Gold Coast Titans vs Canberra Raiders Preview

Let's be honest. The Raiders really should have done better in the 2017 NRL. But Blake Austin - who will make his 100th NRL appearance in this match - struggled after a stellar 2016, when he his Origin non-selection surprised just about everybody and Canberra's apparently unstoppable run to the Grand Final was only halted by a dropped ball. The visitors will need him back at his string-pulling best if they're to mount a finals challenge this time around - but our rugby league tips suggest that Canberra will have the beating of the Titans.

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Gold Coast Titans vs Canberra Raiders Prediction

The rugby league betting odds strongly suggest that a Raiders win is in the bag - and that should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed the NRL for more than five minutes. Ricky Stuart's side scored a whopping 558 points in last season's competition, more than any team other than Broncos and Storm, and 58 more than Roosters who finished up in second place in the table. They have the attacking prowess, which is why their roster is much the same as it was last season and the season before that. What they lack is consistency, which is why they missed out on a finals place. That said, they have the firepower to overwhelm a Titans side that lacks a genuine game-breaker.

Gold Coast Titans vs Canberra Raiders Betting Tips

Things are just too unsettled at Titans - a rookie NRL coach in Garth Brennan, four key players leaving for pastures new, and a worrying lack of depth - for them to trouble the Raiders here, or mount anything approaching a serious challenge this year. It may be that they're building for a brighter future - as the Knights appear to have done - but this match, this entire season, has come too soon for them to offer much of a threat to most of the other sides in the NRL. Moreover, certainly not one as rich in proven talent as the Raiders, who are odds-on favourites across the bookmakers. 10Bet's odds here are not unusual.

On their day, Raiders can set the scoreboard whirring against anybody in the NRL - and they put the Titans to the sword in 2017. That said, most sides put the Titans to the sword last season. They conceded 638 points at more than 26 points per game. Admittedly, they had an excuse. They suffered so badly with injuries that they finished more than one game with fewer than 13 men. That depth issue has not been resolved in the off-season: the fact is the Titans could struggle if they lose a first-choice player for any length of time. Where do you go from here, then, other than taking up an offer, such as William Hill’s, of a big Raiders’ win?