NRL Betting: Under 41.5 Points the bet in Canberra Raiders v Melbourne Storm clash
Recommended bet: Total Points – Under 41.5 Points @ 10/11 (1.91) with bet365
Canberra Raiders host table-topping Melbourne Storm at the GIO Stadium on Saturday evening in a repeat of last year’s Preliminary final, which the Storm edged 14-12.
The Raiders ended a damaging four-match losing streak with a fortuitous golden point victory over St George Illawarra Dragons on home soil last time out, but they still lie only 10th in the NRL Premiership table as things stand. They still have plenty of work to do if they are to secure a place in the end of season play-offs.
The Storm come into the game on the back of a bye so, even allowing for State of Origin III last week, should be the fresher of the two teams. However, they went down to a 22-6 loss at home to the Parramatta Eels last time out a fortnight ago.
Team news does the Raiders few favours either, with the suspension of Josh Papalii for a shoulder charge meaning Joseph Tapine moves into the starting side as his replacement. For their part, the Storm will be delighted that they came through the State of Origin series with a 4-2 record.
In terms of the recent head-to-head record, the Storm have come out on top in three of the last four meetings against the Raiders and have been successful on five of their last seven trips to the capital. Including last year’s Preliminary final, none of the last three matches between these two teams have topped 30 points.
Even though both teams are generally free-scoring, another low-scoring encounter could be a distinct possibility here, with the Raiders failing to top 20 points in any of their last five matches and the Storm possessing the joint best defensive record in the Premiership this term, having conceded at an average rate of below 16 points per game to date.
That being the case, the 10/11 (1.91) available with bet365 on there being Under 41.5 points in the game looks a decent NRL bet. The alternative bet might be to take the Storm to edge home by a relatively narrow margin, with a 1-12 point winning margin being available at 21/10 (3.10) with bet365.
