The National Rugby League is the top-level professional rugby league for men’s clubs in Australia organized by the Australian Rugby League Commission. The main competition in the league is the Telstra Premiership which is contested by 15 teams from Australia and one based in New Zealand. It is the most-watched and attended Rugby club competition in the world.
The NRL matches are played in Australia and New Zealand from March to October of each year. The season culminates in the NRL Grand Final which decides the Premiership champion. The current premiers are the Sydney Roosters who won their 14th Premiership during the previous term.
So far, here are the current team standings for the 2019 National League Rugby as found on the latest NRL Ladder:
Team | P | W | D | L | PD | B | Pts | |
1 | Storm | 17 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 236 | 0 | 32 |
2 | Rabbitohs | 17 | 12 | 0 | 5 | 104 | 0 | 26 |
3 | Roosters | 17 | 11 | 0 | 6 | 132 | 0 | 24 |
4 | Raiders | 17 | 11 | 0 | 6 | 111 | 0 | 24 |
5 | Sea Eagles | 17 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 55 | 0 | 22 |
6 | Eels | 17 | 9 | 0 | 8 | 11 | 0 | 20 |
7 | Panthers | 17 | 9 | 0 | 8 | -49 | 0 | 20 |
8 | Knights | 17 | 8 | 0 | 9 | 11 | 0 | 18 |
9 | Warriors | 17 | 7 | 1 | 9 | -34 | 0 | 17 |
10 | Broncos | 17 | 7 | 1 | 9 | -42 | 0 | 17 |
The Sydney Roosters are the betting favorites to win the Premiership this year. So far, they are third in the standings and are safe in making the quarterfinals. The Melbourne Storm is second in the odds board and they are currently on top of the NRL ladder. Meanwhile, the Sout Sydney Rabbitohs who are third in the odds list is second in the team standings.
Here are the odds to win the 2019 National Rugby League grand final. These odds were taken from TitanBet as of 7/25/19:
Rosters | Odds |
---|---|
Sydney Roosters | +160 |
Melbourne Storm | +225 |
South Sydney Rabbitohs | +500 |
Canberra Raiders | +900 |
Manly Sea Eagles | +1200 |
Penrith Panthers | +1600 |
Parramatta Eels | +2200 |
Cronulla Sharks | +2500 |
New Castle Knights | +2500 |
Brisbane Broncos | +4000 |
St. George Illawarra Dragons | +5000 |
New Zealand Warriors | +5000 |
Wests Tigers | +10000 |
North Queensland Cowboys | +20000 |
Canterbury Bulldogs | +50000 |
Gold Coast Titans | +50000 |
The Sydney Roosters are the defending Premiership champions and they are also the rugby betting favorites to win the Premiership this year. The Roosters defeated the Melbourne Storm 21-6 in the Grand Final during the last term. Their 2018 win was their 14th Premiership title and they also have 15 runners-up finishes in club history. The also finished first during the regular season to claim their 20th Minor Premiership.
The Melbourne Storm were last season’s losing Grand Finalist after falling to the Sydney Roosters 6-21 in the final match. Melbourne was the 2017 Premiership champion and they have won a total of three Premiership titles and 4 runners-up finish with 3 Minor Premierships as well.
The South Sydney Rabbitohs have won a total of 21 Premierships, the last of which was in 2014. They also have a total of 13 runners-up finishes and 17 Minor Premierships. The Rabbitohs lost to eventual champions Sydney Roosters 4-12 in the semifinals of the previous term.
The Canberra Raiders finished 10th last season and failed to make the quarterfinals. This is a team that has won the Premiership three times in their history. They also have two runners-up and one Minor Premiership in their resume.
The Manly Sea Eagles finished second to the last during the last term. The Eagles have won a total of 8 Premierships with the last one coming in 2011. They also have a total of 11 runners-up and 9 Minor Premiership wins.
Who Wins?
The Canberra Raiders have been great underachievers in the last two years. But on their day, they are capable of beating any team in this competition. If they can do that on a more consistent basis, they are indeed a dangerous team. When it comes to talent, they have what it takes to win it all. For this reasoning, I think they are the dark horse to win the 2019 NRL Premiership.
But when it comes to the Grand Final winner, I think the Sydney Roosters are a safe bet in this competition. The Roosters are currently third in the team standings with 24 points and they have one of the best try scorers in the league in Josh-Addo Carr. Also, with players like Victor Radley, Luke Keary, Joseph Manu, and Latrell Mitchell, they have a very deep and solid defense capable of more than holding their own on that side of the field. And don’t forget these Roosters have won 14 Premiership titles and 15 runners-up finish in their history. That’s a lot of resume to bet against. Prediction: Sydney Roosters