NRL Betting: Melbourne Storm can overcome 6.5pt handicap against Brisbane Broncos

Recommended Bet: Handicap (No Draw) – Melbourne Storm -6.5 points @ 2.00 with bet365

Friday evening sees table-topping Melbourne Storm play host to Brisbane Broncos at AAMI Park, with the Storm going into the game in the knowledge that victory would ensure that they end the regular season in top spot and crowned Minor Premiership winners.

Melbourne won 38-18 against Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles at Brookvale last time out, a match in which Suliasi Vunivalu went over for four first-half tries.  

The Broncos still have plenty to play for themselves, but need a win to retain hopes of a Top 4 berth and a potentially easier road to the Grand Final that brings with it.  They’ve won their last three NRL Premiership matches, including a 20-10 victory over Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs last time out.  

The recent run has seen them secure a Top 8 finish and to keep those Top 4 aspirations alive, but this is a major test against formidable opposition that they tend to struggle against anyway.

Melbourne are very much the dominant force in the head-to-head stats, having won 26 of the 39 meetings between the two teams and a remarkable 22 of the last 27 games.  Brisbane have failed to register more than 14 points in any of the last six clashes, which doesn’t bode well against the team with easily the best defensive record in the Premiership this year.

They last met as recently as July in Round 17, with Storm handing out a humiliating 48-6 drubbing of the Broncos in front of their own fans at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.  The Broncos will certainly want to make amends for that.  With regards to team news for this meeting, both are set to be unchanged.

With home advantage and Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk orchestrating things for the Storm, it’s difficult to envisage them failing in their quest to win this and secure the Minor Premiership.  

The question then is how much of a handicap can they overcome?  This will surely be tighter than the previous encounter between the two teams, but it should be within their capabilities for Storm to overcome a 6.5 point Handicap to make them worth a punt on that particular rugby betting market.