NRL FInals Week 1 Betting Preview

Posted by ctew on Sep 9, 2011 in NRL | 0 comments

FRIDAY

Wests Tigers v St George Illawarra Dragons at ANZ Stadium, 7:45pm.

Wests – $2.10
St George – $1.75

An absolutely cracking game kicks off the 2011 NRL Finals Series with the Tigers hosting the Dragons at ANZ Stadium. These two teams met not long ago at the SFS and it was Benji and the Tigers who took advantage of an injured Jamie Soward languishing helplessly on the wing to seal a narrow 2 point victory. The Tigers have gone strength to strength on the back of that win stringing 8 wins. They had the easiest run of any of the teams in the top 8 but still, they still have to put the wins together and they’ve done it impressively. The challenge for the Tiges this week will be getting ‘up’ and playing at an intensity fit for the finals after toying with the likes of the Panthers, Eels, Titans and Sharks over the past month. The Dragons showed that they’re over their late season form slump with a clinical win over the Panthers at WIN Stadium last Friday night. They’re in a great position having worked out their pitfalls over the past 6 weeks and look to have regained their confidence that took them to premiership glory last year. It’s going to be a ripping match with not much in it between the two sides.

Best Bet – Either Team Under 6.5 $2.80

SATURDAY

Brisbane Broncos v New Zealand Warriors at Suncorp Stadium, 6:30pm.

Brisbane – $1.72
New Zealand – $2.15

The Broncos hosts the Warriors when third plays sixth on Saturday evening. The two teams were split by just the 1 point when they last met in round 22. The Broncos were lucky to get away with the win on that occasion courtesy of a Peter Wallace field goal. It’s a dangerous game for the Warriors because a loss here and an upset in the other two matches on the weekend could see them eliminated from the competition. That said, they’re a more than competent football team with some ultra skilful young players with the likes of Johnson, Maloney and Locke together with some hard heads of Rapira, Lillyman and Mannering – they’re a dangerous side that can split you from anywhere on the field. The loss of Thaiday (suspension) and Hoffman (knee) are enormous blows for the Brisbane side however they have a ready-made replacement at fullback in Gerald Beale. We’re primed for another classic finals encounter here in what may be Darren Lockyer’s final appearance at Suncorp Stadium.

Best Bet – Brisbane 1-12

Manly Sea Eagles v North Queensland Cowboys at Sydney Football Stadium, 8:30pm.

Manly – $1.42
North Qld – $2.90

The Sea Eagles were gallant in defeat last week despite being without the likes of Foran, Stewart and Glenn Stewart in their line up. They get a couple of their guns back to face the Cowboys and we’ll expect to see a much improved performance from the Manly boys. That said, going into the finals on the back of a loss is not ideal and they’re up against the most dangerous Thurston-led Cowboys outfit. The North Queenslanders have been disappointing since their superstar halfback having won just 1 of their last 5. They were a tad unlucky last week against the Warriors but will definitely need to aim up this week as the Eagles will no doubt be out to bash them up front.

Best Bet – North Qld +7.5 $1.91

SUNDAY

Melbourne Storm v Newcastle Knights at AAMI Park, 4:00pm.

Melbourne – $1.28
Newcastle $3.75

The Knights travel south the take on the minor premiers, Melbourne Storm to keep their season alive. They were ultra impressive last week in their do-or-die match against the Bunnies. Pocket rocket winger Akulia Uate has gone from strength to strength this year and topped it off last week with a 4-try performance. The Storm haven’t had the ideal preparation coming into the finals having lost their last two matches. They were bashed at Brookvale two weeks ago then Coach Bellamy opted to rest his two stars in Slater and Smith last week and his side copped a 32 point hammering at the hands of the Roosters. The big three in Cronk, Smith and Slater haven’t played together for four weeks now due to Cooper Cronk’s injured ankle so they’ll be hoping that they can recapture the form that saw them put 12 wins back-to-back. In light of the Storm’s rocky finals preparation and the Knight’s strong win next week, you would have to think that the +10.5 start is a generous one.

Best Bet – Knights +10.5 $1.91

11 views