Round 2 of the NRL season kicks off on Thursday night, and starting from game one, every game of the round is set to be a cracker. Dabble’s experts will provide NRL tips for each and every round of the 2023 NRL season, meaning you won’t miss a thing.
Our NRL footy tips cover all the key factors of every game, of every round. So, if you are as obsessed with the NRL as the team at Dabble are, you have certainly come to the right place! Get your scrolling finger ready, all you need to do is read and scroll, our experts will take care of everything else for you.
Check out all our expert NRL tips for Round 2 below:
Game 1 – Penrith Panthers vs South Sydney Rabbitohs, Thursday 9th March, 8pm
Ok, it’s only Round 2 - but it’s clear something is wrong with the Panthers. The premiers have suffered back-to-back losses to St Helens and now the Broncos - despite being hot favourites to win both. The departures of Api Koroisau and Billy Kikau have left Penrith looking vulnerable up front and that’s where the powerhouse Souths pack will attack them.
It’s a real test of character for the Panthers, particularly against a Rabbitohs team that showed real fight to win at Cronulla despite losing two forwards in the first half. The Bunnies do have injury worries after what was a bruising game and the Thursday night timeslot doesn’t help them, with a five-day turnaround. A tricky game as Penrith will come good sooner or later… but I like Souths +4.5.
Expert NRL Tip: Handicap – Rabbitohs
Game 2 – Parramatta Eels vs Cronulla Sharks, Friday 10th March, 6pm
Two first-up losers go head-to-head in what should be a close struggle in the early game on Friday. The Eels came oh so close to beating the Storm last week but couldn’t come up with the big plays at the right moments. Halves Mitch Moses and Dylan Brown were both poor and need to lift.
Up front, the Eels props Junior Paulo and Reagan Campbell-Gillard were great in a losing team, making massive yardage, and Cronulla will need to stop their go-forward. The Sharks were clunky in losing to Souths and are clearly missing Dally M winner Nicho Hynes. Matt Moylan is the key to their hopes and if the Eels pressure him, he could cave. There’s some value in the Eels half-fulltime double.
Expert NRL Tip: Halftime-Fulltime – Eels
Game 3 – Brisbane Broncos vs North Queensland Cowboys, Friday 10th March, 8.05pm
With both teams scoring narrow wins in Round 1, the Queensland derby has a touch of added spice and should be a beauty. The Broncos look the best they have for several seasons, with Adam Reynolds calling the shots, Ezra Mam looking great as an alternate playmaker and Selwyn Cobbo and Kotoni Staggs capable of scoring long-range tries.
The Cowboys are a team going places - they were the surprise packets of 2022 and have only got stronger with Chad Townsend and Tom Dearden also starting the year well in the halves. There’s try scoring potential right across the park in both sides and finding a winner is a real toss of the coin job - with that in mind let’s go the overs on a steamy Brisbane night where the defences will get tired in the second half.
Expert NRL Tip: Total Points - Over
Game 4 – Sydney Roosters vs New Zealand Warriors, Saturday 11th March, 3pm
The Roosters were awful in their stunning loss to the Dolphins last weekend and now also have several injuries to contend with. The Warriors, on the other hand, were clinical in disposing of the Knights and are a real chance of starting the season with back-to-back wins. Despite all this, the Roosters are firm 12.5 favourites and that’s too big a start to back either side with any confidence.
As a result, I like Daniel Tupou on the Roosters’ wing for an anytime try scorer. The Roosters should dominate field position and their kickers Sam Walker and Luke Keary will both be sending high bombs to the flank, where Tupou is an aerial specialist with over 130 tries to his name.
Expert NRL Tip: Anytime Try Scorer – Daniel Tupou
Game 5 – Dolphins vs Canberra Raiders, Saturday 11th March, 5.30pm
I’m still stunned by the Dolphins’ amazing first-up win over the Roosters - to me it ranks among the greatest upsets of all time. Now the big question - can they keep it up? The Raiders are a top-notch side and almost knocked off the Cowboys last weekend. But the Townsville heat will have taken a lot out of Canberra, and they could find the going tough against the enthusiastic Dolphins pack that simply steamrolled the Roosters.
After their great win at Suncorp in Brisbane last week, the Dolphins return to their true home at Kayo Stadium in Redcliffe this Saturday where a full house is a certainty. Wayne Bennett’s men are good value for the win, and I’m tempted to have a lash at that.
Expert NRL Tip: Match Winner – Dolphins
Game 6 – Melbourne Storm vs Canterbury Bulldogs, Saturday 11th March, 7.35pm
After such a massive build-up over the summer, the Bulldogs were the big disappointments of Round 1, crumbling against a string Manly side at Brookvale. New coach Cameron Ciraldo hasn’t hit the panic button but another poor showing against the Storm could force his hand. Melbourne were great against the Eels, hanging in there to force extra time and then coming up with the killer blow through superstar hooker Harry Grant.
Plenty of critics wrote the Storm off this year after they lost half their pack, but Craig Bellamy is the best coach in the league and it’s already evident that he will have his team up there again this season. The Storm look too strong for a team that is still finding its combinations and should win and win well at home.
Expert NRL Tip: Winning Margin – Storm 13+
Game 7 – Wests Tigers vs Newcastle Knights, Sunday 12th March, 4.05pm
If the Bulldogs were the big flops of Round 1, the Tigers weren’t far behind. The new Tim Sheens - Benji Marshall era got off to a limp start, crumbling before a strangely quiet home crowd at Leichhardt. The controversial move to start skipper Api Koroisau on the bench was a disaster and the game against the Titans was all but over by the time he took the field.
The Knights were also poor against the Warriors in Wellington and look a club that isn’t happy on or off the field. Having said that, the Knights have strike power out wide in Kalyn Ponga and Bradman Best, whereas the Tigers backline doesn’t look like it has many points in it. Expect a dour, error filled contest.
Expert NRL Tip: Total Points - Under
Game 8 – St. George Illawarra Dragons vs Gold Coast Titans, Sunday 12th March, 6.15pm
An interesting game in prospect, with the Dragons fresh from the bye and the Titans on a high after a fine outing against the Tigers. The Titans have suffered a blow, losing star five-eighth Kieran Firan through injury, but have class and power all over the field. The Dragons look the same stale outfit that has struggled for the past few years and there’s plenty of mail that the players are already off coach Anthony Griffin.
Their trial form was poor, and they have bought little to improve their roster. AJ Brimson is a trump card for the Titans and was the best player in the defeat of the Tigers. He scored a superb 50 metre try and I’m backing him to cross the line again - at least once.
Expert NRL Tip: Anytime Try Scorer – AJ Brimson
We told you our NRL betting tips were on point! If reading our NRL preview for Round 2 has got you all fired up, make sure you head on over to the Dabble app, get all your bets sorted and share your thoughts in the Banter channel.
