NRL Round 17 odds, title betting and schedule — Storm the new favourites

NRL Round 17 is a truncated round with only four matches and starts on Thursday, July 8, with the Manly v Canberra clash from 4 Pines Park, Manly.

With the third State of Origin match due to be played in Sydney on Wednesday, July 14, eight teams have the bye this round, with Souths the only one of the major premiership contenders to be in action.

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More: NRL betting guide

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The Sea Eagles have emerged as a genuine top-four contender, playing with great fluency since the return of superstar Tom Trbojevic, though of course he will miss this week’s match due to Origin duties.

Australian bookmakers have made Manly short-priced favourites to beat the hapless Raiders, but Sea Eagles coach Des Hasler will be wary.

Canberra were widely seen as premiership contenders before the 2021 season but have been woeful at times, and reached a new low point at the weekend when they were obliterated by the inconsistent Titans 44-6 in Canberra.

Raiders coach Ricky Stuart will have delivered a few home truths and you can expect a fiery start from Canberra’s underperforming pack.

On Friday night, South Sydney ($1.15) host the Cowboys ($5.50), with both teams losing some of their best players to Origin. Souths, though, seem unlikely to drop their guard.

On Saturday night, the Roosters just need a win to get some momentum back into their ailing season, and they are unbackable favourites against the lowly Bulldogs.

The round concludes on Sunday with an intriguing contest between two teams still in the finals mix, the Sharks and the Warriors. Bookies have made the Sharks hot favourites but we are reluctant to put our money on a team coming off a loss to cellar dwellers Brisbane.

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NRL Premiership odds before Round 17

The Melbourne Storm have finally taken charge at the top of NRL title betting, firming from $3.10 a week ago to $2.60, to usurp the Panthers as the bookies’ elect.

There are two reasons: the Storms’ relentless winning form despite missing a couple of top-liners in Harry Grant and Ryan Papenhuyzen to injury, and the double injury blow suffered by their main rivals Penrith in the past week.

The Panthers ($2.70 out to $3.40) have lost their star halves pairing Nathan Cleary (shoulder) and Jarome Luai (knee) for what is expected to be an extended period. That pair showed their class by leading NSW to emphatic victories in the opening two Origin matches.

Elsewhere, Souths are seen as the logical danger to the big two, firming from $6.50 to $5.50, while Parramatta eased from $9 to $10 after their narrow loss to the Panthers.

The Roosters are all but written off, easing from $13 to $16, while Manly moved in from $14 to $11.

Newcastle firmed significantly from $81 to $51 after thrashing the Cowboys 38-0, with the return of fullback Kalyn Ponga providing a huge injection of quality and enthusiasm.

Knights fans are hoping Ponga’s return will have the same sort of impact that adding Tom Trbojevic has had on the Manly side.

NRL title odds 2021

$3.10 Melbourne Storm
$3.40 Penrith Panthers
$5.50 South Sydney Rabbitohs
$10 Parramatta Eels
$11 Manly Sea Eagles
$16 Sydney Roosters
$51 Newcastle Knights
$81  Cronulla Sharks
$101  Gold Coast Titans
$126 New Zealand Warriors, St George Illawarra Dragons, Canberra Raiders
$251 North Queensland Cowboys, Wests Tigers, Brisbane Broncos
$1001 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

Check out all the latest odds at TopSport!

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NRL Round 17 fixture, odds and times

Thursday, July 8 

• 7.50pm: Manly Warringah Sea Eagles $1.27 v Canberra Raiders $3.75

Friday, July 9 

• 7.55pm: South Sydney Rabbitohs $1.15 v North Queensland Cowboys  $5.50

Saturday, July 10

• 7.35pm: Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs $6.75 v  Sydney Roosters $1.10

Sunday, July 11

• 4.05pm: Cronulla Sutherland Sharks  $1.37 v New Zealand Warriors  $3.10
  

BYES: Newcastle, Gold Coast, Brisbane, Penrith, Melbourne, St George Illawarra, Wests Tigers, Parramatta

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