Now that we’re approaching the halfway point in the National Rugby League 2025 season, there’s a few teams who are starting to stand out. At the top, the Bulldogs lead the way with an impressive 18 points from 9 games, but will they be able to hold on all the way to the finals? Their closest rivals, the Warriors, are hot on their heels just two points behind and the most recent performance of Melbourne Storm who decimated Wests Tigers, proves them a real threat. Let’s look at some of the top performers that could be a good bet. 

Back the Bulldogs 

It will come as no surprise that our first betting tip comes straight from the top of the leaderboard with the Bulldogs. They’ve impressed so far this season winning eight of their nine games and sitting pretty on 18 points. There were signs of a resurgent Bulldogs at the end of the 2024 season with Toby Sexton and Kurt Mann putting in career-best performances. Overall, they finished in 6th place and suffered a narrow 22-24 defeat to the Sea Eagles in the quarter finals. 

However, it’s been hard to overlook their rocky form over the earlier seasons, just two years earlier in 2023 they finished two off the bottom of the league and conceded a whopping 769 points, averaging 32 a game. Their 2023 season was an unfortunate representation of their recent poor form with similar results coming in the 22 and 21 seasons. At the start of the season, there wouldn’t have been many who put them in their betting tips, but after capitalising on the return to form shown at the end of 2024, they’re genuine contenders. 

The Bulldogs have shown a real improvement in defence conceding only 58 points across their first five matches, the lowest in the league. They also have an impressive points difference of 106, the second highest in the league. In the past, they’ve struggled in defence with bigger teams finding it easy to overcome their smaller pack size. Former NRL player Alex McKinnon said the difference this year had been using their heads, ‘I saw a real conscious effort to carry the attacking players sideways’; he described it as a ‘smart tactic’ that would be ‘frustrating to play against’¹. Their opponents have clearly been struggling to work out how to play against their new defensive tactic, and the likes of Stephen Crichton in attack so far this season. If the Bulldogs can continue to blaze along this path, they could be a threat for the title and a top betting selection. 

Caught in the storm 

Sitting in third place currently, Melbourne Storm have had an impressive start to the season winning six of their nine matches and with an incredible point difference of 140, the highest in the league. However, it’s their recent performance on May 11th against the Wests Tigers where they won 64-0, that they really showed their potential even equalling their biggest winning margin. The only thing holding Storm back is consistency; they’ve lost two of their last five matches. Their next match against Sharks, just two places below them in the league, will be a true test. 

Storm can also expect a boost with Hooker Harry Grant set to make a return from a hamstring injury, after being named in Storm’s reserves for their next match². Grant is a vital part of the team having been the captain since 2024; he also topped the league for tackle numbers in 2023 making 1065 tackles at a 91% efficiency. The team is stacked with talent having added NSW prop Stefano Utoikamanu to their roster along with other top quality players Tyran Wishart, Jack Howarth and Sualauvi Fa’alogo. 

Storm also have one of the top coaches in the history of the game, Craig Beallmy, who boasts a 70% win rate. He’s been with the side since 2003, coaching them to two premiership wins and achieving seven coach of the year awards. Storm would be a good team to back in a bet which specifies winning by a high margin as they’ve already dealt some crushing, high scoring blows to teams this season. Overall, with many backing Storm to go all the way this year, they’re a hard team to bet against³. 

The winning Warriors? 

Although not quite as emphatic in their wins as Storm or the Bulldogs, the New Zealand Warriors still pose a threat this season. They currently sit in second place with an impressive seven wins from nine matches. One of our top betting tips is backing the Warriors against the Dolphins in their upcoming match in the round of eleven. As the Dolphins sit in twelfth place, with only four wins from ten games, the Warriors look set to storm it. 

Another boost for the Warriors will come in the form of the return of their co-captain, James Fisher-Harris, who has been named in the starting team against the Dolphins after a month out for a pec strain. Fans will also be pleased to see winger Roger Tuivasa-Sheck being named on the extended bench. Tuivasa-Sheck hasn’t played since the third round after suffering a hamstring injury and his upcoming return will offer the team a much-needed attacking threat⁴.

At the beginning of the season the Warriors were certainly outsiders to challenge, having lost important players like Addin Fonuna-Blake, Tohu Harris and Shaun Johnson. In particular, they seemed set to miss Fonuna-Blake, one of the league’s top props who during his time at the club was the leading try scorer. While they’ve coped better than many had expected, they are missing some of the offensive potency, sitting at a point difference of only plus one. The majority of their games have been tight and low scoring, a testament to their defensive prowess, but one that leaves a question mark over the rest of their season. The Warriors are still one of our top betting tips after their strong start to the season, especially in their upcoming game against the Dolphins. 

The future of the NRL 

Whoever is victorious in this year’s NRL, one thing is for certain, it’s going to be an exciting second half to the season. The future of the NRL seems set to go from strength to strength with the tournament making waves overseas. In 2026, the league will make a third appearance in Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium. More than three million fans tuned in to watch the two games where the Sharks faced the Panthers and the Warriors faced the Raiders in the 2024 Las Vegas games. The incredible viewing numbers represented a 600% increase on those achieved the year before. Crowd numbers were also impressive in the stadium itself with 45,209 watching the season opener, the biggest showing in fifteen years⁵. 

It’s no surprise that companies are lining up to sponsor the NRL when they’re seeing record numbers of viewers. Ireland’s betting power Paddy Power is waiting to see whether they’ll be awarded a $50 million deal which will give it significant advertising opportunities in the NRL⁶. They’re not alone however, and Australia’s CrownBet is also in the running for the deal which will grant the first rights to the successful wagering provider. 

What is the best bet on the NRL?

The 2025 season is an incredibly open one so far, with five teams within just six points. While the teams we’ve already mentioned are leading the way, readers shouldn’t rule out other teams like the Raiders or the Sharks. At the minute, we’d find it hard to bet against Melbourne’s Storm after their incredible performance against Wests Tigers. A top tip would be to capitalise on bets that specify wins by a high margin when betting on the Storm. Backing the Warriors against the Dolphins also sounds like an opportunity that’s hard to resist. Overall, as the NRL continues to rise in popularity across the globe, there’s ample opportunity for fans to enhance their experience by placing a bet on one of the top contenders. 

1: Worst to Best in 30 Games: Inside Ciraldo’s Incredible Bulldogs Resurgence After Early Horror Show, Written by Daniel Ramus, Published by Fox News. 

2: NRL Casualty Ward: Surgery for Nicholson; Hunt Out for Origin, Written by NRL.com, Published by NRL.com. 

3:NRL 2025 Predicted Ladder Part Two: It’s Melbourne Storm’s Premiership to Lose, Written by Nick Tedeschi, Published by the Guardian. 

4: Warriors V Dolphins: James Fisher-Harris Named to Start After Injury Layoff, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck on Extended Bench, Written by NZ Herald, Published by NZ Herald. 

5: Rugby Leagues Las Vegas: The Story So Far, Written by NRL.com, Published by NRL.com.

6: Ireland’s Paddy Power Fighting for Australian NRL Deal, Written by Siobhan Aslett, Published by Irishluck.