season and that certainly doesn’t bode well as they get set to face the most prolific offense in the NRL. After watching the Cowboys effort last weekend, I have no doubt that the Sydney Roosters will win this affair and cover the chalk as a 13.5-point road favorite.
Pick: Roosters 42 Cowboys 12
Telstra Premiership 2020 Round 9 Matches
- 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
- Eels vs Knights – Sunday 12th July, 02:05 AM | McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle
- Sea Eagles vs Dragons – Sunday 12th July, 04:30 AM | Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, Sydney
