NRL Round 18 schedule, odds, title betting — Sydney teams head to Queensland

NRL Round 18 is scheduled to start on Friday, July 16, with the Gold Coast Titans v Parramatta clash from Cbus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast.

Of course, that match comes just two nights after the third State of Origin match, which has been switched from Newcastle to Cbus Super Stadium, and amid chaos as 12 teams are relocated to Queensland amid Covid-19 outbreaks in NSW.

Many of the matches in round 18 will be moved, as they will for the next month as the NRL battles to keep its season going. Almost all matches in the next month will be played at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Cbus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast Stadium.

Venues for all round 18 games are expected to be finalised in the next 48 hours, but with the disruption of 40-odd of the best players in the NRL also playing Origin on Wednesday, it’s worth checking closer to all matches who is available and where the matches will be played.

Australian bookmakers have held off framing markets for the later Friday match, with the make-up of St George (who have been decimated by the Covid-19-breaching party thrown by now dumped prop Paul Vaughan) up in the air.

We think the match of the round is the opening clash between the Titans and Eels, with the Gold Coast finally showing what they are capable of by thrashing Canberra Raiders in their latest outing to move within range of a spot in the NRL top eight.

On Saturday night, the Melbourne Storm host the Newcastle Knights, with the latter desperately hoping fullback Kalyn Ponga will get through Origin well enough to be available to give them a spark of hope against the NRL front-runners.

On Sunday, Brisbane Broncos have been posted as favourites against the Wests Tigers but we are reluctant to jump back on the Broncos just yet; overall their form this season has been abysmal.

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NRL Premiership odds before Round 18

Defending premiers Melbourne Storm are shortening by the week, now into $2.45 with TopSport after being around $3.10 last week.

Craig Bellamy’s men could have the edge in coming weeks with their home ground still available for matches, though much will depend on government decisions on movement between states.

There was little movement elsewhere in premiership betting as there were only four matches in a truncated round 17 as eight teams had the bye.

Rising contenders Manly blew from $11 out to $14 after they were badly beaten up by the rebounding Raiders in round 17, a most disappointing result and a stark reminder of what sort of difference electric fullback Tom Trbojevic and playmaker Daly Cherry-Evans make to the Sea Eagles.

NRL title odds 2021

$2.45 Melbourne Storm
$3.40 Penrith Panthers
$5.50 South Sydney Rabbitohs
$11 Parramatta Eels
$14 Manly Sea Eagles
$18 Sydney Roosters
$51 Newcastle Knights
$101  Cronulla Sharks, Gold Coast Titans
$126 New Zealand Warriors, St George Illawarra Dragons, Canberra Raiders
$251 Brisbane Broncos
$501 North Queensland Cowboys, Wests Tigers,
$1001 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

Check out all the latest odds at TopSport!

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NRL Round 18 fixture, odds and times

Friday, July 16 

• 6pm: Gold Coast Titans $2.40 v Parramatta Eels  $1.57
• 7.55pm: Manly Warringah Sea Eagles $na v St George Illawarra Draons  $na

Saturday, July 17

• 3pm: Canberra Raiders  $2.40 v  Cronulla Sutherland Sharks $1.57
• 5.30pm: North Queensland Cowboys $2.90 v Sydney Roosters  $1.40
• 7.35pm: Melbourne Storm $1.09 v Newcastle Knights  $7.25

Sunday, July 18

• 2pm: New Zealand Warriors $3.75 v Penrith Panthers  $1.28
• 4.05pm: Brisbane Broncos  $1.60 v Wests Tigers  $2.35
• 6.15pm: South Sydney Rabbitohs $1.05 v Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs  $9.75