NRL 2025 Round 1 – Betting Tips, Odds & Predictions

The NRL season is officially underway, with the two Las Vegas games seeing a surprise big win for the Raiders over the Warriors and a six-point victory for the Panthers over the Sharks. The action returns to Australia this week, with 12 of the remaining 13 teams getting their season started back on home turf. It starts with an intriguing clash between the new-look Roosters and the Broncos, while Premiership favourites in the Storm bring up the rear with the last game of the round when they host the Eels. Take a look at our previews for all six games below.

Last season, the Roosters finished in the top four and made it through to a Preliminary Final while the Broncos failed to make the top eight, but this year there is every chance that those roles will be reversed. The Roosters have had a hellish off-season, with a mass exodus significantly diminishing the quality of their side. The Broncos, meanwhile, will be fully expecting to prove that last year was nothing more than a blip on the radar and return to something resembling the form they displayed when making the 2023 Grand Final.

That’s exactly how their respective pre-seasons played out, too. The Roosters’ had a couple of dreadful hitouts, going down by 38 points to the Knights and then 18 points to the Dragons, while the Broncos beat the Bulldogs by 16 points and then the Titans by 38. Those results aren’t likely to be reflective of the gap between these two teams this year, but the Broncos will be out to prove a point in 2025, and in the opening round of the year the Roosters may no longer have the cattle to go with them.

Bookmaker	James’ Tip	Odds
	Broncos to win	$1.40
	Broncos -7.5	$1.85
	Over 44.5 total match points	$1.88

Predicted Squads

Sydney Roosters: 1. James Tedesco 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Mark Nawaqanitawase 4. Robert Toia 5. Dom Young 6. Sandon Smith 7. Chad Townsend 8. Lindsay Collins 9. Connor Watson 10. Naufahu Whyte 11. Angus Crichton 12. Victor Radley 13. Siua Wong 14. Zach Dockar-Clay 15. Nat Butcher 16. Salesi Foketi 17. De La Salle Va'a

Brisbane Broncos: 1. Reece Walsh 2. Selwyn Cobbo 3. Gehamat Shibasaki 4. Deine Mariner 5. Jesse Arthars 6. Ben Hunt 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Patrick Carrigan 9. Cory Paix 10. Payne Haas 11. Brendan Piakura 12. Jordan Riki 13. Kobe Hetherington 14. Billy Walters 15. Corey Jensen 16. Xavier Willison 17. Jack Gosiewski

Friday night’s double header kicks off with an intriguing battle between the Tigers and the Knights. The Tigers, of course, have spent three years on the bottom of the ladder, but 2025 appears to be their year to finally start making a move back up it. Benji Marshall at long last has a bit of talent at his disposal, having picked up Terrell May, Royce Hunt, Sunia Turuva and best of all Jarome Luai in the off-season.

The Knights, meanwhile, haven’t done a whole lot. Having played finals in each of the past couple of years they probably have the right to feel that they earn a little more respect from the NRL public than what they are getting heading into the season, but with no team looking likely to be really bad, wins are not going to come easy – this one included. What would have been close to a lock against the Tigers last year is far from it in 2025, and with a new-look squad the reigning Wooden Spooners can get their season off to a good start with a tight win.

Bookmaker	James’ Tip	Odds
	Tigers to win	$2.05
	Tigers +1.5	$1.96
	Tigers 1-12	$3.20

Predicted Squads

Wests Tigers: 1. Jahream Bula 2. Sunia Turuva 3. Solomona Faataape 4. Adam Doueihi 5. Jeral Skelton 6. Lachlan Galvin 7. Jarome Luai 8. Terrell May 9. Tallyn Da Silva 10. Fonua Pole 11. Samuela Fainu 12. Alex Seyfarth 13. Jack Bird 14. Latu Fainu 15. Royce Hunt 16. Alex Twal 17. Sione Fainu

Newcastle Knights: 1. Kalyn Ponga 2. James Schiller 3. Dane Gagai 4. Bradman Best 5. Greg Marzhew 6. Fletcher Sharpe 7. Tyson Gamble 8. Jacob Saifiti 9. Phoenix Crossland 10. Leo Thompson 11. Dylan Lucas 12. Kai Pearce-Paul 13. Tyson Frizell 14. Jayden Brailey 15. Adam Elliott 16. Brodie Jones 17. Mathew Croker

Two more teams for whom 2025 could go in various different directions wrap up Friday night’s action when the Dolphins host the Rabbitohs in Redcliffe. This will be the Dolphins’ first year in the league without the guidance of Wayne Bennett, and Kristian Woolf will be looking to continue the trend up the ladder they showed under him in their first two years in the league.

But Bennett is the very man who will be attempting to stop them from doing that. He has returned to the Bunnies and is well-placed to make a massive imprint straight off the bat, leading a team which finished second-last in 2024 after entering the year as one of the Premiership favourites. The Rabbitohs are a strange old team and the gap between their best and their worst last season was as big as any, but Bennett is well known for his ability to extract the best from a side and if he can do that, the Bunnies will be right in the finals mix. This game could go either way, but it would be no surprise to see the visitors get the chocolates to make it two upsets in succession on Friday night.

Bookmaker	James’ Tip	Odds
	Rabbitohs to win	$2.40
	Rabbitohs +4.5	$1.91
	Rabbitohs 1-12	$2.80

Predicted Squads

Dolphins: 1. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow 2. Jamayne Isaako 3. Jake Averillo 4. Herbie Farnworth 5. Junior Tupou 6. Kodi Nikorima 7. Isaiya Katoa 8. Daniel Saifiti 9. Jeremy Marshall-King 10. Felise Kaufusi 11. Kulikefu Finefeuiaki 12. Max Plath 13. Tom Gilbert 14. Kurt Donoghoe 15. Mark Nicholls 16. Connelly Lemuelu 17. Kenny Bromwich

South Sydney Rabbitohs: 1. Jye Gray 2. Isaiah Tass 3. Campbell Graham 4. Jack Wighton 5. Tyrone Munro 6. Cody Walker 7. Jamie Humphreys 8. Tevita Tatola 9. Peter Mamouzelos 10. Davvy Moale 11. Keaon Koloamatangi 12. Jai Arrow 13. Tallis Duncan 14. Jayden Sullivan 15. Sean Keppie 16. Lachlan Hubner 17. Siliva Havili

• The Storm’s last six wins at home last year came by an average margin of 25.3 points – including a 48-16 win over the Eels.
• They may only be pre-season games, but the Roosters conceded an average of 37 points in their two and the Broncos scored an average of 27, so there should be plenty of points on Thursday night.
• The Bulldogs have won their last three against St. George Illawarra by an average of 17.3 points.

Multi of the Week

The Dragons head into this season as one of the Wooden Spoon favourites – even the outright favourite with some betting sites – but that isn’t saying all that much. There are a plethora of very evenly rated teams, and while they could easily find themselves right down the bottom, having exceeded expectations to nearly make finals last year they will be backing themselves in to do the same in 2025.

But they do not have an easy start. The Bulldogs were terrific in 2024, flying up the ladder after a slow first couple of games. For a good few months through the middle they looked like perhaps the best team in the league outside of the Panthers and Storm, but unfortunately they stumbled a little late and were ultimately bundled out in the first week of the finals. Still, it was a major step forward for Cameron Ciraldo’s men, and they will be looking to take another one this year. A win over the Dragons would be a nice way to start.

Bookmaker	James’ Tip	Odds
	Bulldogs to win	$1.52
	Bulldogs -5.5	$1.86
	Over 40.5 total match points	$1.88

Predicted Squads

St. George Illawarra Dragons: 1. Clint Gutherson 2. Tyrell Sloan 3. Moses Suli 4. Valentine Holmes 5. Mathew Feagai 6. Kyle Flanagan 7. Lachlan Ilias 8. Toby Couchman 9. Damien Cook 10. Emre Guler 11. Luciano Leilua 12. Jaydn Su'A 13. Jack de Belin 14. Jacob Liddle 15. Hame Sele 16. Raymond Faitala-Mariner 17. Tom Eisenhuth

Canterbury Bulldogs: 1. Connor Tracey 2. Blake Wilson 3. Bronson Xerri 4. Stephen Crichton 5. Marcelo Montoya 6. Matt Burton 7. Toby Sexton 8. Max King 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Sam Hughes 11. Viliame Kikau 12. Jacob Preston 13. Kurt Mann 14. Bailey Hayward 15. Jaeman Salmon 16. Kurtis Morrin 17. Tom Amone

The Sea Eagles and the Cowboys spent much of last year alongside one another on the NRL ladder, both of them finishing in the bottom half of the top eight. They also both won their Elimination Final clashes to advance through to the semis, where they were both beaten. This year they may well find themselves side by side once again, though the Sea Eagles are more highly fancied as a potential top four contender than the Cowboys.

Of course, Manly have a very capable and experienced top-end, but as they always are their fortunes will be very contingent on the health of Tom Trbojevic. For the moment, however, the former Dally M Medallist is fit and raring to go, and that makes a huge difference for the Sea Eagles. Interestingly the away side has won the last four games between these two, but Manly can buck that trend with a hard-fought win to start off their season.

Bookmaker	James’ Tip	Odds
	Sea Eagles to win	$1.48
	Sea Eagles 1-12	$3.10
	Sea Eagles/Sea Eagles half-time/full-time	$2.05

Predicted Squads

Manly Sea Eagles: 1. Tom Trbojevic 2. Jason Saab 3. Tolutau Koula 4. Reuben Garrick 5. Lehi Hopoate 6. Luke Brooks 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Taniela Paseka 9. Jake Simpkin 10. Josh Aloiai 11. Haumole Olakau’atu 12. Ben Trbojevic 13. Jake Trbojevic 14. Jazz Tevaga 15. Ethan Bullemor 16. Nathan Brown 17. Siosiua Taukeiaho

North Queensland Cowboys: 1. Scott Drinkwater 2. Braidon Burns 3. Jaxon Purdue 4. Viliami Vailea 5. Murray Taulagi 6. Tom Dearden 7. Jake Clifford 8. Jordan McLean 9. Reece Robson 10. Sam McIntyre 11. John Bateman 12. Jeremiah Nanai 13. Reuben Cotter 14. Karl Lawton 15. Coen Hess 16. Kai O'Donnell 17. Griffin Neame

The Storm were fantastic throughout the course of last season and were it not for the existence of the Penrith Panthers, would probably have been the Premiers in a canter. Unfortunately for them, the Panthers do exist, and reversed the result of the 2020 Grand Final with a fourth consecutive Premiership. But with a full bill of health after suffering so many key injuries last year, the Storm enter this year as the Premiership favourites and will be looking for a comfortable win to kick off their year.

The Eels were really bad last year, just barely avoiding the Wooden Spoon, and it’s hard to know how they will fare in 2025. With a new coach and a major clean-out they will be hoping for some improvement and they don’t have to play all that well to show it, but that improvement is not going to get them even close to teams like their opponent in this one. The Storm have been virtually impossible to beat at home for years, and the Eels could be in for a rough visit to AAMI Park in Round One.

Bookmaker	James’ Tip	Odds
	Storm to win	$1.28
	Storm -9.5	$1.86
	Storm 13+	$2.15

Predicted Squads

Melbourne Storm: 1. Sua Fa'alogo 2. Will Warbrick 3. Jack Howarth 4. Nick Meaney 5. Xavier Coates 6. Cameron Munster 7. Jahrome Hughes 8. Stefano Utoikamanu 9. Harry Grant 10. Josh King 11. Shawn Blore 12. Eli Katoa 13. Trent Loiero 14. Tyran Wishart 15. Joe Chan 16. Tui Kamikamica 17. Alec MacDonald

Parramatta Eels: 1. Isaiah Iongi 2. Sean Russell 3. Will Penisini 4. Zac Lomax 5. Jake Tago 6. Dylan Brown 7. Mitch Moses 8. Jack Williams 9. Brendan Hands 10. Junior Paulo 11. Kelma Tuilagi 12. Ryan Matterson 13. J'maine Hopgood 14. Joey Lussick 15. Joe Ofahengaue 16. Luca Moretti 17. Bryce Cartwright

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