Category: National Rugby League

Rugby League: NRL Round 11 Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

In a shortened pre-Origin week only eight teams get to flex their considerable bulk.  For many of them however, they’ll be without their leaders, their talisman and their original representatives.  North Queensland are affected badly with the loss of Thurston, and the Broncos lose a handful of players, but every team loses at least one player apart from the Raiders.

There are also plenty of injury concerns in the Queensland camp, so look out for some late changes to the final 17’s.

Let’s take a closer look at the four Round 11 matchups:

South Sydney Rabbitohs v Parramatta Eels

Rabbitohs – $1.47

Eels – $2.75

Greg Inglis and Will Hopoate are the two who miss out on Friday night’s opener due to origin.  It would be tidy to argue that the absences cancel each other out, but Inglis (even in his current patchy form) is a better footballer than Hopoate, thus is the bigger loss to his side.

Having said that, the Rabbitohs have the quality around the rest of the paddock to make it up.  Alex Johnston who was unlucky to miss out to Hopoate in the first instance will shift to fullback with Joel Reddy filling ion the wing.  In other team changes Jason Clark is back, and Michael Maguire has named a six strong bench, probably to assess Grevsmuh fitness after head knocks in his past two games.

John Folau gets a game on the wing for the Eels and Junior Paulo also returns via the interchange for the injured Isaac De Gois.

Souths were strong in the second half against the Storm last week, and although they miss Adam Reynolds dearly, will probably have too much quality for the plucky Eels.

As an aside, we’ll be surprised if Luke Kelly gets the kicking duties for Parramatta again.

Rabbitohs 1-12.

Wests Tigers v North Queensland Cowboys

Tigers – $1.45

Cowboys – $2.75

The Cowboys form has been scintillating over the past few weeks.  A major reason for the surge has been Thurston (and James Tamou, and Matt Scott, and Michael Morgan), who leaves needing big Origin series, but also leaves his team in an almighty hole.

Solid but unspectacular names like Ray Thompson, Rory Kostjasyn, Glenn Hall and Kelepi Tanginoa help fill the void, if such a statement could even be contemplated.  Jason Taumalolo is rumoured to be close to a return in some positive news for Paul Green.

Ball playing will be the major problem for the Cowboys, which is completely unique to them in this match up given the undeniable skill of the Tigers’ halves pairing of Luke Brooks and Mitchell Moses.  Robbie Farah is obviously a blow, but Jason Taylor has been gearing them up for this by resting the workhorse over the opening rounds.

Taking over from Farah is Dene Halatau, while Matt Lodge starts in the front row for Aaron Woods.

An Origin round is always worth an upset, so we’ll pick it for this one.  Tigers 1-12 (although it’s not a massive upset as they are favourites with the bookies).

Canberra Raiders v Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs

Raiders – $1.45

Bulldogs – $2.75

The 2015 surprise packet Raiders will feel comfortable at home knowing they won’t face Hodkinson, Morris, Jackson and Klemmer on Sunday at GIO Stadium.  In contrasting situations, the Raiders are unchanged while the Bulldogs are badly Origin-affected.

That points to a Raiders win – leveraging off barnstorming recruits Iosia Soliola and Frank-Paul Nuuausala.  Throw Josh Papali (who was unlucky to miss out on selection too) and you have a damaging forward unit that should prove too much for the new look Bulldogs.  Especially if James Graham is scratched as he is expected to be.

The Raiders always bring the excitement, so expect plenty of points and a Raiders win by 13+.

Newcastle Knights v Brisbane Broncos

Knights – $1.50

Broncos – $2.60

The relatively unaffected (Beau Scott the exception) Knights are expected to be too strong for the Broncos at home on Monday night.  Still without Jarrod Mullen the Knights’ superior home record is the reason behind their strong favouritism, but we think this will be anything but one-sided.

Yes, the Broncos lose so much grunt when Parker, Thaiday, Gillett, McQuire leave, and they lose x-factor when Boyd and Hodges join the Queensland camp.  However, their halves pairing that now have 10 rounds under their belt are unaffected.  Hunt and Milford (throw in Kahu too) have the makings to be a handy combination and can still win games on their own.

That’s what I am expecting them to do.  And by 13+ points too.

This Week’s Mutli

Head to Head @ $8.03

Margin @ $155.91

Rugby League: NRL Round 10 Review

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Wins to the Storm, the Cowboys and the Dragons have seen all three of them join the Broncos at the top of the NRL ladder.  All three enjoyed comfortable wins against quality opposition in a round that also saw two games go to golden point deciders.

Here’s our take on the eight Round 10 games:

Canterbury Bulldogs (10) v Sydney Roosters (24)

James Graham lasted just 27 minutes in his return from injury and the Bulldogs captain was badly missed as Sydney scored a comfortable win to kick off Round 10.  Jake Friend was the main beneficiary of the increased space he was afforded post Graham’s concussion.  Friend exploited the middle of the park expertly and had two try assists in a fine individual performance.  The other standout individual performance came from Roger Tuivasa-Sheck whose fleet footed antics resulted in 285 running metres and a 38th minute try.

The Roosters two tries before half time effectively sealed the game before Mitch Aubusson and Aidan Guerra rounded it off.  The 24-14 margin made to a look a little closer than it ever was because a late try to Moses Mbye.

The NSW halves battle that was tipped as an Origin trial was slightly disappointing.  None of the four players reached any great heights, however that won’t worry coach Laurie Daley as much as Michael Jennings’ failure to finish the game.

North Queensland Cowboys (31) v Brisbane Broncos (20)

The Cowboys avenged a Round 3 loss to the Broncos by playing near flawless footy to run out winners by 31 to 20.  The Cowboys completed their sets at close to 90% and turned a weight of possession and pressure into a Michael Morgan hat-trick.

That was despite conceding the opening two tries of the game as a fast starting Broncos side led through Lachlan Maranta and Jordan Kahu.  The Broncos initially did well to prevent the predictable Cowboys comeback, but so exceptional was Jonathan Thurston’s game management they couldn’t do so forever.

Thurston was excellent, controlling play, and using Morgan, Coote, Ethan Lowe and James Tamou expertly to deliver two competition points for his side and see them join the Broncos at the top of the table.  From a horror start they Cowboys have now won seven in a row and are absolutely certain of featuring in the playoffs, perhaps against the Broncos late in the season.

The Broncos played their part in the Friday night thriller, and had good returns form the ever reliable Corey Parker and the origin ready Darius Boyd.

Parramatta Eels (13) v New Zealand Warriors (17)

For the second consecutive week the Warriors needed a match winner and this time they got someone who wasn’t Shaun Johnson.  Sure Johnson was magical earlier on in the match, in particular his 19th minute try and some clutch goalkicking, but the real star of the show was Bodene Thompson.

After the match was tied 13-all at the end of normal time, and the golden point period was coming to a close, Thompson took the opportunity to go unnoticed (most eyes were on Johnson and Townsend for the field goal) to crash over and get the Warriors their fifth win of 2015.

It should have been a little more comfortable for the Warriors, as they led 12-0 at half time despite losing Ryan Hoffman for the match in the 3rd minute and Leuluai to a similar fate in the 24th.  The double loss gave coach Andrew McFadden plenty of interchange headaches, and the toll on the Warriors players legs eventually told early in the second half.

Two tires inside six minutes at the start of the second half got the Eeels back in the game, and in truth they were the better team in the final moments and will be disappointed not to have capitalised on a weak Warriors left side.

The Warriors will be pleased with their rare away win, but they are not looking title material.  The five wins they have registered this season have come against the Eels (2), Raiders, Sharks and Tigers – hardly worrying.

Gold Coast Titans (22) v Cronulla Sharks (23)

The Second golden point match of the round saw the Sharks grab a much needed win over the Titans at Cbus Super Stadium.

Valentine Holmes was the scoreboard hero, kicking an 81st minute field goal to break the 22-all deadlock, but it was veteran Luke Lewis who provided the inspiration.
Lewis also had a try, however his contribution to both Jack Bird’s try and the first set of extra time was critical.  Lewis’ key plays and Andrew Fafita’s work rate will have please coach Shane Flanagan immensely, so too NSW coach Laurie Daley.
Aidan Sezar had earlier missed the chance to win the game in normal time when he failed to convert Anthony Don’s try from wide out.  The Titans will need to start taking opportunities like this if they are to get anything out of the season – a prospect looking unlikely after 10 rounds.

Melbourne Storm (16) v South Sydney Rabbitohs (12)

Adam Reynolds was always going to be a big loss for the Rabbitohs, and his absence saw his teammates struggle to match an imperious Storm side at AAMI Park.  Gutsy as they were without their pivot the Rabbitohs came up one try short, going down 16-12.

All of Melbourne’s points came in the first half.  Weak defence allowed Jesse Bromwich to waltz over for his first try of the season in the 19th minute to offset an early Bryson Goodwin penalty, and Melbourne extended their lead on the stroke of halftime when Billy Slater put Will Chambers away.

At 16-2 it looked as though Melbourne could run away with the fixture but Souths thought otherwise as they fought hard in the second half to keep their opponents scoreless and kept up the pressure with tries to wingers Alex Johnston and Aaron Gray.  Even in the closing stages they had their opportunities to snatch a win or send a third game of the Round to golden point but the final play just alluded them.

Melbourne go top of the table.  Important with origin just around the corner.  Whereas the Rabbits are 7th.

Queensland fans and Mel Maninga will be sweating on the availability of captain Cameron Smith.  Smith kicked out at Isaac Luke when looking for a quick play the ball.  He did seem unaware that Luke was in the tackle but at least three kicks made contact with Luke’s head – it could get interesting.

St George-Illawarra Dragons (32) v Canberra Raiders (18)

Sunday afternoon’s Dragons / Raiders clash lived up to its billing and matched the intensity from the team’s earlier Round 3 encounter.  The Dragons ultimately got the better of their Canberra based opponents but not before both teams were able to play end to end footy at its best.

Running behind a quality pack featuring the likes of Merrin, Frizzle, De Belin, Thompson and others the Dragons’ halves ran riot with ball and hand and expertly marshalled their team with deft kicking games.  Both Widdop and Marshall laid tries on for each other and also played parts in several of the other five Dragons’ tries.

Completing the season double versus the Raiders means the Dragons have now won seven of their past eight and helps them join the logjam at the top of the ladder at 14 points.

The win also displayed the Dragons attacking threat, piling on a season best 32 points to dampen the rumours of a weak offensive game plan.  They head into the bye in the best of moods while Ricky Stuart will have to help his side get to face the Bulldogs next week.

Newcastle Knights (22) v Wests Tigers (12)

Newcastle may have got their season back on track after they snapped a five game losing streak to beat the Tigers at Hunter Stadium in the last of the Sunday action.

The Knights were in charge for much of the day, but it took a late try to debutant Chad Redman to seal the 22-12 to win after earlier spending at least ten minutes defending their narrow 16-12 lead on their own goal line.  That pressure came about from a Robbie Farah 40/20, but the home side were able to hold on and get to the other end and safety – a controversial scrum win against the feed helping immeasurably.

Neither side got away to any great lead, instead trading tries to James McManus, Dene Halatau, David Fa’alogo and Luke Brooks, until the Knights scored two on the bounce to damaging centre Joey Leilua.

The Knights just miss out on a top 8 spot (their for and against record see them just slip behind the Warriors) but will be pleased to break a five week hoodoo that had threaten to completely derail their season after a nice start.

The Tigers were disappointed with their ability to create pressure on the oppositions tryline – Robbie Farah said so three times in one sentence during the press conference, but coach Jason Taylor did pay dues to Mitch Moses as one of the few capable of busting the defence open.

Manly Sea Eagles (10) v Penrith Panthers (11)

A Matt Moylan field goal capped off an impressive performance form the young fullback and delivered his team a tight win against Manly at Brookvale on Monday night.  Moylan was a the heart of everything good in the Panthers play, both on attack and in defence.

His field goal and natural poise in every facet of the game overshadowed a record-setting Brett Stewart double – the veteran becoming the most prolific Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles try-scorer in the process.  Both of Stewart’s tries came in a first half that Manly edged 10-6.

The Panthers rarely threatened in the first half but improved after the break and kept the home side scoreless in the second half.  Jamie Soward helped get them within two with a fine play to put Dallin Watene-Zelzniak away before Moylan kicked a 72nd minute penalty and a 73rd minute droopy.

The droppy from 39m out was the play that will make most of the highlight reels, but it was his positioning of Waqa Blake (a pass that Blake spilled with an open try line) that better illustrated his worth to Rugby League.

Of concern to the Panthers was the late injury to George Jennings.  The young outside back appeared to break his leg and could be out for up to 6 weeks.

Rugby League: NRL Round 10 Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

With just two weeks to go until  State of Origin league fans have just one more week of a full 8 matches before the byes start to take effect.  Fantasy players and punters will love Round 10 for that exact reason and when you see the size of our multi predictions you might too.

Read through our NRL Round 10 Preview below:

Canterbury Bulldogs v Sydney Roosters

Bulldogs – $2.60

Roosters – $1.52

After four weeks on the sidelines suspended, Bulldogs captain James Graham returns to lead his team in a difficult Friday night encounter against the Roosters at ANZ Stadium.  Graham’s form over a tricky origin period where they will almost definitely lose Trent Hopkinson and Josh Morris, and could lose Josh Jackson and David Klemmer, is important for the Dog’s playoff chances.

Josh Reynolds and Greg Eastwood also return to boost the Dogs, in doing so, relegate Sam Kasiano and Moses Mbye to the bench (although rumours are Mbye might play at centre ahead of Chase Stanley).

Their opponents for tonight found some form in an impressive win over the Tigers last week and field an unchanged side.

Roosters favourites and we won’t argue.  Roosters by 1-12.

North Queensland Cowboys v Brisbane Broncos

Cowboys – $1.63

Broncos – $2.35

Friday’s night second match is an absolute belter- probably the closest a regular season game will come to matching finals intensity.  It’s a Queensland derby right on the eve of Origin.  It’s 1st vs 4th.  And it’s Thurston against Hunt.

The Broncos meet the Cowboys in Townsville hoping to maintain their lead on the NRL ladder and also hoping to overturn a poor run of form at 1300 Smiles Stadium.  Having won just twice their in the last six attempts at the venue, and having lost to the Cowboys in the qualifying final last season, the history book is right against them.

2015 presents a fresh opportunity and considering the form of Corey Parker, Sam Thaiday and Alex Glenn they have a realistic chance.  They’re slight outsiders but we’re going to give them the win by 1-12.

Parramatta Eels v New Zealand Warriors 

Eels – $2.12

Warriors – $1.75

Konrad Hurrell’s running style was the major talking point in the media throughout the week.  The half blockbusting centre, half Instagram clown was this week suspended for three matches after a nasty collision in their win last week against the Sharks that left Anthony Tupou with a badly fractured jaw.  The Warriors have pledged to help Hurrell redevelop his running style, but there are definite concerns that the centre is now becoming a liability.

He’s been replaced this week by Dominique Peyroux, who gets his an overdue chance to impress in his preferred position.  The Samoan international was influential in his Nation’s representative round win over Tonga and will be looking to avoid names like Dane Nielsen, Joel Moon, and Krisnan Inu as failed centre recruits.

He’s the only change to the starting line up with Sione Lousi taking his place on the bench.

In stark contrast to the settled side of the Warriors, the Eels have made three changes as they look to halt a two match losing streak.  Gone are Chirs Sandow, David Gower and Joseph Paulo, and in come Luke Kelly, Pauli Pauli and Tepai Moeroa.

The Eels can be a bit of a bogey team for the Warriors, but the NZ side have won three of the last five, and on the evidence of recent performances seem to be getting better.

Warriors 1-12.

Gold Coast Titans v Cronulla Sharks

Titans – $1.70

Sharks – $2.18

A bit of a fizzer really in an otherwise exciting round (with all due respect to Titans and Sharks fans).

Both teams are coming off losses in Round 9.  The Titans were way off the boil and got annihilated by the Raiders. They badly missed their enforcer Greg Bird, and if their next most aggressive player, Nate Myles, is affected by his mid week singing with Manly, they’ll be struggling.

The Sharks missed a good opportunity to take two competition points form the Warriors.  They led with two minutes to spare thanks to an Andew Fifita special, but could not quite close it out, despite making great strides in their ability to play composed footy while draining the clock.

The Sharks have made major changes to their 17.  David Fifita and Michael Gordon both return from injury, replacing Anthony Tupou and Mitch Brown.  Blake Ayshford also returns at centre for Ricky Leutele.

We’re picking the Sharks 1-12.

Melbourne Storm v South Sydney Rabbitohs

Storm – $1.42

Rabbitohs – $2.95

In Saturday night’s late game Melbourne are somewhat surprisingly overwhelming favourites to beat the Rabbitohs.  The Storm are nicely perched in second with a record of 6 wins and 3 losses in 2015 thus far, and got even better last week when Billy Slater returned to the mix.

His inclusion makes them even more formidable, yet they shouldn’t have it all their own way.  The Rabbitohs managed to snap a losing streak last week in a narrow victory over the Dragons.  They ground out a win without telling contributions from Greg Inglis, George Burgess or Isaac Luke.

Adam Reynolds is injured again and a major loss for the Bunnies, there is ongoing drama around Luke’s benching, and both of those factors worry us too much to be able to tip them.

Storm 1-12.

St George-Illawarra Dragons v Canberra Raiders

Dragons – $1.49

Raiders – $2.70

The Round 3 matchup between these teams was the turning point of the Dragons season.  After scoring just 4 points in each of their first two games, the Dragons got past 4 and then went on to score 22 and to beat the Raiders.  The win set them up for five more wins on the trot a steak that only came to an end in a narrow loss to Souths last week.

The Round 3 match featured a tremendously unstructured second half, and although we don’t see the same happening this week (the Dragons are playing very conservative and defensively sound footy having conceded the least points in the competition) we do anticipate it will again be close.

Sam Williams played with a collapsed lung in the second half last week, brave but medically silly and he’ll miss this week’s action.  That  means young halfback Mitch Cornish comes back into the side in the only change for either side.

We like the Raiders here 1-12.

Newcastle Knights v Wests Tigers

Knights – $1.75

Tigers – $2.08

Expect no further penisgate incidents when the Knights take on the Tigers on Sunday.  The now infamous incident featuring Korbin Sims and the appropriately named Willie Mason has gained too much attention for Sims to try the stunt again.  The grapple proved just how far players will go to force an opposition error, and is in the same vein as Liam Farrell’s Super League kiss that forced a handling mistake.

The Knights are the slight favourites, presumably courtesy of their home ground advantage, because the Tigers have the recent edge, winning five of the past seven meetings.

Look for the forwards to settle this one.  Aaron Woods v Kade Snowden is a classic.  Jeremy Smith and his battle with Martin Taupau is also bound to feature plenty of aggression.  Expect the Knights to send plenty of traffic Luke Brooks and Mitchell Moses’ way in a desperate bid to stop the rot.

We’ll back them to do so too.  Knights by 1-12.

Manly Sea Eagles v Penrith Panthers

Sea Eagles – $1.82

Panthers – $2.02

Brookvale should be treated to an entertaining clash between two teams who at the start of the season were top 8 shoo-ins.  Currently however, both sit outside the top 8 and for Manly in particular who sit in last place their season is in disarray.  Injuries and transfer speculation have wrecked havoc with Manly and the distraction is likely to continue all the way through to the Round 13 transfer deadline as they do everything they can to retain Daly Cherry-Evans.

Cherry-Evans was the best player on the park last week as Manly grabbed a win agaisnt the Knights.  In fact his performance was so good commentator Andrew Voss called the best individual performance by any player in the competition this year.  Voss reckons he holds the top two spots, including his performance versus Melbourne in Round 2 as well.

He’s crucial to their short term and long term future.  If he plays well on Monday night the Sea Eagles will win, if not it could be loss number seven for the year.

In team news, Steve Matai comes back into the Manly fold, shifting Peta Hiku to the wing.  That means no spot for David Williams.  For the Panthers, James Segeyaro comes in for Isaac John and Sika Minu kits up for the suspended Tyrone Peachey.

Manly 1-12.

This Week’s Multi

Head to Head pays $166.40

Margin pays $16278.57

Odds available at Sportsbet.

Rugby League: NRL Round 9 Results

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

After a representative round break the NRL kicked back into gear with all 16 teams in action.  The Brisbane Broncos and Melbourne Storm continued their top of the table form, whereas fellow frontrunners the Dragons finally dropped points to the resurgent Rabbitohs.

Check out all of the games in our recap of the NRL Round 9 Results below:

Brisbane Broncos (8) v Penrith Panthers (5)

A clutch last minute try to replacement forward Corey Oates was enough for the Broncos to sneak past the Panthers at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night, and with it, briefly snatch the overall competition lead (before later being joined by Melbourne and St George).

The tight low scoring encounter was settled when Ben Hunt chose not to take another field goal attempt (after missing one a relatively simple one moments earlier) and instead flung the ball lo the right edge to set up Oates.  The desperate throw of the dice got the Broncos out of jail after Matt Moylan had put the Panthers ahead in the 74th minute with an expertly taken field goal.

Matt Moylan was Penrith’s only point scorer – all form the boot as his team failed to cross the try line.  The fact that they were still in the game despite conceding a try to Jordan Kahu on the stroke of half time, said wonders for their pesky defence.

Brisbane’s win is another example of winning ugly, something they have become accustomed to this season.  They struggled to contain second phase play, but will be thrilled with the efforts of returning stars Darius Boyd and Justin Hodges.

Sydney Roosters (36) v Wests Tigers (4)

The Roosters returned to near their best with a dominant performance over a sloppy West Tigers team, and in the process saw several of their stars steam back into Origin contention.  Daniel Tupou was the obviously benefactor of the dusting.  He dotted down for three tries and on the back of a solid performance for City last week is likely to be straight back into the reckoning.  The others were halves colleagues Mitchell Pearce and James Maloney.  Pearce was already looking good for a return to Prigin thanks to ill-discipline and inconsistent form from the Bulldogs’ pair, but Maloney also strengthened his chances with a composed effort of his own.

Boyd Cordner and Michael Jennings were also excellent, which would have please NSW coach Laurie Daley immeasurably.  It also showed just how important the rep weekend was to the Roosters – their players returned refreshed but in-form.

Plenty of attention will go on the missed tackles from Luke Brooks and Mitch Moses, however the Tigers big men did little to lessen the pressure on their littles and all too often left them isolated.  Not many Tigers highlights other than the form of James Tedesco who was one of the better Tigers players, and how good is Siua Taukeiaho looking.

Canberra Raiders (56) v Gold Coast Titans (16)

Ricky Stuart’s creative recruitment drives continues to pay dividends for the Raiders.  Stuart’s money-bal like signings (the likes of Waqa, Williams, Nu’uausala, Hodgson and Soliola) delivered win number five and catapulted them up to fifth on the competition ladder.

Leading the charge was the origin bound five eighth Blake Austin who was instrumental in everything good about the Raiders game.  Two line breaks, two tries and over a hundred running metres summed up the ex-Tigers players night and easily earn him man of the match honours in the 56-16 win.

The Titans, missing their aggressive talisman Greg Bird struggled to get into the game, and barring Ryan James lost out in too many individual battles to build on last week’s in against the Warriors.  James went face to face with several of the Raiders big men including Nu’uausala in a sideshow that at one stage threatened to upstage the main event.

The scoresheets proved an interesting anomaly.  The Raiders had eight different try scorers whereas the Titans three tries all came from wing Anthony Don.

Cronulla Sharks (16) v New Zealand Warriors (20)

The best and worst of Shaun Johnson was on display in Saturday nights tight matchup between the Warriors and Sharks at Remondis Stadium.  After an indifferent first 70 minutes featuring disappointing final tackle kicking options and poor goal kicking from the Kiwi’s number 7, Johnson sparked his side to a late lead by setting up Solomone Kata with a quick break and clever kick.  From the resulting short kickoff Johnson knocked on, undoing all of the good work and allowing Andrew Fafita the chance to score a hulking solo try, before finally sealing a victory with his own solo spectacular (credit to Ryan Hoffman too for his crucial chargedown to put the Warriors in a scoring position).

The Round’s second low scoring affair provided as much drama as the Brisbane/Tigers game and had commentator Andrew Voss declaring it a 15 on the “incredible-metre”.  Admittedly, that was during the frantic final few moments, however the earlier action contained plenty of good watching attritional footy.  Testament to the arm wrestle nature of the match was the high tackle count from the likes of Ennis (44), Fifita (37), Mannering (47) and Thompson (40).

The two points were crucial for the Warriors season chances, especially after announcing two marque signings in the past few weeks.  They needed the momentum and will need to build on this next week when they play the Eels.  They could be without Konrad Hurrell and Manu Vatuvei after they were placed on report and injured respectively.

North Queensland Cowboys (23) v Canterbury Bulldogs (16)

Two important pre-origin competition points were up for grabs in Townsville on Saturday night as the Cowboys took on the Bulldogs in a tense yet entertaining Round 9 clash.  The Cowboys got the better of the Bulldogs thanks to a hint of x-factor from utility back Michael Morgan and a late Jonathan Thurston field goal.

A 12-0 half time score line suggested the Cowboys would run away with this one at home, however, the Bulldogs intensified their efforts in the second half and piled on 16 unanswered points with tries to Josh Jackson, Corey Thompson and Curtis Rona to steal the lead and send the match to a nervy finale.

Enter Morgan, and the match winner Morgan, not just the handy fullback / halve that has had potential for years without grabbing games by the scruff and settling them.  Morgan built on a Gavin Cooper try and put the Cowboys ahead by 6 with 6 to play and deserved the plaudits for his entertaining double.

The win was crucial for the Cowboys who will lose Matt Scott, James Tamou and Thurston to origin.  Although they’ll be content with the progress of the likes of John Asiata, Kelepi Tanginoa, Ben Hannant and Ben Spina to see them through the difficult representative period.

As for the Bulldogs, they need more form Hopkinson, they need Josh Reynolds to stay clean (he’s just a pest, he’s not on steroids), and they need to find a way to get Tony Williams energised and involved.

Manly Sea Eagles (30) v Newcastle Knights (10)

Manly finally managed to put together a decent representation of their attacking ability in a comfortable victory over the Knights in front of 10,000 fans at Borrkvale.

Led by the Titans bound Daly Cherry Evans and veteran fullback Brett Stewart, the Sea Eagles mustered win number three of the season and enjoyed an encouraging 90% completion rate.

The Knights on the other hand are in nothing short of turmoil.  After winning their first four they have now lost five on the bounce and resorted to genital pinches (Youtube the Willie Mason, Korbin Simms exchange) to try and unsettle their opponents – because certainly their attack couldn’t.

Highlights included, Brett Stewart becoming the 10th player in NRL history to score 150 tries, Blake Leary playing brilliantly in a display that proves his form is not limited to Queensland Cup, and Jamie Lyon enjoyed a perfect day off the kicking tee.

Parramatta Eels (10) v Melbourne Storm (28)

Billy Slater returned form injury to stamp his undoubted class on proceedings as his Melbourne Storm side proved too efficient for the Eels at Pirtek Stadium.  Slater had two first half tries – also is first of the year – in a performance full of percentages and professionalism.  Not to be read as a criticism, the composed showing was an important win for a side that traditionally struggles during origin.

It was also crucial given the differing mindsets coach Craig Bellamy would have put up with during the week after his troops returned from national duty.  For Bromwich, Harris and Procter who experienced being on an Anzac winning side for the first time, Bellamy was keen to take the opportunity to give them some rest, but for Cooper Cronk and Will Chambers he needed to get their confidence back after poor showings in the same test.

Both were achieved and a position at the top of the ladder also secured for another week.

Back to the drawing board for the now 15th placed Eels.

South Sydney Rabbitohs v St George-Illawarra Dragons

Four consecutive loses for the Rabbitohs side was hard to fathom based on their NRL Nines, Club Challenge and early season form.  However that’s exactly what looked likely to happen midway through their match against the Dragons at ANZ Stadium on Monday.

The Dragons attack looked sharp thanks to decisive decision making by Benji Marshall and elusive running by the impressive Josh Dugan.  The Dragons took advantage of some sloppy defending on both fringes by the reigning premiers to set up tries for Jason Nightingale and Gareth Widdop, and take a 10-6 lead into the break.

The second half was a different story as the Rabbitohs were finally able to build some pressure through repeat sets.  From a huge number of tackles inside the Dragons 20m line, they were able to set up young winers Aaron Gray (his second of the game) and Alex Johnston.  Resolute defence then saw them hold on to the 16-10 lead despite some enterprising second phase play by the Dragons.

The win halts the Rabbitohs horror run and also inflicts a third defeat of the season on the Dragons.  The St-George men will be looking for ways to get more fro their attack as they have scored more than 14 points in a game on only two occasions this year.

 

Rugby League: NRL Round 9 Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

After a week off for all but representative players the NRL returns with a series of intriguing matchups.

Injuries and suspension have wrecked havoc on a number of teams, but there are still clear favourites in all games.  We’re picking a number of upsets in our NRL Round 9 Preview.

Brisbane Broncos v Penrith Panthers

Broncos – $1.40

Panthers – $3.00

The 4-4 Panthers team could welcome back several important faces when they take on the Broncos at Suncorp in Friday nights Round 9 opener.  Despite a horrible record at Suncorp and being without an away win in 2015, Jamie Soward, Dean Whare, James Segeyaro and Elijah Taylor are all racing the clock to be fit in time to turn that around this weekend (although none of the above have been named in the 17).

Alex Glenn and Jordan Kahu return for the well settled Broncos outfit.  Glenn’s return in particular offsets the week off through suspension earned by Sam Thaiday during test duties.

Broncos by 1-12.

Sydney Roosters v Wests Tigers

Roosters – $1.38

Tigers – $3.10

Origin backrower Aidan Guerra returns to boost hist struggling Roosters team.  The Sydneysiders were pre-completion favourites and have only managed three wins in 2015 and none in Guerra’s absence.  Guar’s return pushes Dylan Napa to the bench, while Smith Aubusson’s inclusion also adds utility value.  The impressive Sio Siua Taukeiaho heads to the bench in a swap with Issac Liu.

Jason Taylor’s Tigers team have surprised many this season, but they’re still lacking that top 6 consistency. Keith Galloway will help with that.  The big man returns from his shoulder injury in place of centre Tim Simona.  His inclusion however is unlikely to help the Tigers get up over a side they traditionally play awfully poor against.  We’ll go Roosters, unless Marty Taupau can frighten the Roosters with some more throat slitting gestures.

Roosters 1-12.

Canberra Raiders v Gold Coast Titans

Raiders – $1.66

Titans – $2.25

Two teams with identical 2015 records look set to play out an exciting contest at GIO Stadium on Saturday.  Both sides favour expansive attacking footy and both are surprising in this years competition.

The Titans have won three in a row, including an impressive win at the always tricky Mt Smart Stadium in NZ.  They also get the bonus of Dave Taylor and Daniel Mortimer to help offset the huge 8 week ban ban handed out to serial offender Greg Bird.

After beating South Sydney before rep round, the Raiders will be full of confidence and will gain look to young five eighth Blake Austin to steer them around.  The origin outsider scored a hat-trick for City last week to push his case, and will be hoping to replicate that form again this weekend.  We would pick him for NSW instead of Maloney / Hopkinson despite his showing in this one.

Raiders 1-12.

Cronulla Sharks v New Zealand Warriors

Sharks – $1.71

Warriors – $2.15

The Warriors are desperate for a win after a patchy start to the season.  Languishing in 13th on an admittedly convoluted ladder, the Warriors will be hoping to gain inspiration from Sunday’s Kiwi’s win over the Kangaroos.  Manu Vatuvei, Shaun Johnson and Ben Matulino all played key roles for the Kiwis and will need to transfer that form to their club if the Warriors can sneak an away win over the similarly placed Sharks.

Ben Barba gets a go at fullback for the Sharks pushing Valentine Holmes to the wing.  Andrew Fifita also appears back to his best after an awesome effort for City against Country during rep weekend.

I like the money on the Warriors.  Warriors 1-12.

North Queensland Cowboys v Canterbury Bulldogs

Cowboys – $1.39

Bulldogs – $3.00

Ordinarily I would be eyeing up this one as an upset.  The Bulldogs very rarely concede a raft of points.  However on this occasion and considering their poor performance against the Tigers in Round 8, and the five-in-a-row form of their opponents, we’ll back the Cowboys.

The Bulldogs, who are still without captain James Graham, will rely heavily on Trent Hodkinson to prove his origin worth and turn in a position clinching performance.  He’ll be assisted by the return of Josh Morris and David Klemmer, but his halves partner Josh Reynolds is again suspended.

The Cowboys have lost ToLo for a sizeable chunk of time, but shouldn’t feel the impact too severely with Matt Scott and James Tamou around.  Scott especially probably has some critics to crush after a weak effort in the Kangaroos jumper.  The Cowboys need wins before Thurston leaves for origin duty so we expect them to get it done.

Cowboys 1-12.

Manly Sea Eagles v Newcastle Knights

Sea Eagles – $1.67

Knights – $2.20

Two struggling sides could play out a dud at Brookvale to kick off Sunday’s footy action.  The two sides have just one win between them in the past month – an unlikely win to Manly over Melbourne last week.

Geoff Toovey continues to lose players quicker than a Cameroon football team at the Olympics.  Jamie Buhrer is the latest loss – he’s gone for the season, while Kieran Foran is out for a few more weeks even after playing in the rep round.

Rick Stone has been reluctant to punish his players and has largely stuck to the side that has lost four in a row.  Beau Scott returns and Chris Houston drops to the bench in the only change from Round 8.

Knights 1-12.

Parramatta Eels v Melbourne Storm

Eels – $2.15

Storm – $1.70

The most inconsistent side in the competition – the Eels – face a Mothers Day showdown against the ever consistent Melbourne Storm side who welcome back Billy Salter.  The Eels have Semi Radradra back at their disposal to nullify Slater’s threat, but the best fullback in the game should deliver a win for his team who need all the points they can get before Origin.

Ryan Morgan and Isaac De Gois also come into the Eels 17, preferred ahead of Pauli Pauli and John Folau.

For the Storm, they have Tom Learoyd-Lahrs and Dayne Weston back in the mix.

Storm by 13+.

South Sydney Rabbitohs v St George-Illawarra Dragons

Rabbitohs – $1.58

Dragons – $2.40

After being written off after two weeks the Dragons have miraculously won six in a row and will seek a seventh straight against the Rabbitohs on Monday night.  In contrasting fortune the Rabbits have lost three in a row – an unthinkable situation after their early season form.

Josh Dugan is out after injuring his knee playing on the wing for the Kangaroos.  While his test form was mediocre, his club form was excellent and he’s a big loss.  However Tyson Frizell returns from suspension to make a case for origin selection.  Incredibly, Benji Marshall is the co-leader of the Dally M Medal race.

The Bunnies have made a raft of changes after losing Glenn Stewart for three months.  Tom Burgess and Chris Grevsmuhl move around but the retuning John Sutton is the key addition.

Dragons 1-12.

This Weeks Multi

Head to Head pays $73.21

Margin pays $4334.77

Odds taken from Tom Waterhouse.

Rugby League: ANZAC Test Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

International Rugby League – ANZAC Test Preview

Who

Australian Kangaroos v New Zealand Kiwis

Where

Suncorp Stadium

When

Friday, 7.45pm (Australian Eastern Time)

Odds

Australia – $1.44

New Zealand – $2.87

Form

Most recently, the Kiwis enjoyed narrow wins over Australia in their past two meetings during last years Four Nations.  The wins came against severely weakened opponents so we’re taking the recent form with an almighty grain of salt.

Despite turning Suncorp in to an overseas fortress, winning four of their past five there (including one against England), New Zealand have won just one-from-15 Anzac Tests since the annual clash’s inception.

Teams

Australia: 1 Greg Inglis (Rabbitohs) 2 Alex Johnston (Rabbitohs) 3 Michael Jennings (Roosters) 4 Will Chambers (Storm) 5 Josh Dugan (Dragons) 6 Jonathan Thurston (Cowboys) 7 Cooper Cronk (Storm) 8 Matthew Scott (Cowboys) 9 Cameron Smith (Storm) 10 Aaron Woods (Wests Tigers) 11 Greg Bird (Titans) 12 Sam Thaiday (Broncos) 13 Corey Parker (Broncos).

Interchange: 14 Luke Lewis (Sharks) 15 Trent Merrin (Dragons) 16 Nate Myles (Titans) 17 James Tamou (Cowboys) 18th man: Daly Cherry-Evans (Sea Eagles) 19th man: Josh Papalii (Raiders).

New Zealand: 1 Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, 2 Jason Nightingale, 3 Shaun Kenny-Dowall, 4 Peta Hiku, 5 Manu Vatuvei, 6 Kieran Foren, 7 Shaun Johnson, 8 Jesse Bromwich, 9 Issac Luke, 10 Ben Matulino, 11 Tohu Harris, 12 Kevin Proctor, 13 Simon Mannering (c).

Interchange: 14 Thomas Leuluai, 15 Martin Taupau, 16 Sam Moa, 17 Greg Eastwood, 18 Lewis Brown.

Preview

History is New Zealand’s enemy tonight.

The Kiwis, who have a tendency to score first before badly running out of steam, are looking to overcome 13 straight ANZAC test match defeats, and will need to call upon every inch of NRL form that exists within their squad.

The New Zealand underdogs have belief after last years Four Nations, but injuries to key personnel including Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, Kieran Foran, and Jason Nightingale may have curtailed any momentum garnered from last seasons tournament win.  Instead they will rely on form front rower Jesse Bromwich and the electric footed Roger Tuivasa-Sheck to inspire an upset that would leave a lot of punters upset.

Tim Sheen’s Australian squad are bolstered by several names who missed last years Four Nations finale, in addition to bright prospects Alex Johnston and Will Chambers.  Greg Inglis gets a chance to play his preferred fullback position after Billy Slater was ruled out through injury, and that in itself is a reason to tune in tonight.

Other mouth watering prospects include Cronk v Johnson, Scott and Woods v Matulino and Bromwich, Luke v Smith.

Prediction

Australia’s stranglehold over the annual fixture looks set to continue in tonight’s 2015 edition (also the 100th anniversary of the first major contribution of ANZAC troops in the First World War).  Despite the Kiwi’s Four Nations win (including the back to back wins) the Australians have too much quality on paper and are traditionally to fit for their trans-Tasman rivals in the early season figure.  We’re predicting the Kangaroos to pull away in the final quarter to win by 14. 

Sportsbet Betting Special

Representative Round Special – Place a Win / Try Combo bet on any Representative (Fiji v PNG, Samoa v Tonga) match this weekend and if your player scores a try but the team loses, you’ll get your cash back.