NRL | Round 18

alphr.com.au

NQL
Cowboys
VS
MEL
Storm
QUEENSLAND COUNTRY BANK STADIUM, TOWNSVILLE • SATURDAY 5 JULY, 7:35 PM
🏁

AI Referee Insights

Liam Kennedy officiated this match (59 career games). The 46-point combined total was right in line with Liam Kennedy's career average of 45. Storm's victory aligns with Liam Kennedy's historical trend — Storm have a 100% win rate under this referee.

Based on referee career statistics • Post-match analysis

AI Game Review

Our model correctly predicted Storm to win at 57% probability. The predicted margin of 1.3 was reasonable against the actual 6-point result. Total score prediction of 50 was close to the actual 46 — within 4 points. The model went 2/3 on this match. The 1-12 margin band call landed.

Model vs actual outcomes • Post-match analysis

Win Probability

AI Win Probability

57%StormFavourite

Cowboys

43%

Storm

57%

AI Match Overview

Storm hold the advantage at 57% win probability, though Cowboys are far from out of this at 43%. Both sides are evenly matched across the key prediction factors, which explains the tight margin between them. Storm carry a 276-point ELO rating advantage (1689 vs 1413). Recent form favours Storm with 4 wins from their last 5 compared to 2 for Cowboys. The margin model predicts Storm by 1.3 points with a combined total of 50.

Generated from model features • Pre-kick-off analysis

Edge Analysis

Each market is predicted by an independent model — H2H, margin, and totals may occasionally disagree.

H2H Recommendation

Storm to Win @1.28

Winner ✓

Edge

-14.0%

Line / Spread

Storm +9.5 @1.91

Winner ✓

Edge

-14.0%

Total Points

Over 49.5 @1.91

Lost ✗

Edge

-0.6%

Form & History

TeamLast 5Avg Pts
Cowboys
WWLLL
17.6
Storm
WWWWL
29.4

Avg Conceded

38.0

Cowboys

18.2

Storm

Avg Margin

-20.4

Cowboys

11.2

Storm

Run Metres

1603

Cowboys

1769

Storm

Line Breaks

4.8

Cowboys

3.6

Storm

Referee IndicatorAI
Favours Storm
Liam Kennedy59 games since 2018

Each team's win rate when Liam Kennedy refs their game (vs any opponent, all seasons)

NQL
33%3W 6L
MEL
100%3W 0L

When Liam Kennedy officiates, Storm have won 3 of 3 games (100%) vs any opponent — significantly stronger than Cowboys's 3 from 9 (33%). That's a 67‑point gap across all seasons. His games average 45.3 pts, sitting close to the league average. Note: Based on a limited sample of 3 games for Storm — interpret with caution.

Avg Total

45.3 pts

Home Win %

53%

Home Bias

Neutral

H2H History (Last 5)Cowboys lead 4-1
Mar 2026NQL 28 - 24 MEL
Jun 2025NQL 14 - 38 MEL
Sep 2024NQL 38 - 30 MEL
Jun 2023NQL 45 - 20 MEL
May 2022NQL 36 - 6 MEL
Prediction BreakdownPure Alpha Model

📊Team ELO Ratings

NQL
1413Overall1689
MEL
ELO difference: -276 in favour of Storm

🏈Positional Matchups

Player ELO aggregated by position group — higher = stronger unit

1047Forwards962
Best: 1191NQL +84Best: 1259
917Backs872
Best: 1129NQL +45Best: 979
953Halves1239
Best: 953MEL +285Best: 1239
1200Hooker980
NQL +220

📈Recent Form (Last 5)

NQL
Stat
MEL
2.0
Wins (Last 5)
4.0
17.6pts
Avg Score
29.4pts
38.0pts
Avg Conceded
18.2pts
-20.4pts
Avg Margin
11.2pts
1603.2m
Run Metres
1769.4m
4.8
Line Breaks
3.6
353.8
Tackles
324.4
13.8
Errors
10.4

🔑Key Prediction Factors

What the model weighted most in this prediction

1
ELO Difference14.0%
Storm
2
Forward Pack12.0%
Cowboys
3
Backline Quality10.0%
Cowboys
4
Halves Control9.0%
Storm
5
Recent Win Rate9.0%
Storm
6
Referee Tendency7.0%
7
Venue Advantage7.0%
Cowboys

Model Confidence

57%

Storm predicted to win by 1 points

Predicted total: 50 · Line: -1.3

2/3 match predictions correct
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