Sunday may well be a day of rest for many, but certainly not in Sydney this Sunday October 2nd. All of Australia will be tuning in to watch the NRL Grand Final, and thousands of fans will pack the impressive ANZ Stadium in Sydney to witness the clash between Melbourne Storm and the Cronulla Sharks unfold.
So what chances have each team got in this NRL Grand Final match? Where should your money go? Where will the decisive battles be fought? These are the vital questions that need to be answered before you wager your hard earned money on the result.
Previous Meetings
So what can we make of the two previous encounters between these two teams this season? Well actually we can base very little on them, except for the fact that each team utilised home advantage very well. The Sharks came out ahead in round 4 at their Southern Cross home 14-6. However the Storm reversed that in impressive style in round 26 when they cruised to a 26-6 victory.
All of the major betting firms have Melbourne Storm as the clear favourite to win this match. In part that is based on their long winning streak of 15 matches on the spin during the 2016 season. On top of this we can add the following impressive stats, and we all love stats when we are about to wager our valuable money, don’t we?
A Team for the Big Occasion
The Sharks are playing in their first Grand Final since 1997 while Melbourne Storm are appearing in their sixth in the past ten years. So it is clear which team is the most consistent. William Hill have Melbourne Storm at 8/11 favourites, with the Sharks at 6/5.
If those odds don’t get your juices flowing, then how about a bet on the first try scorer? First though, let’s examine where the key battles will be fought. The Storm may have the big game finals experience and history but is that enough? Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk will be using their vast experience to dictate the game for the Storm. They are both incredibly adept at getting into key positions for field goals and that could prove decisive.
First Try Scorer Odds
This game looks set to be a tight affair. That’s why the higher odds of first try scorer may appeal more. So what value can be found in these markets? Well William Hill have Suliasi Vunivalu as the clear favourite at 7/1. If you want bigger odds and a better payoff then how about the Sharks taking the lead, and Valentine Holmes touching down first? That pays 9/1, and if you fancy the Sharks to prevail anyway then this bet makes a lot of sense.
Winning Margin Odds
As we have already stated, this game looks set to be tight. There is too much at stake for a huge winning margin to be expected, and the 26-6 victory by Melbourne Storm in round 26 looks unlikely to be repeated. However, if you fancy Melbourne to overrun the Sharks by the same margin, then check these odds out!
William Hill go 11/1 on a winning margin of 16-20 points for the Storm. If you’re leaning towards Melbourne for the win, but with less than a 10pt margin, then why not place two bets? You can get 9/2 on a 5pt margin or less for Melbourne. Couple that with odds of 5/1 for the Storm to win by 6-10pts and you have the makings of a tasty bet.
The fact remains though that whoever starts out stronger in this Sunday’s NRL Grand Final will hold a key advantage. It seems to favour Melbourne simply based on the fact that they have been there before and bought the t-shirt so to speak.
