View UniBet’s preview of Round 15 of the 2016 NRL home and away season below.
South Sydney v Parramatta | Friday, June 17, 7.50pm (AEDT), ANZ Stadium
Souths coach Michael Maguire refused to criticise his troops following their second loss to the Tigers this year, pointing to the fact that his side had to play for nearly an hour with only two fit players on the bench.
Sam Burgess has been named to play despite nursing a badly bruised collarbone, however the Bunnies lose both Greg Inglis and Adam Reynolds to Origin.
Neither of them covered themselves in glory last week and halves replacement Luke Keary had been in good form prior to missing that loss.
Nathan Brown is walking a fine line with his aggressive play and will surely be needled by Beau Scott and some of the other Parramatta forwards.
The Eels scored a strong win over the Titans in Darwin and only have Michael Jennings unavailable.
Despite finals now appearing beyond them, Brad Arthur’s side will be motivated for revenge having fallen victim to a late smash and grab raid by their opponents back in round 10.
Last time they met: Rd.10 – Parramatta 20-22 Souths
Unibet Odds: Souths 2.23 Parramatta 1.67
Tip: Parramatta
Line tip: Parramatta -3.5 (Best Bet)
St George-Illawarra v Melbourne | Saturday, June 18, 7.30pm (AEDT), WIN Stadium
Paul McGregor was seething after several contentious decisions went against his side in Monday’s hard-fought loss to the Bulldogs.
The Dragons are one of a number of clubs hovering around the eight and they do have a soft-looking schedule over the next month before a tough run home.
Melbourne were ruthless in their demolition of the Roosters and kept a team scoreless for the third time this season.
Billy Slater lauded the performance of his replacement Cameron Munster, describing him as the “complete footballer” after the Rockhampton-born fullback played perhaps his best game for the club.
The Storm haven’t coped particularly well without their Origin stars in recent years though, dropping four out of five in that situation since 2012.
The Dragons took advantage of a depleted Cowboys line-up to grind out a win at this venue a few weeks back and a similar scenario may eventuate here.
Last time they met: Rd.1 – Melbourne 18-16 St George-Illawarra
Unibet Odds: St George-Illawarra 1.67 Melbourne 2.23
Tip: St George-Illawarra
Line tip: St George-Illawarra -3.5
New Zealand Warriors v Roosters | Sunday, June 19, 4pm (AEDT), Mr Smart Stadium
Warriors winger David Fusitua helped himself to four tries as the New Zealanders hit the half-century mark for the first time in over two years against Newcastle.
Jacob Lillyman is a real unsung hero for Andrew McFadden’s side and they will miss his powerful bursts with Manu Vatuvei also failing to come up this week.
The Roosters suffered their heaviest defeat in almost a decade and Trent Robinson hit out at a real lack of effort from some of his players when the going got tough.
Dylan Napa returns from a one-match suspension and has spoken of his desire to avenge the painful extra-time loss the Roosters suffered in Gosford earlier this season.
While McFadden has expressed sympathy for the Chooks’ predicament, it’s hard to see his pack being so magnanimous.
There has already been strong support for the hosts and they could run up a big score once again now that they have found their groove.
Last time they met: Rd.5 – Roosters 28-32 Warriors
Unibet Odds: NZ Warriors 1.40 Roosters 3.00
Tip: NZ Warriors
Line tip: Warriors -7.5
Gold Coast v Manly | Monday, June 20, 7pm (AEDT), Cbus Stadium
The Titans should enjoy being back in the comforts of home after a long road trip that took them to both Perth and Darwin.
Unfortunately they couldn’t get the result against Parramatta with young half Ashley Taylor experiencing the highs and lows of NRL football in the space of 80 minutes with an inconsistent display.
Manly’s season reached a new nadir after they butchered a 20-point lead against Penrith with coach Trent Barrett bemoaning the fact that his side had absolutely no resilience once momentum started to shift against them.
Martin Taupau should be ready to rip in after serving a three-week ban so expect a few fireworks when he locks horns with the likes of Ryan James and Leivaha Pulu.
Jamie Lyon returns for the Eagles but you can’t help but feel he’s played one season too many.
Manly must be mentally shot after that result and it’s difficult to see how they could lift themselves.
Last time they met: Rd.18, 2015 – Gold Coast 6-38 Manly
Unibet Odds: Gold Coast 1.45 Manly 2.80
Tip: Gold Coast
Line tip: Gold Coast -6.5
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