NRL Pro Punter Previews - Knights v Raiders, Round 1 2024

Round 1 continues back in Australia...

Steve Green from Champion Bets has joined us for the 2024 NRL season, where he'll share his thoughts on every game!

Newcastle Knights v Canberra Raiders
Thursday, 8:05pm AEDT

Knights 1.40
Raiders 2.95
Knights -7.5 (1.84) / Raiders +7.5 (1.90)
Bet Right Markets

Heading into this game, I was surprised to see the line so short. I thought the Knights deserved bigger favouritism based on their 2024 form. But most importantly, it is because the Raiders have not only lost Wighton, but they will be without Horsburgh and Seb Kris for this one due to suspension… so it is a near full strength Knights, at home, against a weakened Raiders outfit.

However, my enthusiasm has been tempered by the Knights poor showing in Fiji in their trial against the Storm. In that match, the Knights forwards were walloped, and Gamble played terribly in the halves. While it was only a trial and there was a chance the Knights struggled due to their low possession in the heat, the Knights looked to have lost the hard edge that made them such a force in 2023.

In contrast, the Raiders played great in both their trials. Their young players look fearless and with experienced guys like Fogarty and Rapana still to come back into the side, the Raiders look like they might not struggle as much as I had feared.

But I still have concerns about their spine, and on my system the Knights should be at least 12 point favourites here.

Predicted score: Knights 26 - 12 Raiders

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