The Manly Sea-Eagles and Newcastle Knights will both be looking to bounce back from round 7 losses when they throw down in their round 8 matchup on Sunday. With both teams looking to remain inside the top eight in the NRL standings, let’s find out which team is offering the best betting value against their NRL odds in this affair.
NRL Knights Vs Sea Eagles Round 8
Why Bet On The Sea Eagles
Manly is sitting in eighth place in the NRL standings with eight points. The Sea Eagles have scored 117 points while allowing 115 points this season (+2). Manly has gone 2-2 at home and 2-1 on the road this season. The Sea Eagles had their two-game winning streak snapped in their humbling 40-22 round 7 loss against the Cronulla Sharks on Sunday. Addin Fonua-Blake scored a pair of tries loss while Jorge Taufua and Tevita Funa added tries in the loss. Rebuen Garrick went 2 for 4 on conversions and added a penalty goal, but it wasn’t nearly enough as Manly allowed seven tries and six Shaun Johnson conversions in the defeat. For this round 8 matchup, Moses Suli could return from a finger injury, likely replacing Tevita Funa.
Why Bet On The Knights
The Knights are sitting in sixth place in the NRL standings with nine points. Newcastle has scored 169 points this season while allowing 120 points defensively (+49). The Knights have gone 2-1 at home and 2-1 on the road this season. Newcastle has alternated wins and losses over their last four games and comes into this contest off a humbling 32-20 road loss against the North Queensland Cowboys on Saturday. Tex Hoy, Hymel Hunt, Kurt Mann and Gehamat Shibasaki all scored tries while Kalyn Ponga went 2 for 4 on conversions. Still, it wasn’t enough as the Knights gave up five tries, five conversions and a penalty goal in the loss. Now, heading into round 8, center Bradman Best is set to return after self-isolating for a week due to breaking COVID-19 protocols. Lock Tim Glasby will be monitored after a head knock.
General Match Info Newcastle Knights (4-1-2) vs. Manly Sea Eagles (4-0-3)
Expert Analysis and Prediction
Manly has won two straight and three of the last five meetings against Newcastle including an emphatic 30-6 spanking the last time they met on August 3, 2019. However, this time around, the Knights are the much better offensive team in this pairing and nearly as good defensively.
Manly might be playing at home in this affair, but there’s a reason why Newcastle is favored despite being on the road and it’s because they are the slightly better team in this round 8 matchup. While I’m expecting this one to be a knock-down, drag-out kind of street brawl, in the end I’m going with the Knights to squeak by to cover the chalk as a slight 1.5-point road favorite.
Pick: Knights 26 Sea Eagles 22
Telstra Premiership 2020 Round 8 Matches
- Dragons vs Raiders – Friday 3rd July, 04:00 AM | GIO Stadium, Canberra
- Cowboys vs Eels – Friday 3rd July, 05:55 AM | Bankwest Stadium, Sydney
- Roosters vs Storm – Thursday 2nd July, 05:50 AM | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
- Broncos vs Warriors – Saturday 4th July, 03:30 AM | Central Coast Stadium, Central Coast
- Panthers vs Wests Tigers – Saturday 4th July, 05:35 AM | Bankwest Stadium, Sydney
- Sharks vs Titans – Friday 3rd July, 01:00 AM | Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast
- Rabbitohs vs Bulldogs – Sunday 5th July, 04:30 AM | Bankwest Stadium, Sydney
