GET READY FOR ROUND 19 - All You Need to Know Before Kick-off

We’re almost back to the full slate of games this round, with seven clashes in total. We have two top-eight games as well, and the run to the finals is well and truly on. With Origin being played on Wednesday, clubs will be waiting to see which stars will back up. Before all the action kicks off for Round 19, the BettingTop10 team breaks down all the important news!

After back-to-back losses to the Gold Coast Titans and North Queensland Cowboys, the Penrith Panthers put the South Sydney Rabbitohs to bed last time out, 36-14. This means they are sitting four Premiership points ahead of the pack.

And what a pack it is! There are three teams on 26 points and two on 24, so the congestion is very real. One slip-up can really drop a team down, so everyone will have to be on their A-game coming into the last several rounds.

The Panthers, of course, are still the favourites in NRL betting odds to take out the Premiership, and they have the bye this round. This means they don’t have to um and ah about resting players.

Turning our attention to the Sydney Roosters now. They have been a tad inconsistent as of late, but they are one of the most impacted teams thanks to Origin. And despite all this, they’re sitting in third spot on the ladder!

They play the 14th-placed Parramatta Eels this round, and the major question will be which of the Roosters’ Origin stars will back up. One player who is returning from injury and will be on the field is Daniel Tupou.

We haven’t seen Daniel Tupou since Magic Round when he left the field with a calf strain. That game was his 299th, meaning he has been waiting around to notch up the impressive 300th-game milestone for a while now.

We haven’t really spoken about the Canterbury Bulldogs in a while, but their current three-game winning streak has put them back on the radar. They are currently sitting in 10th spot, thanks to recent wins over the Titans, Manly Sea Eagles and Eels.

They play the Canberra Raiders this round, and bagging the two points could see them sneak into the top eight if other results go their way. All eyes will be on their captain, Stephen Crichton, to see if his shoulder makes it through Origin and if he lines up in this game.

The Melbourne Storm were also on a run, winning three games in a row before they were blown out of the water by the Sea Eagles, 4-30. They are playing at home this round and are up against the Titans.

The Storm team haven’t missed the finals since 2002. If they want to continue that terrific stat, they’ll have to start stringing more wins together, and fast. Time is quickly running out, but we reckon they’d fancy their chances against the Titans, especially at home.

Finally, something to celebrate! A second win for the St. George Illawarra Dragons last time out! It’s not all good news for the Dragons, though. It’s been reported that a fifth Dragons star is due to leave the club.

Luciano Leilua is leaving the NRL altogether and has signed a long-term deal with the Catalan Dragons in the Super League. He isn’t the only player leaving the NRL to join the Super League as of late, either. Eels’ star Dylan Walker is set to join the Leeds Rhinos next season.

Unfortunately, Wests Tigers fans, we’re putting your team on wooden spoon watch. A team that showed so much promise at the beginning of the season. Now, they have slumped down to 12th spot on the ladder.

This is due to a mix of injuries/ suspensions to ultra-critical players and just plain old poor play. The Tigers looked lost on the field last time out when they were up against the Dragons.

To make matters even worse, the captain, Api Koroisau, has injured his peck and will be out for a couple of weeks. How many peck injuries does that make it now at the Tigers this season?