Tag: Greg Inglis

Four Nations Final Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Three weeks of excitement culminates in a final that could go pear shaped pretty quickly if the reports of a savage virus running through the Australia camp is anything to go by.

The virus threatens to derail the confidence gaining Australians who are desperate to overturn a first round loss to the Kiwi’s, and save their coaches’ job.  As the media swarm on Tim Sheens and the entire Kangaroos squad, the focus for the New Zealanders has been on finding a way to match the intensity they operated at in game one but have failed to match since.  That task has become a lot tougher with the scratching of influential hooker Thomas Leuluai (with a shoulder injury), who was shaping as an important piece of the Kiwi’s ruck defence.

Another major obstacle in the way of a New Zealand Four Nations win is history;  The Kiwis haven’t won consecutive games against the Kangaroos since 1953.  On the other hand the Wellington venue could provide a home town lift, and the Kiwi’s are always capable of springing a surprise in the final of major tournaments.

The last time the sides met (in the first round of the Four Nations) the Kiwi’s thumped the Kangaroos sprinting away to a 30-12 win.  The win was based on aggressive defence and added pressure on the opposition’s superstars.  However, since then the Aussie team have got their act together with impressive wins over England and Samoa.  As the Kangaroos get more time with each other, and as Tim Sheens settles on his best side, they continue to improve and appear to be on course to become the fearsome all-conquering side we all know.

In Greg Inglis and Cameron Smith they probably have the two best International Rugby League players on the planet, and big finals are usually won by big plays, by big players.  That’s why I can’t see them losing this one.  Close, but Australia by 6.

Odds

Australia $1.76

New Zealand $2.10

Four Nations odds courtesy of Sportingbet Australia.

Teams 


New Zealand: 1-Peta Hiku, 2-Jason Nightingale, 3-Shaun Kenny-Dowall, 4-Dean Whare, 5-Manu Vatuvei, 6-Kieran Foran, 7-Shaun Johnson, 8-Jesse Bromwich, 9-Issac Luke, 10-Adam Blair, 11-Simon Mannering (c), 12-Kevin Proctor, 13-Jason Taumalolo

Interchange: 14-Lewis Brown, 15-Greg Eastwood, 16-Martin Taupau, 17-Tohu Harris, 18-Gerard Beale, Bodene Thompson (two to be omitted).

Australia: 1. Greg Inglis, 2. Josh Mansour, 3. Michael Jennings, 4. Dylan Walker, 5. Sione Mata’utia, 6. Daly Cherry-Evans, 7. Cooper Cronk, 8. Aaron Woods, 9. Cameron Smith (c), 10. Josh Papalii, 11. Sam Thaiday, 12. Greg Bird, 13. Corey Parker.

Interchange: 14. Boyd Cordner, 15. Robbie Farah, 16. Aidan Guerra, 17. Ryan Hoffman, 18. Ben Hunt, 19. Josh Jackson, 20. David Klemmer (three to be omitted).

Win Big – Four Nations Special

First Try Scorer – Adam Blair – $67

Four Nations odds courtesy of Sportingbet Australia.

Four Nations Rugby League Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The shock of Jarryd Hayne’s ambitious move to NFL has been the only Rugby League talking point over the past few weeks (aside from a great piece I read on Foxsports about what NRL players get up to in the off-season – it’s mainly partying in Vegas and Cancu by the way), but all that’s about to change with the start of the Four Nations on Saturday night.

All four teams are in action when the tournament kicks off with a double header in Brisbane. Teams include: the dominant but injury hit Australians, the forever bridesmaid Kiwi’s, the warm beer preferring English, and Samoa – who we’ll see if they can fight as well on the rugby field as they can in nightclubs.

The Four Nations tournament probably sits below the World Cup in terms of importance to Rugby League and this year has seen a number of NRL clubs withdraw players who they feel are fatigued or at risk of further injury during the tournament. The withdrawals prove that the financial rewards of representing your country in a one-off tournament are far inferior to the riches of the NRL salary cap, which may see an increase in club v country tensions in future years.

The tournament won’t be without stars though, as the remaining cream of the Rugby League crop contribute to an intriguing spectacle.

The Teams (As They Line Up For Week 1)

Australia: 1. Greg Inglis, 2. Josh Mansour, 3. Michael Jennings, 4. Dylan Walker, 5. Daniel Tupou, 6. Daly Cherry-Evans, 7. Cooper Cronk, 8. Aaron Woods, 9. Cameron Smith (c), 10. Sam Thaiday, 11. Beau Scott, 12. Ryan Hoffman, 13. Greg Bird.

Interchange: 14. Robbie Farah, 15. Aidan Guerra, 16. Josh Papalii, 17. Corey Parker, 18. Boyd Cordner, 19. David Klemmer, 20. Sione Mata’utia (three to be omitted).

Australia have an entire team injured in Thurston, Morris, Slater, Boyd, Scott, Tamou, Justin Hodges. Yet, in naming 11 debutants in their squad, they still appear to be the strongest team on paper. Australia has not lost a Test since the 2010 Four Nations final. It will take a monumental effort from the other three to get close, but the Four Nations opener at Suncorp is probably the best chance.

New Zealand: 1-Peta Hiku, 2-Jason Nightingale, 3-Shaun Kenny-Dowall, 4-Dean Whare, 5-Gerard Beale, 6-Kieran Foran, 7-Shaun Johnson, 8-Jesse Bromwich, 9-Thomas Leuluai, 10-Adam Blair, 11-Simon Mannering (captain), 12-Kevin Proctor, 13-Jason Taumalolo

Interchange: 14-Lewis Brown, 15-Greg Eastwood, 16-Martin Taupau, 17-Tohu Harris, 18-Suaia Matagi (one to be omitted).

Injuries have also hampered NZ’s build up. Waerea-Hargreaves, Moa, Matulino, Hurrell, Tuivasa-Sheck and McKendry have all been scratched, and Issac Luke is still suspended. The Kiwis haven’t beaten Australia in their last eight match-ups so will need to rely heavily on Jesse Bromwich and Jason Taumalolo to challenge the Australian forwards and go some way to reverse the recent trend. The interchange made up of only forwards suggests NZ would prefer the game to be played in the middle of the park and clearly see their strength in and around the ruck which is curious with Issac Luke’s absence.

England: 1. Sam Tomkins, 2. Josh Charnley, 3. Kallum Watkins, 4. Michael Shenton, 5. Ryan Hall, 6. Gareth Widdop, 7. Matty Smith, 8. George Burgess, 9. Josh Hodgson, 10. James Graham (c), 11. Liam Farrell, 12. Joel Tomkins, 13. Joe Westerman.

Interchange: 14. Darryl Clark, 15. Brett Ferres, 16. Tom Burgess, 17. Chris Hill.

James Graham had a taste of captaincy in the NRL final and now gets to lead his countryman into an exciting battle against Samoa first up. Regular captain Sean O’Loughlin may return at some point during the Four Nations, but until then Graham and a host of other NRL stars are tasked with putting the loss of Sam Burgess to rugby at the back of Rugby League fan’s minds. NRL regulars including Sam Tomkins, The Burgess Twins, and Gareth Widdop are all included in a team that could upset weakened opponents in the Four Nations. They’ll need to see off the spirited Samoa side first that is equally packed with NRL talent.

Samoa: 1.Tim Simona 2. Antonio Winterstein 3. Ricky Leutele 4. Joey Leilua 5. Daniel Vidot 6. Ben Roberts 7. Kyle Stanley 8. Sam Tagaetese 9. Michael Sio 10. David Fa’alogo 11. Frank Pritchard 12. Leeson Ah Mau 13. Josh McGuire

Interchange: 14. Pita Godinet 15. Jesse Sene-Lefao 16. Isaac Liu 17. Mose Masoe 18. Dunamis Lui.

NRL fans will recognise most of the names in the Samoan squad. The powerhouse island nation will have plenty of support as the overwhelming underdogs, however they have given themselves the worst possible preparation thanks to a late night brawl culminating in the loss of three key players. The main concern for the talented side will ne in the halves. Ben Roberts and Kyle Stanley are polarising players who can influence games but can also produce errors. The loss of Tim Lafai is a bitter blow.

The Format

The Four Nations will run over four weeks. Each team will play each other once in the pool rounds with the top two nations contesting the final at Westpac Stadium in Wellington on November the 15th.

The Predictions

Winner – Australia – $1.35 – Luxbet

Outside Pick – Samoa v England Round 1 – Samoa $5 – Topbetta

To Score a Try Round 1 – NZ v Aus – Jason Taumalolo – $6 – Unibet

Top Tryscorer Four Nations – Josh Mansour $6.5 – bet365

NRL Grand Final Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

It has arrived. The conclusion to a competition that is consistently viewed as one of the most even in the World. The end of the constant headlines that the players attract for off field antics (think Mitchell Pearce, The ASADA Sharks, Todd Carney). And sans State of Origin, the pièce de résistance, of the Rugby League calendar.

The Grand Final.

South Sydney and Canterbury are both worthy finalists. They have been the epitome of finals footy. Calm, professional, dedicated and passionate. Despite paving a very different path to the finals; the Rabbitohs qualified third and even earned themselves a week off in the finals; the Bulldogs however stumbled into the playoffs when results went their way, but have fought back strongly to beat the Melbourne, Manly and Penrith; both teams are in with a chance of taking home the Provan-Summons Trophy.

Injury and suspension have added to the drama, and possibly gone some way as to even the scale. Isaac Luke who in my view is one of the most underrated rugby league players on the planet is suspended. Mick Ennis it seems has broken every bone in his foot. The manner in which the teams respond to the loss of their hooker’s may have a massive bearing on this game.

The talking points:

Rabbitohs: The Rabbitohs haven’t won an NRL Grand Final since 1971. Despite assembling an impressive squad over the past few seasons they are yet to put it together and deliver the silverware their members demand. 2014 might be one of their best opportunities if losing Ben Te’o is any indicator. The mix of seasoned professionals (Greg Inglis, Lote Tuqiri, Sam Burgess) and young guns (Luke Keary, Dylan Walker, Alex Johnston) has allowed the Rabbitohs to play an exciting brand of football, one that should be able to run over the Bulldogs in the second half. The only question marks I can see are over their ability to control the ruck without Isaac Luke, and the lack of big game experience (just Inglis and Tuqiri have played in grand finals).

Bulldogs: Des Hasler may end being the best NRL coach of all time. His ability to get the best out of ball playing forwards has been the basis of strong finals runs for both his former Manly side and current Bulldogs crop. James Graham and Josh Jackson are prime examples of the types of players that work well in Dessies setup. But they’ll need a fast start to conquer the strong second half abilities of the Rabbitohs. That task gets though only gets harder without Ennis’ tackling and leadership. Carrying the weight will inevitably fall on the halves pairing of Josh Reynolds and Trent Hodkinson. Their battle with Adam Reynolds will also have a big influence on the result.

Where’s The Money? The money is on the Rabbits. Punters have put down double the amount on the Rabbits ($1.42) than the Bulldogs ($3) to win the NRL Grand Final. This is pretty surprising given the teams shared one win each during the regular season match-ups and both were settled by less than 8 points. Lots of money being placed on the Clive Churchill medal winner too. Sam Burgess is the joint-favourite at $4, but Greg Inglis has received plenty of attention at $4 too.

Our Pick: I really want there to be a reason to pick the Bulldogs. I like the odds. I like the way their forwards play. However, I also know that grand finals are often won by moments of brilliance (Benji Marhsall, Keiran Foran) and not pure grit. South Sydney have the x-factor; the players capable of blowing a game open. They’ve also been hugely impressive in the last few weeks. Although I think the Bulldogs is worth a punt if you have a spare tenner, save the big money for the Rabbitohs. By 12.

Cheeky: Adam Reynolds for Clive Churchill at $9. George Burgess for first try at $21. Bulldogs at half time, Rabbitohs at full time $6.50.

*Odds courtesy of TAB.