Tight finish mixes up NRL betting markets

NRL betting is warming up as eight sides go into the final stages with just two points separating them.

The current league ladder means The Panthers, who are in fifth and on 25, could still even find the Eels slip by them from 12th.

Meanwhile the Cowboys have a clutch of teams level with them and face the Bulldogs at Dairy Farmers Stadium on Friday.

Betfair's Andy Morris points out that while the Bulldogs won this tie last time in round 16, the Cowboys have been victorious in six of their last seven games at home.

Morris has predicted the fact that the Bulldogs "don't need the points as badly as the Cowboys could be a factor, so the wise money will be on the Cowboys in match odds betting".

The Bulldogs go into Friday's game without front rower Ben Hannant who is out for up to four weeks with a muscle tear.

Jarrard Hickey will step in for Hannant, with forward Brad Morrin back in the squad and on the bench.

Betfair currently has odds of 1.69 for the Cowboys and 2.32 for the Bulldogs.

Elsewhere Morris advises caution on the Panthers - Broncos tie but says Brisbane should be backed in terms of match odds.

Betfair's odds see Broncos at 1.6 and Panthers at 2.46.