Eels vs Sharks Prediction
This is the game where I disagree with the bookies…
Game 8 of Round 9 of the 2026 NRL Telstra Premiership on May 4 features the Storm vs Raiders at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday evening. Get the latest NRL betting tips predictions and analysis right here, and catch the game live on Kayo, & Foxtel.Â
Sunday, May 4, 2026
6:25 pm @ Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
At the time of writing Unibet had the head to head for the Melbourne Storm set at $1.50, and $2.60 for the Canberra Raiders, This sets the bookmakers implied probability for both teams as follows:
The bookies are backing the Storm hard at 63.43%, but our deeper numbers pull it back slightly, giving the Storm a 56.98% chance of taking the win. So there’s actually a bit of value around the Raiders at $2.60 if you’re chasing a roughie with a half decent chance of an upset.
That said, the Storm are still favourites for a reason, and they should have the edge if they bring their best game.
Here’s how the two teams compare based on the latest performance metrics:
What to do?
The Storm are sitting nicely in 3rd spot in the power rankings, while the Raiders are hanging around 7th, still strong, but about 4 spots behind the Storm.
Looking deeper, Melbourne has a better True Power Score (3.40 vs 6.20), showing they’ve been sharper overall, especially when the pressure’s on. They’ve also had slightly tougher opposition to deal with (average opponent rank 3.92 compared to 5.50) and still came out on top more often than not.
While the Raiders have been impressive and actually have a slightly higher win percentage, it’s come against weaker opposition based on opponent win rates (65.18% vs 57.59%). So don’t let the raw win % trick you, the Storm have been getting it done against better teams.
All up, the Storm deserve their favouritism, and with their attacking power and slightly tighter line, they should have enough to get past the Raiders. That said, if you’re looking for a bigger payout, a sneaky little play on the Raiders at $2.60 isn’t the worst idea!
Best bet here is to take the Storm -5.5, predicted margin is floating on the 12 point difference so it could go 1-12 or 13+, even though Storm are the home team they are technically not at home so expect a score lower than their home average.
Suggested Betting Tip:
Storm -5.5 @ $1.85Â with
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H-2-H Bet:
Storm @ $1.50Â with
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OVER/UNDER Bet:
OVER 47.5 @ $1.87Â with
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Winning Margin Bet:
Storm 1-12 @ $3.15Â with
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 Storm vs Raiders SGM - Nrl tips
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