Rugby League
2025-06-09 - Canterbury Bulldogs vs Parramatta Eels
A Sports Betting Pick by Stu
Rugby League : Australia : NRL
Monday 9th June 2025 - KO 1600 AEST
Canterbury Bulldogs
The Bulldogs return from a bye week with a point to prove after a shock 44-8 loss to the Dolphins in Round 12. That performance was uncharacteristically poor for a side that has otherwise been one of the best teams so far in 2025, still placed first, with a 9-2 record.
Coach Cameron Ciraldo has responded by naming a much stronger side, bolstered by the return of several key players from injury and Origin duty, including influential centre and captain, Stephen Crichton.
Canterbury Bulldogs Team News - Stephen Crichton, Max King, Kurt Mann, Jacob Kiraz, and Daniel Suluka-Fifita are all back in the 17. While all the talk this week has been about the arrival of Lachlan Galvin, he has been named in the extended squad and could debut, but this is still a huge unknown. At this stage, Matt Burton and Toby Sexton continue in the halves.
Parramatta Eels
The Eels are coming off a narrow 22-18 loss to the Panthers in Round 12, a game where they showed plenty of grit but lacked the skills to close out what would have a been a big upset. Sitting well outside the top eight in 16th, 4-8 record, every match is now critical for Brad Arthur’s men.
Parramatta’s edge defence has been a big concern, and they’ll need to tighten up against a Bulldogs side that thrives on second-phase play via late offloads and quick shifts to the wings. The Eels have lost four of their last five against top-eight teams and will need a near-flawless performance to pull off the upset.
Parramatta Eels Team News – Will Penisini returns from concussion, pushing Jordan Samrani to the bench, no other changes expected.
Odds
Bulldogs are ahead with the bookies as you would expect for 1 v 16, although maybe not quite as ones-sided as it might have been without the big defeat to Redcliffe $1.42 to $2.90, the line -7.5 points and total points is 44.5
The Betting Verdict
Kings birthday Monday provides a Monday afternoon KO at 4pm at Accor stadium where Canterbury are aiming to improve their 9-2 record ahead of what is expected to be a sellout crowd.
With both teams coming off losses and looking to reassert themselves, this match carries significant weight—especially for the Eels, who are desperate to stay in touch with the top eight, even this midway point of the season a loss here will almost certainly stop the Eels playing in the post season.
These teams have met once already in 2025, a very low scoring victory to the Bulldogs with only 1 of 5 tries being converted between the teams, final score 8-16 at Commbank stadium.
Overall record is just in favour of the Blue and Gold, 25-28 with one draw from 54 matches played. Both teams have used Accor as a home ground in the past, Canterbury are 54% while the Eels are 47% at the venue.
Despite the Dolphins blowout, the Bulldogs have won six of their last eight and remain inside their goal of the top 4. Their defensive structure and attacking cohesion, especially at home, make them a formidable opponent.
Canterbury’s returning stars, home-ground advantage, and superior form give them the edge. Parramatta will compete, but the Bulldogs firepower and structure should see them pull away late and likely cover the line of 7.5 points. Canterbury have covered this line in five of their last seven wins.
With a near full-strength squad, Canterbury well-positioned to make it 3 in a row over Parramatta. I also see the total points exceeding the set 44.5 threshold, both teams have attacking flair, but the Eels leaky edges could lead to a high-scoring affair as they are still a good attacking team at times and with enough field position could trouble the Bulldogs.
Over 44.5 Total Points is also a great choice here returning $1.91
The Pick :
Bulldogs 30 – 16 Eels
FIXED ODDS BETTING TIP :
Take Canterbury to win and cover the -7.5 line option returning $1.91 with Bet365
