Newcastle Knights vs Canberra Raiders prediction and odds: NRL 2023 elimination final

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The Canberra Raiders have it all to do ahead of them on Saturday in the NRL finals, as they head to Newcastle and take on the fifth placed Knights for a spot in the semi-finals next weekend. Can they stem the bleeding and keep their season alive in 2023? Read on for our Knights vs Raiders predictions.

Newcastle Knights vs Canberra Raiders – match predictions

Contents

1 Newcastle Knights vs Canberra Raiders – match predictions
- 1.1 Newcastle Knights to win 13+ @ 1.75 (8/11)
- 1.2 Over 53 points in the match @ 3.75 (11/4)
2 Newcastle Knights vs Canberra Raiders preview
3 Newcastle Knights vs Canberra Raiders match details

The home side will be expected to continue their hot winning streak, but Canberra will have different ideas about that on Sunday. Here are our top predictions ahead of the Knights vs Raiders this weekend:

Newcastle Knights to win 13+ @ 1.75 (8/11)

This feels like the biggest mismatch of the NRL finals so far. The Newcastle Knights have won their last nine matches in a row, claiming the scalps of quality sides such as the Melbourne Storm, Cronulla Sharks and South Sydney Rabbitohs along the way. The Canberra Raiders, on the other hand, have only managed to defeat cellar-dwelling West Tigers and Canterbury Bulldogs in their last seven outings, and are winless against top eight sides since they pipped the Roosters in June.

Bottom line, we don’t see either of these trends shifting. With a head of steam and a home crowd behind them, expect Newcastle to put the Raiders out of their misery in 2023, and end their season with another wide margin loss.

Over 53 points in the match @ 3.75 (11/4)

It’s not inconceivable that this match cracks the 53 point mark, and great odds are being offered for this bet. The Raiders have leaked 24+ points in five of their past six matches, while the Knights have scored 26+ in each of their nine wins in a row recently, with plenty of big scores in their. Once the Green Machine know their season is over, there’s every chance the Knights will run in a few quick tries in the final quarter to make this scoreline a blow out.

Newcastle Knights vs Canberra Raiders preview

Heading into this match, here’s a look at how both teams’ seasons have gone so far in the NRL 2023:

Newcastle Knights

It’s been a season of two halves for the Newcastle Knights. Initially, they were ho-hum–not terrible, not amazing, but definitely not title-winning material. And then, a few months ago, a switch flipped, and the Knights have roared their way into the postseason riding a nine-match winning streak. This saw them place fifth on the NRL ladder, and has them nicely positioned as a dark horse to make a deep run in this year’s finals.

Canberra Raiders

For the Canberra Raiders, their season couldn’t have unfolded more differently. At the midway point, they were threatening the top four. Now, they’re lucky to be here, barely scraping into the top eight with an eighth place finish. They’ll need to sharpen up significantly this weekend if they’re to have any chance of defeating the Knights, with the Raiders only having won two of their past seven matches–and those two wins were over bottom of the table West Tigers and Canterbury Bulldogs.

Newcastle Knights vs Canberra Raiders head to head

The Knights and Raiders have had a historically competitive head to head, with Canberra leading 29-25 across their 56 matches, with two draws. Most recently, however, Newcastle won comprehensively, defeating the Raiders 28-6 in late July this year.