The Canberra Raiders will look to hold down the fort at home when they host the visiting Melbourne Storm in their round 9 NRL clash on Saturday. With both top 8 teams looking to move up the NRL ladder and challenge for this season’s championship, let’s find out which one of these legitimate title hopefuls is offering the best value in this highly anticipated pairing, along with their NRL odds.
NRL Storm Vs Raiders Round 9
Why Bet On The Raiders
The Raiders are sitting in sixth place in the NRL standings with 10 points. Canberra has scored 150 points this season while allowing 113 points defensively (+37). The Raiders have gone 2-2 at home this season and a nearly unblemished 3-1 on the road. Canberra held on for a narrow 22-16 win over the Dragons on Friday, even though they got outscored 16-4 after going into the break up 18-0. Nick Cotric, Bailey Simonsson, George Williams and Jarrod Croker all scored tries in the win while Jarrod Croker went 3 for 4 on conversions.
Now, as they get set for round 9, the Raiders will be without Sia Soliola (facial fracture) and Emre Guler (ankle). Dunamis Lui moves back to starting prop alongside Josh Papalii and Kai O’Donnell will make hie debut off the bench. Joe Tapine starts at lock with Ryan Sutton reverting to the pine. Jordan Rapana has recovered from a calf strain and has taken Curtis Scott’s place on the interchange.
Why Bet On The Storm
Melbourne is sitting in fourth place in the NRL standings with 12 points. The Storm have scored 175 points this season while allowing 108 points defensively (+67). Melbourne has gone a near-perfect 3-1 at home and an identical 3-1 on the road this season. More importantly, the Storm have won two straight and four of their last five games overall, including an epic 27-25 win over the two-time defending champion Sydney Roosters on Thursday. Jahrome Hughes scored two tries while Josh Addo-Carr and Paul Momirovski both added solo scoring tries in the win. Cameron Smith went a perfect 4-for-4 on conversions and 1-for-1 on penalty goals while Ryan Papenhuyzen added a field goal in the win. The Storm got the job done without star playmaker Cameron Munster and will now look to snap a three-game skid against the Raiders.
For this round 9 clash, Marion Seve replaces Suliasi Vunivalu (hamstring) on the wing. Ryley Jacks has been named to start in the halves with Cameron Smith at hooker and Brandon Smith on the bench. Five-eighth Cameron Munster (knee) has been included on the extended bench and could see some action in this affair, weeks ahead of his scheduled return.
General Match Info Melbourne Storm (6-0-2) vs. Canberra Raiders (5-0-3)
- When: Saturday, July 11, 2020 at 4:35 AM AEST
- Where: GIO Stadium, Canberra
- Storm Vs Raiders Live: Nine/Fox Sports
- Handicap: Raiders -1.5
- Money Lines: Raiders -111 / Storm -106
Expert Analysis and Prediction
The Raiders might have won three straight against the Storm, including an emphatic 22-6 win the last time they met on May 30, but right now, Melbourne is the better statistical team at both ends of the pitch. The Storm will have plenty of motivation to get it done in this matchup and I love the value they’re offering as a 1.5-point road dog. I’m going with Melbourne to get the huge road win to stay just ahead of Canberra in the NRL standings and you should too!
Pick: Storm 24 Raiders 20
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
- 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
