Penrith Panthers 2022 NRL Favorites

The Penrith Panthers avenged an earlier loss to the South Sydney Rabbitohs in last year’s National Rugby League Finals to claim their third NRL title. It was a great year for the club after they lost in the grand final to the Melbourne Storm in 2020, as their young players have come along quickly to ensure a bright future for this team. Melbourne remains their toughest competition coming into the 2022 NRL season, but the Manly Sea Eagles and the two big Sydney clubs are strong contenders too.

NRL Premiership Betting Odds

• Penrith Panthers +400
• Melbourne Storm +450
• Manly Sea Eagles +600
• Sydney Roosters +650
• South Sydney Rabbitohs +800
• Parramatta Eels +1200
• Gold Coast Titans +1600
• Cronulla Sharks +1800
• Canberra Raiders +2000
• All Other Teams are +2200 or More

Odds Provided by DraftKings - Subject to Change

There’s a lot to like about the Penrith Panthers in their bid to repeat as NRL champions in 2022. Penrith boasts a lot of young talent that can help the Panthers overcome the loss of a few starters from last year’s team. Halfback Nathan Cleary ranked third in the NRL in points and goals last season, while Jarome Luai and James Fisher-Harris are two of the best players at their positions in the league too.

The Melbourne Storm have been an NRL juggernaut in recent years. They have made it to the NRL Grand Finals in four of the last six years, and they have won the Minor Premiers in four of the last six seasons too. Melbourne was the top team in the NRL during the regular season last year and hammered the Manly Sea Eagles before being upset by Penrith in the preliminary finals. They lost Josh Addo-Carr to the Canterbury Bulldogs in the offseason though.

Reuben Garrick helps make the Manly Sea Eagles a title contender again in 2022. Garrick led the league in points and was second in the league in goals last season. Tom Trbojevic and Jason Saab also finished in the top five in successful tries, and those two players are back on the team too. Manly had some trouble holding the line on defense, but the offense was the third-best in the NRL.

The Sydney Roosters and South Sydney Rabbitohs should make the playoffs again too. The two most storied teams in Australian rugby were two of the final six teams in last year’s playoffs, and South Sydney lost a nail-biter to Penrith in the Grand Finals last October.