NRL Round 2
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NRL - ROUND TWO
Melbourne v Penrith
A stunning win against Cronulla last Sunday is expected to provide a surge of confidence for the Melbourne Storm as they prepare for their first home game of the season at Olympic Park.
Melbourne?s comeback from 22-0 down against the Sharks ranked as one of the finest Lazarus performances in premiership history and was the ideal tonic for a team that has battled for self-belief in recent seasons.
The Storm will need to work hard to capitalise on their unexpected victory when they meet a Penrith side that displayed plenty of fight in a four-point loss to Brisbane.
The Panthers may have lacked some attacking fluency but there was no denying their fighting qualities and they could have snatched victory had Ryan Girdler been on target with the boot.
Melbourne have won three of the last four clashes against the Panthers and four of the five games played head-to-head in the southern capital.
The Panthers will miss the class of five-eighth Girdler, who damaged his shoulder against the Broncos and will need to defy a poor record away from home to win here.
Melbourne are deserved favourites but punters should be wary of erratic results over the first five rounds of the competition. The Storm are offering good value at $3-25 for the 1-12 margin.
First Tryscoring options include Steven Bell, Robbie Ross and Matt Geyer (Melbourne) or Luke Lewis, Luke Rooney or Rhys Wesser (Penrith).
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Wests Tigers v Canberra
First-up victory over St George Illawarra has given the Wests Tigers high hopes of a repeat performance over Canberra this Saturday night but another win may not be the formality that some believe.
The Tigers have shown time and again over recent seasons that they are far more potent when playing as underdogs and the double-header win and their first appearance for the season at Leichhardt Oval has elevated them to favouritism.
Canberra may have been the worst travellers in the NRL in 2002 but they went some way toward restoring their reputation last Saturday night with a crushing defeat of North Queensland.
The Raiders have not won at Leichhardt Oval since 1994, but they defeated the Tigers twice last season, including a 15-10 victory at Telstra Stadium.
The Tigers will not want to present any opportunities to Canberra centre Phil Graham, who scored two long-distance tries against the Cowboys, while new halfback Brad Drew proved highly effective around the rucks.
Although they are now under the control of Tim Sheens, the Tigers again showed themselves to be a spoiling outfit against the Dragons, which could indicate that scoring opportunities will be at a premium.
Look to a low range in Total Match Points betting and consider also a Tigers/Canberra result in Half/Full betting. The 11-20 range will return a whopping $61-00, while 21-30 is paying $6-75. The Tigers/Canberra outcome will pay $7-00.
For First Tryscorer, look to Ben Galea, Joel Caine or Robert Miles (Wests Tigers) or Graham, Joel Monaghan or Jamaal Lolesi (Canberra).
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North Queensland v Manly
North Queensland opened their season in grossly disappointing style last Saturday night, conceding close to a half century of points to Canberra at home.
There was a genuine sense of expectation in Townsville that the arrival of experienced forwards Kevin Campion, Paul Rauhihi and Paul McNicholas would immediately stiffen the Cowboys? defence. But that looked far from the case against the Raiders, who made easy inroads all night.
In their favour, the Cowboys at least have one match under their belts, while the Sea Eagles will travel north after missing the opening round with the bye. Manly lost all three of their trial matches and have not played a competitive match since February 28.
The Cowboys will carry far more moderate expectations into Saturday night?s encounter, a situation that may work in their favour. Their back three of Matthew Bowen, Ty Williams and Matt Sing showed some promising signs in attack last Saturday night and will threaten the Sea Eagles if given any latitude.
Manly will have difficulty coping with the steamy conditions, particularly in their first hit-out of the season.
The heat ensured that last Saturday night?s clash in Townsville was low in intensity but still produced plenty of points. A high scoring match is on the cards here, so look to the 51-60, 61-70 or 71+ ranges in the Total Match Points option. These ranges will pay $3-50, $5-50 and $10 respectively.
Matt Bowen, Williams and Sing are the Cowboys? best hopes for First Tryscorer, while John Hopoate, Kevin McGuinness and Steve Menzies are the best bets for the Sea Eagles.
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St George Illawarra v Parramatta
Parramatta may have been comprehensively over-run by the premiers last Friday night, however a match of such intensity is likely to be of considerable benefit to them.
After just one week, the Roosters appear to be the benchmark for the competition and the Eels will now know what level they need to reach to stay in touch.
On the other hand, the Dragons were locked in a scrappy, spoiling game with the Wests Tigers and never got an opportunity to play the game they had planned for.
St George Illawarra have had little success against Parramatta since the joint venture team was formed in 1999. In six matches between the clubs, their best result was a 20-all draw last season.
A worrying aspect for the Eels is that they have developed a losing habit away from home. In fact, they have not won on the road since they defeated Brisbane at ANZ Stadium midway through last season.
St George Illawarra have a successful record at WIN Stadium and will have the benefit of a supportive Wollongong crowd behind them. The Dragons will miss injured front-rower Jason Ryles and have rookie halfback Brett Firman in doubt with a back injury.
Most recent clashes between these sides have been closely fought, so look to the 1-12 options in margins betting or perhaps even a Parramatta/Dragons result in the Half/Full category. Parramatta are paying $3-35 at the 1-12 margin, while St George Illawarra are paying $3-25. The Parramatta/Dragons result will pay $6-60.
Best hopes for First Tryscorer include Matt Cooper, Mark Gasnier or Amos Roberts (St George Illawarra) or Jamie Lyon, Brett Hodgson or Luke Burt (Parramatta).
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Souths v Brisbane
Souths produced a spirited performance to extend the Bulldogs for 80 minutes at Telstra Stadium last Saturday night but that effort will count for nothing if they allow Brisbane any room this Sunday.
The Rabbitohs are in a battle to regain credibility after their disastrous last month and the only way they can achieve that objective is to string together a succession of competitive performances.
New coach Paul Langmack can be certain that Chris Walker, Shane Walker and Ashley Harrison will be giving everything they have against their former club and if they can maintain their enthusiasm then the Rabbitohs may cause Brisbane some concerns.
The Broncos have enjoyed resounding success against the Rabbitohs, winning every premiership match between these clubs since 1989.
Souths were disappointing on home soil in the second half of last season, losing their last six matches. They have no shortage of reasons to produce a committed effort.
Brisbane did not have matters all their own way against Penrith last Sunday but have enough class to keep the Rabbitohs at arm?s length here. Six of the last eight clashes between these clubs have resulted in a Brisbane victory by 13+ points. If the Rabbitohs can keep Brisbane under the 13-point margin, punters can earn a $3-50 return at 1-12.
In First Tryscorer betting consider Chris Walker, Nathan Merritt or Lee Hookey (Souths) or Darren Lockyer, Brent Tate or Michael De Vere (Brisbane).
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Warriors v Bulldogs
Some worrying signs emerged for Warriors coach Daniel Anderson after his side squandered a 16-0 lead against Newcastle last Sunday.
The Warriors played intelligent football to keep the game down Newcastle?s end of the field and benefited from a degree of luck in scoring their first four tries from kicks. But as the match wore on, the Knights found it increasingly easy to force their way through the heart of the Warriors? ruck.
The loss of forward leader Kevin Campion, creative second-rower Ali Lauiti?iti and fullback Ivan Cleary appears to be having an impact on the Warriors and Anderson will need to make some rapid adjustments if last year?s grand finalists are to remain as premiership contenders again in 2003.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs were well below their best against Souths last Saturday night, but had enough class players to steer them to victory in the championship minutes. The Bulldogs have struggled for positive results in Auckland and have not recorded a win at Ericsson Stadium since 1997.
Last year, the Warriors ended the Bulldogs? 17-match winning streak with a 22-14 win at Ericsson, but the early indications would suggest that the New Zealand side has slipped a notch from its 2002 efforts.
Look to a Warriors/Bulldogs result in Half/Full betting (paying $6-50) or consider the Bulldogs at the 13+ margin (paying $2-65).
Players to include in First Tryscorer considerations are Clinton Toopi, Motu Tony and Stacey Jones (Warriors) or Braith Anasta, Nigel Vagana and Hazem El Masri (Bulldogs).
NRL - ROUND TWO
Melbourne v Penrith
A stunning win against Cronulla last Sunday is expected to provide a surge of confidence for the Melbourne Storm as they prepare for their first home game of the season at Olympic Park.
Melbourne?s comeback from 22-0 down against the Sharks ranked as one of the finest Lazarus performances in premiership history and was the ideal tonic for a team that has battled for self-belief in recent seasons.
The Storm will need to work hard to capitalise on their unexpected victory when they meet a Penrith side that displayed plenty of fight in a four-point loss to Brisbane.
The Panthers may have lacked some attacking fluency but there was no denying their fighting qualities and they could have snatched victory had Ryan Girdler been on target with the boot.
Melbourne have won three of the last four clashes against the Panthers and four of the five games played head-to-head in the southern capital.
The Panthers will miss the class of five-eighth Girdler, who damaged his shoulder against the Broncos and will need to defy a poor record away from home to win here.
Melbourne are deserved favourites but punters should be wary of erratic results over the first five rounds of the competition. The Storm are offering good value at $3-25 for the 1-12 margin.
First Tryscoring options include Steven Bell, Robbie Ross and Matt Geyer (Melbourne) or Luke Lewis, Luke Rooney or Rhys Wesser (Penrith).
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Wests Tigers v Canberra
First-up victory over St George Illawarra has given the Wests Tigers high hopes of a repeat performance over Canberra this Saturday night but another win may not be the formality that some believe.
The Tigers have shown time and again over recent seasons that they are far more potent when playing as underdogs and the double-header win and their first appearance for the season at Leichhardt Oval has elevated them to favouritism.
Canberra may have been the worst travellers in the NRL in 2002 but they went some way toward restoring their reputation last Saturday night with a crushing defeat of North Queensland.
The Raiders have not won at Leichhardt Oval since 1994, but they defeated the Tigers twice last season, including a 15-10 victory at Telstra Stadium.
The Tigers will not want to present any opportunities to Canberra centre Phil Graham, who scored two long-distance tries against the Cowboys, while new halfback Brad Drew proved highly effective around the rucks.
Although they are now under the control of Tim Sheens, the Tigers again showed themselves to be a spoiling outfit against the Dragons, which could indicate that scoring opportunities will be at a premium.
Look to a low range in Total Match Points betting and consider also a Tigers/Canberra result in Half/Full betting. The 11-20 range will return a whopping $61-00, while 21-30 is paying $6-75. The Tigers/Canberra outcome will pay $7-00.
For First Tryscorer, look to Ben Galea, Joel Caine or Robert Miles (Wests Tigers) or Graham, Joel Monaghan or Jamaal Lolesi (Canberra).
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North Queensland v Manly
North Queensland opened their season in grossly disappointing style last Saturday night, conceding close to a half century of points to Canberra at home.
There was a genuine sense of expectation in Townsville that the arrival of experienced forwards Kevin Campion, Paul Rauhihi and Paul McNicholas would immediately stiffen the Cowboys? defence. But that looked far from the case against the Raiders, who made easy inroads all night.
In their favour, the Cowboys at least have one match under their belts, while the Sea Eagles will travel north after missing the opening round with the bye. Manly lost all three of their trial matches and have not played a competitive match since February 28.
The Cowboys will carry far more moderate expectations into Saturday night?s encounter, a situation that may work in their favour. Their back three of Matthew Bowen, Ty Williams and Matt Sing showed some promising signs in attack last Saturday night and will threaten the Sea Eagles if given any latitude.
Manly will have difficulty coping with the steamy conditions, particularly in their first hit-out of the season.
The heat ensured that last Saturday night?s clash in Townsville was low in intensity but still produced plenty of points. A high scoring match is on the cards here, so look to the 51-60, 61-70 or 71+ ranges in the Total Match Points option. These ranges will pay $3-50, $5-50 and $10 respectively.
Matt Bowen, Williams and Sing are the Cowboys? best hopes for First Tryscorer, while John Hopoate, Kevin McGuinness and Steve Menzies are the best bets for the Sea Eagles.
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St George Illawarra v Parramatta
Parramatta may have been comprehensively over-run by the premiers last Friday night, however a match of such intensity is likely to be of considerable benefit to them.
After just one week, the Roosters appear to be the benchmark for the competition and the Eels will now know what level they need to reach to stay in touch.
On the other hand, the Dragons were locked in a scrappy, spoiling game with the Wests Tigers and never got an opportunity to play the game they had planned for.
St George Illawarra have had little success against Parramatta since the joint venture team was formed in 1999. In six matches between the clubs, their best result was a 20-all draw last season.
A worrying aspect for the Eels is that they have developed a losing habit away from home. In fact, they have not won on the road since they defeated Brisbane at ANZ Stadium midway through last season.
St George Illawarra have a successful record at WIN Stadium and will have the benefit of a supportive Wollongong crowd behind them. The Dragons will miss injured front-rower Jason Ryles and have rookie halfback Brett Firman in doubt with a back injury.
Most recent clashes between these sides have been closely fought, so look to the 1-12 options in margins betting or perhaps even a Parramatta/Dragons result in the Half/Full category. Parramatta are paying $3-35 at the 1-12 margin, while St George Illawarra are paying $3-25. The Parramatta/Dragons result will pay $6-60.
Best hopes for First Tryscorer include Matt Cooper, Mark Gasnier or Amos Roberts (St George Illawarra) or Jamie Lyon, Brett Hodgson or Luke Burt (Parramatta).
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Souths v Brisbane
Souths produced a spirited performance to extend the Bulldogs for 80 minutes at Telstra Stadium last Saturday night but that effort will count for nothing if they allow Brisbane any room this Sunday.
The Rabbitohs are in a battle to regain credibility after their disastrous last month and the only way they can achieve that objective is to string together a succession of competitive performances.
New coach Paul Langmack can be certain that Chris Walker, Shane Walker and Ashley Harrison will be giving everything they have against their former club and if they can maintain their enthusiasm then the Rabbitohs may cause Brisbane some concerns.
The Broncos have enjoyed resounding success against the Rabbitohs, winning every premiership match between these clubs since 1989.
Souths were disappointing on home soil in the second half of last season, losing their last six matches. They have no shortage of reasons to produce a committed effort.
Brisbane did not have matters all their own way against Penrith last Sunday but have enough class to keep the Rabbitohs at arm?s length here. Six of the last eight clashes between these clubs have resulted in a Brisbane victory by 13+ points. If the Rabbitohs can keep Brisbane under the 13-point margin, punters can earn a $3-50 return at 1-12.
In First Tryscorer betting consider Chris Walker, Nathan Merritt or Lee Hookey (Souths) or Darren Lockyer, Brent Tate or Michael De Vere (Brisbane).
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Warriors v Bulldogs
Some worrying signs emerged for Warriors coach Daniel Anderson after his side squandered a 16-0 lead against Newcastle last Sunday.
The Warriors played intelligent football to keep the game down Newcastle?s end of the field and benefited from a degree of luck in scoring their first four tries from kicks. But as the match wore on, the Knights found it increasingly easy to force their way through the heart of the Warriors? ruck.
The loss of forward leader Kevin Campion, creative second-rower Ali Lauiti?iti and fullback Ivan Cleary appears to be having an impact on the Warriors and Anderson will need to make some rapid adjustments if last year?s grand finalists are to remain as premiership contenders again in 2003.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs were well below their best against Souths last Saturday night, but had enough class players to steer them to victory in the championship minutes. The Bulldogs have struggled for positive results in Auckland and have not recorded a win at Ericsson Stadium since 1997.
Last year, the Warriors ended the Bulldogs? 17-match winning streak with a 22-14 win at Ericsson, but the early indications would suggest that the New Zealand side has slipped a notch from its 2002 efforts.
Look to a Warriors/Bulldogs result in Half/Full betting (paying $6-50) or consider the Bulldogs at the 13+ margin (paying $2-65).
Players to include in First Tryscorer considerations are Clinton Toopi, Motu Tony and Stacey Jones (Warriors) or Braith Anasta, Nigel Vagana and Hazem El Masri (Bulldogs).
Unlucky start to the weekend as I lose the first play by half a point.
Further Round 2 Plays:
Melbourne -6.5 d Penrith
Warriors +4.5 d Bulldogs
Parramatta d St George-Illawarra
Craig
Further Round 2 Plays:
Melbourne -6.5 d Penrith
Warriors +4.5 d Bulldogs
Parramatta d St George-Illawarra
Craig
