Panthers vs. Dragons Predictions

The NRL continues with Round 11 action between the Panthers vs. Dragons on Sunday, May 17 at 6:25pm at Suncorp Stadium.

Closing Magic Round are the Panthers and Dragons, where the Panthers are –28.5 favourites with the latest NRL odds.

Best Bet

Panthers –28.5 @ $1.90

We can’t remember the last time we backed a team at –28.5, but that’s how poorly the Dragons have played this season.

Not even a coaching change has seen their form improve, and for whatever reason, they seem disinterested in playing rugby league right now. It’s terrible to watch, and coming up against teams like Penrith won’t help.

The Panthers are the best team in the NRL, and they defeated the Knights 44-12 in Round 8, so they’re able to rack up big wins. They need to play at their best to cover the –28.5 spread, but the game could be in hand by halftime.

We wouldn’t use stolen money to bet on the Dragons, and although they only need to defend with some effort to cover the spread, we can’t trust that they’ll make any effort to defend their line.

Same Game Multi

Panthers –28.5, Thomas Jenkins 2+ Tries, Blaize Talagi Anytime Try Scorer, Over 57.5 @ $9.00

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The try-scoring efforts of Thomas Jenkins have dried up recently. He started the year on fire, but after failing to score in his last three games, he could bounce back in a big way. We have him scoring 2+ tries, which pays $1.90.

Punters get value odds for Blaize Talagi to score his fourth try in the last three weeks. He’s coming into form, and $2.20 is a much better price that what we expected from bookmakers.

The Panthers could score close to 57 points by themselves, so we’re including over 57.5 points in our NRL SGM picks. They combined for 60 points in their most recent contest, which is a good sign.

Best Value Bet

Thomas Jenkins First Try Scorer @ $5.50

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If he’s not scoring tries, Jenkins is doing a lot in the lead-up, and he could be rewarded with the opening try on Sunday evening.

He is having a breakout year in 2026, and although he’s being caught on the try-scorers list, a big game against the Dragons could see him put space on his rivals.

We have him scoring the opening try from a kick from Nathan Cleary, and $5.50 odds are worth the risk.

Editor In Chief

Daryl Curnow

After graduating from the University of Auckland (BA - English), Daryl was thrown into the world of sports and horse racing journalism.

Having worked as a racing journalist for two years, he decided to move into the online world of horse racing and sports writing. After years of honing his craft, Daryl became a professional punter in 2009 - with a focus on horse racing, NRL, AFL, NBA, Rugby, NFL, and US college sports.

Daryl's tips have been featured on various websites around the world before joining the GoBet team. When he's not working, Daryl tries to avoid making bogeys on the golf course.