NRL Thursday: Raiders v Rabbitohs betting tips, prediction & odds, round 8, 2021

Read on for our Canberra v South Sydney match preview, prediction and odds update for their NRL clash at GIO Stadium, Canberra, on Thursday, April 29.

Raiders coach Ricky Stuart has circled the wagons and will have his team primed for a massive effort when they host the high-flying Rabbitohs on Thursday night.

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Canberra’s season is in grave danger of heading south as they are coming off three losses in a row and have a 3-4 record for the season. Another loss here and they will have lost touch with the top four.

The Raiders have a strong record against the Bunnies in recent times, with six wins in their past eight games against them, including their past two. In their single meeting in 2020 the Raiders beat the Rabbitohs 18-12 at GIO Stadium in round 11.

The Raiders will need a huge defensive effort to put a muzzle on the free-scoring Souths, who have the second-best attacking record of any team in the NRL season behind the Melbourne Storm.

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Raiders v Rabbitohs team news for round 8

The home team has struggled without regular hooker Josh Hodgson (calf) even though they have a wonderful replacement in Tom Starling. Hodgson is at least another week away and is a real talisman for this side.

Veteran Jarrod Croker (shoulder) has been ruled out, with Sebastian Kris moving to centre as his replacement and Bailey Simonnson back from a head knock on the wing.

Canberra’s powerhouse prop Josh Papalii is surprisingly being rest with Joseph Tapine coming back into the 17.

It will be interesting to see how some of the younger Raiders perform in the absence of old stagers Croker and Papalii.

Meanwhile, Souths have named the same 17 who beat Gold Coast in a thrill-a-minute game last weekend, though prop Tevita Tatola will be monitored after suffering concussion in round seven.

Read on for our Raiders v Rabbitohs tips and winner prediction for their NRL clash on Thursday, April 29.

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Raiders v Rabbitohs

Kick-off: 7.50pm local time
Venue: GIO Stadium, Canberra
Head to head odds: Canberra $2.60, South Sydney $1.50
Line betting: Canberra (+5.5 points) $1.90, South Sydney (-5.5 points) $1.90
Match total: 40.5 points: over $1.90, under $1.90

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Raiders v Rabbitohs free betting tips

Below our NRL betting expert has highlighted free Canberra-Souths tips for Thursday’s game.

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Canberra Raiders v South Sydney Rabbitohs prediction 29-4-2021

The Rabbitohs are cruising along at 6-1 and third on the ladder but they have flirted with disaster the past two weeks before escaping with wins against the Wests Tigers and Titans. The Raiders at their best at home are clearly a more dangerous side than those two. There is so much on the line here for the Raiders that we think they can cause an upset, especially as the Rabbitohs look less dangerous with Latrell Mitchell serving his four-match ban. Our Raiders v Rabbitohs prediction: Raiders by 4 points.

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