NRL 2026 Round 18 – Betting Tips & Predictions

Round 18 NRL action awaits us, and we see the Panthers and Rabbitohs kick things off on Friday night. That’s a top-eight clash, and we have one more to round out this week, with the Knights welcoming the Dolphins to McDonald Jones Stadium. 

If you’re looking for NRL tips for Round 18, you’ve certainly come to the right place. Our NRL betting tips have just landed, and we provide our thoughts on every single game this round. The BettingTop10 team have done all the heavy lifting, so have a read and see what we think!

To start Round 18, we have a top-eight clash with the top-of-the-table Panthers taking on the seventh-placed Rabbitohs. The Panthers are on their first losing streak of the season, going down to the Titans in a nailbiter, and then last time out, the Cowboys got the better of them 12-26. Meanwhile, the Rabbitohs have won their last two games in a row, beating the Broncos 48-6, and then the Eels, 32-12, last time out.

All Panthers Origin stars will be missing, plus Isaiah Papali'i joins the likes of Casey McLean and Mitch Kenny on the sidelines. Jack Wighton, Campbell Graham, and Latrell Mitchell should all be out for the Rabbitohs, while Cameron Murray is on Origin duties. The Panthers are the favourites for this one, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see the Rabbitohs keep this one close, or even win it.

Bookmaker	Katherine’s Tip	Odds
	Rabbitohs +8.5	NZ$1.48
	First 10 Minutes Points Handicap - Rabbitohs +0.5	NZ$1.39
	Rabbitohs +8.5	NZ$1.48

Predicted Squads

Penrith Panthers - Dylan Edwards, Thomas Jenkins, Paul Alamoti, Izack Tago, Brian To'o, Blaize Talagi, Jack Cogger, Moses Leota, Freddy Lussick, Liam Henry, Scott Sorensen, Luke Garner, Lindsay Smith, Jack Cole, Billy Scott, Sione Fanua, Billy Phillips, Kalani Going & Luron Patea

South Sydney Rabbitohs - Jye Gray, Alex Johnston, Latrell Siegwalt, Jack Wighton, Edward Kosi, Cody Walker, Ashton Ward, Tevita Tatola, Brandon Smith, Keaon Koloamatangi, David Fifita, Tallis Duncan, Euan Aitken, Lachlan Hubner, Jamie Humphreys, Liam Le Blanc, John Radel, Jayden Sullivan & Dayne Jennings

Kicking off Saturday’s action, we see the Dragons host the Tigers. Adam Doueihi returned for the Tigers' last game and made a great impact, but as a team, the Tigers looked poor in attack, and they definitely should have won that game against the Knights. They have now lost their last two games in a row, but aren’t really impacted by Origin, so that’s a plus. The Dragons have lost their last three games, but were competitive last time out against the Raiders.

Another game, another shoulder injury for Taylan May, who looks to be out for the season now for the Tigers. In better news, we could see both Alex Twal and Jock Madden return this round. For the Dragons, we could see both Moses Suli and Hayden Buchanan return. There is certainly more pressure on the Tigers for this game, as they are still a chance to make the eight. If they play to their potential, they should win this.

Bookmaker	Katherine’s Tip	Odds
	Tigers to win	NZ$1.44
	Tigers to win	NZ$1.52
	Tigers to win	NZ$1.44

Predicted Squads

St. George Illawarra Dragons - Clint Gutherson, Setu Tu, Mathew Feagai, Valentine Holmes, Tyrell Sloan, Daniel Atkinson, Kyle Flanagan, Loko Jnr Pasifiki Tonga, Damien Cook, Toby Couchman, Dylan Egan, Hamish Stewart, Ryan Couchman, Jacob Liddle, Josh Kerr, Emre Guler, Jacob Halangahu, Lyhkan King-Togia & Hayden Buchanan

Wests Tigers - Jahream Bula, Heamasi Makasini, Sunia Turuva, Starford To'a, Jerel Skelton, Jarome Luai, Adam Doueihi, Terrell May, Api Koroisau, Fonua Pole, Sione Fainu, Tony Sukkar, Alex Twal, Josese Lanyon, Alex Seyfarth, Charlie Murray, Jock Madden, Latu Fainu & Bunty Afoa

A lot is happening this round, but here are the key factors that will most likely impact your bets:

1. The Panthers have all their Origin stars missing, plus a couple of injuries. They have lost their last two, while the Rabbitohs have won their last two. The Rabbitohs are in with a great shot of at least keeping this one close.
2. Both the Dragons and Tigers are on losing streaks. While the Dragons have been playing better, the Tigers should have most of their key players back this round. If the Tigers play to their potential, they should win this.
3. The Eels have won just one of their last five, and the Sea Eagles are starting to flex their muscles with a win over the Storm, 30-4, last time out. They’ll be without Luke Brooks, but should still be good enough to win this.

Multi of the Week

My multi of the week comes across three different games in Round 18:

• Leg 1 - Penrith Panthers vs South Sydney Rabbitohs
• Leg 2 - St. George Illawarra Dragons vs Wests Tigers
• Leg 3 - Parramatta Eels vs Manly Sea Eagles

The Broncos will be desperate to get back into the winner’s circle today against the Sharks. There’s been some off-field drama surrounding coach Michael Maguire and whether he’ll be offered the job again in 2027. The Broncos will have to put that behind them as they go up against a Sharks team that had their bye last round. The home side has lost their last seven in a row, and currently sit in 13th spot on the ladder; the Sharks are in 8th.

Without the likes of Payne Haas, Reece Walsh and Pat Carrigan, the Broncos will have to get the win the hard way. However, we may see two big stars return, with both Adam Reynolds and Ezra Mam a chance to play. The Sharks will be missing Origin stars Addin Fonua-Blake, Briton Nikora and Blayke Brailey for this one. Even without those players, the Sharks look like a strong team. If we see Adam Reynolds and Ezra Mam return, the Broncos could keep this one close.

Bookmaker	Katherine’s Tip	Odds
	Broncos +6.5	NZ$1.90
	Most Tries - Sharks	NZ$1.57
	Broncos +6.5	NZ$1.90

Predicted Squads

Brisbane Broncos - Jesse Arthars, Deine Mariner, Kotoni Staggs, Gehamat Shibasaki, Grant Anderson, Tom Duffy, Adam Reynolds, Preston Riki, Cory Paix, Jack Gosiewski, Brendan Piakura, Jordan Riki, Ben Talty, Ben Hunt, Blake Mozer, Jaiyden Hunt, Va'a Semu, Josh Rogers & Hayze Perham

Cronulla Sharks - Will Kennedy, Sione Katoa, Jesse Ramien, KL Iro, Ronaldo Mulitalo, Braydon Trindall, Nicho Hynes, Thomas Hazelton, Hohepa Puru, Jesse Colquhoun, Billy Burns, Teig Wilton, Cam McInnes, Jayden Berrell, Siosifa Talakai, Oregon Kaufusi, Braden Uele, Sam Stonestreet & Mawene Hiroti

Sunday NRL action kicks off with the Eels and Sea Eagles. The Eels have won just one of their last five games; meanwhile, the Sea Eagles have also been slightly inconsistent, winning three of their last five. They did, however, get a great 30-4 win over the Storm last time out, while really helping to cement their place in the top eight, and in people’s minds that they could be a genuine contender this season.

The 15th-placed Eels will be without their captain, Mitchell Moses, who is back in Blues camp. For the Sea Eagles, they were dealt a massive blow last game, with Luke Brooks now out for the season after suffering an ACL injury. However, we should see Kobe Hetherington and Reuben Garrick back after missing the last game in concussion protocols. These two teams have already played once this season, with the Sea Eagles winning 33-18 in Round 8.

Bookmaker	Katherine’s Tip	Odds
	Sea Eagles to win	NZ$1.30
	Sea Eagles to win	NZ$TBA
	Sea Eagles to win	NZ$1.30

Predicted Squads

Parramatta Eels - Isaiah Iongi, Apa Twidle, Jordan Samrani, Sean Russell, Josh Addo-Carr, Joash Papali'i, Ronald Volkman, Luca Moretti, Tallyn Da Silva, Jack Williams, Kelma Tuilagi, Kitione Kautoga, Jack De Belin, Dylan Walker, Sam Tuivaiti, Teancum Brown, Harrison Edwards, Jonah Pezet & Charlie Guymer

Manly Sea Eagles - Tom Trbojevic, Jason Saab, Josh Feledy, Reuben Garrick, Lehi Hopoate, Joey Walsh, Jamal Fogarty, Taniela Paseka, Jake Simpkin, Kobe Hetherington, Ethan Bullemore, Ben Trbojevic, Jake Trbojevic, Clayton Faulalo, Nathan Brown, Jackson Shereb, Simione Laiafi, Paul Bryan & Onitoni Large

The final game of Round 18 sees the Knights play host to the high-flying Dolphins. This is a clash between two top-eight teams, and could be the game of the round. The Knights did not play well last time out, but they still managed to walk away with the win over the Tigers, 12-6. This means they have now won four of their last five. Another game, another win for the Dolphins, who played in the game of the round last time out against the Warriors, winning on the road, 26-24.

Kalyn Ponga and Bradman Best will be missing for the Knights, but they get to keep Dylan Lucas, who has been dropped for Origin III. For the Dolphins, they continue to be one of the most impacted teams when it comes to Origin. And if that wasn’t bad enough, their captain, Isaiya Katoa, is out for a few weeks, courtesy of a broken wrist. In some more welcome news, both Tom Gilbert and Jake Averillo could be back.

Bookmaker	Katherine’s Tip	Odds
	Dolphins to win	NZ$1.72
	Dolphins to win	NZ$TBA
	Dolphins to win	NZ$1.72

Predicted Squads

Newcastle Knights - Fletcher Sharpe, Dominic Young, Dane Gagai, Fletcher Hunt, Greg Marzhew, Sandon Smith, Dylan Brown, Jacob Saifiti, Phoenix Crossland, Trey Mooney, Dylan Lucas, Jermaine McEwen, Mat Croker, Harrison Graham, Tyson Frizell, Thomas Cant, Cody Hopwood, James Schiller & Lachlan Crouch

Dolphins - Trai Fuller, Jamayne Isaako, Jake Averillo, Herbie Farnworth, Tevita Naufahu, Kodi Nikorima, Brad Schneider, Felise Kaufusi, Jeremy Marshall-King, Francis Molo, Connelly Lemuelu, Kulikefu Finefeuiaki, Morgan Knowles, Kurt Donoghoe, Ray Stone, Tom Gilbert, Sebastian Su'a, Lewis Symonds & Brian Pouniu

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