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We have a great weekend of NRL action this week but once again it comes with a condition. The fixtures will be affected in terms of players missing due to injury of the State of Origin closer in the week.

The matches I will make my recommendations on are the two Friday matches; Sydney Roosters v Canterbury Bulldogs and Penrith Panthers v Brisbane Broncos.

SYDNEY ROOSTERS V CANTERBURY BULLDOGS, 10:45am UK Time Friday 27th June

Let's face it; this match is all about the Bulldogs. Me saying this is not because I think that the Bulldogs are a better unit but more that they are a unit that are not to be trusted because you cannot always predict what exactly they are going to, as last weeks pummelling received at the hands of the Canberra Raiders proved.

The Roosters unit will have its absences and has not really proved itself to be a consistent enough team to have championship potential, but there is more to trust about them than the Bulldogs, and when you factor in home field advantage and the psychological effect of last weeks results (The Roosters snatching a 16-14 win at Newcastle, whilst Bulldogs were destroyed 58-18 at home to the Canberra Raiders), for me this is a no brainer.

Expect a disciplined performance from the Roosters, and gratefully accept a more than generous evens on offer now at Ladbrokes.

RECOMMENDATION -3 Points Stake Sydney Roosters to win @ 2.0 (Ladbrokes)

PENRITH PANTHERS V BRISBANE BRONCOS, 10:45 am UK Time Friday 27th June

It is plain to see where the market is going with this match. With the injuries both these sides have sustained you could be forgiven for not getting too excited, but fear not there is potential to make money in the NRL, even if the match doesn't seem like the most attractive.

Struggling Penrith are without forwards Luke Priddis, Frank Puletua and Adam Woolnough and Broncos are missing their key playmakers in Darren Lockyer, Justin Hodges and Peter Wallace. These aforementioned players are all injured, but this is a fair swap before you consider that the Broncos are losing Broncos Karmichael Hunt, Ben Hannant, Darius Boyd and Sam Thaiday to State of Origin duty.

It is clear that the Broncos have the rough end of the stick here but added to this the fact that away from Suncorp they can be a completely different unit, Penrith are clearly favourites to win the contest.

So I'm going for the short priced favourite then? Not exactly. Yes I think Penrith will win and handicaps can prove volatile so what I recommend is the half time/full time selection on Penrith to alleviate any concerns of them dropping off the pace late on if they have a handy lead with time to go. Imagine a situation where Penrith are for arguments sake 28-12 up with ten minutes to go so you feel safe in the knowledge that your -8 pick looks safe only for two late tries when Penrith have metaphorically put the cue on the rack, to gub you on the hooter and leave you feeling robbed!!

Maybe they will win by more than 8, but I'd rather stick to a safer option.

RECOMMENDATION -4 Points Stake Penrith HT / Penrith FT @ 1.74 (Canbet)

Happy punting folks.

Crafty Stan