GET READY FOR ROUND 12 - All You Need to Know Before Kick-off

Origin is almost upon us, which means we only have five games this round. Still, there’s plenty of action, and with the ladder still fairly congested, getting the two points is a top priority. Virtually every team will have to do it without some of their biggest stars, who will be on Origin duty. If it’s happening in the world of the NRL, the BettingTop10 team is on it!

The Penrith Panthers continue to sit atop the ladder, and are still the favourites in NRL betting odds markets to win the Premiership. They are a well-oiled machine, especially when it comes to Origin time, where the bulk of their stars are out.

They have the bye this round, but could be without the likes of Isaah Yeo, Nathan Cleary, Liam Martin, Brian To'o, and Dylan Edwards for their next game, depending on how they pull up. Could this be the time other teams can get the jump over them?

We can’t forget about the New Zealand Warriors either! They are sitting pretty in second spot on the ladder, and are currently riding a four-game winning streak. With their game this round against the St. George Illawarra Dragons, I think they fancy their chances. 

Kurt Capewell and Mitch Barnett are both out due to Origin for the Warriors, but Jackson Ford remains with the squad, which is a massive bonus. Unfortunately, we saw Tanah Boyd go down with an ACL injury in the last game, and he looks to be out for the rest of the season.

Another team to keep an eye out for is the Manly Sea Eagles. After a horrible start to the season, new coach Kieran Foran has completely revolutionised things, and the team have won four of their last five games.

Their only loss in that timeframe was to the Panthers, and it was by just two points. They come up against the Gold Coast Titans in this one, and I think they’ll like their chances against a team that’s lost their last four games in a row.

Is it too soon to call a comeback for the Melbourne Storm? After a horror run, they have won their last two games in a row over the Wests Tigers and Parramatta Eels. For this round, they come up against the Canterbury Bulldogs.

Last season, that would have been a tough game, especially considering how the Storm are currently playing, but this season, the Bulldogs have been pretty much just as bad as the Storm. The Bulldogs have lost their last five games in a row.

The South Sydney Rabbitohs are still certainly in contention, but back issues continue to plague Latrell Mitchell, which makes it difficult to get much consistency within the team. Mitchell will miss both this round’s clash for the Rabbitohs, plus Game 1 of Origin.

They will be facing off against the North Queensland Cowboys this round and heading out on the road. A loss here could see them get dangerously close to dropping out of the top eight. They’ll also be without Bayleigh Bentley-Hape, Cameron Murray, Campbell Graham, and Jayden Sullivan for this game.

Surely the Dragons cannot go through the entire season without a win, right? Well, we’re into Round 12, and they are yet to chalk up that elusive first win. They are playing this round, and they’ll be up against the Warriors.

After facing off against the top-of-the-table Panthers last time out, the Dragons now have to play the team second on the ladder! They are playing at home for this game, but that doesn’t seem to be of any advantage for the team as of late.

It wasn’t that long ago that the Tigers were sitting in second spot on the ladder. Now, they’ve lost four of their last five games, including their last three in a row. It’s not just that they’re losing, it's the way it’s happening that should be of most concern.

The last three games have seen scores of 10-52, 16-44, and 18-46. They get the bye this week, and will need to have a good think about things (and pray that some of their key players come back early from injury as well!).