This weekend, 2-0 so far in the NRL, on a nice little 8-0 tear over the past three rounds to take the season to date record to 26-20 (56.52%).
Game 7) Nth Queensland Cowboys v New Zealand Warriors, Townsville
Cowboys pick 'em
Those who have followed my plays this season will know how reluctant I am to wager on any game involving the Warriors; my bogey team when it comes to punting and one of the most unpredictable and frustrating sides around. Therefore, I've given this one serious thought and think for value - one of the biggest if not the key to sports wagering - the visitors are worthy of a play tonight.
The Warriors are coming off the back of their worst effort of the season; an absolute drubbing at home to the Melbourne Storm. But I believe that will have been a big wake-up call to a siode which has been an improvement this year in standards under new coach Daniel Anderson. They were rolled by the hottest team in the NRL at present but know this clash is an absolute must-win if they are to continue their claims for a top-eight spot at the end of the season. They have a weakened front row with Justin Morgan joining Mark Tookey on the long-term injury list last weekend but Ali Lauititi, while not usually a front-rower, could cause the Cowboys many problems with his elusive running and ability to offload in the tackle. I expect the Kevin Campion-led forward pack to be fired up after being embarassed last weekend.
The Cowboys are bottom of the table but pushed leaders Newcastle hard last weekend and have the likes of Origin heroes John Doyle and John Buttigieg fizzing. But Doyle admitted last weekend it was hard for him to "get up" after the Origin frenzy for a club game. The Cowboys' bold effort v the Knights could also be seen as a reaction to the absence of coach Tim Sheens on "stress leave". Murray Hurst took over and the game could be read as a typical "first up big effort for the new man" performance. Whether they can do it again is debatable - the Cowboys as a club still have many financial and personal problems. They haven't been a huge force at home either, despite Townsville (or Cairns) being a tough place to visit. Again the Bulldogs in rd 11 they lost 14-26 with a 67% completion rate and 26 missed tackles; v the Eagles in rd 10 in possibly the worst game of the year, they lost 22-24 with an abysmal completion rate of 52.73% and 19 errors.
The Warriors made 13 errors and had a completion rate of just 62.50% when being humiliated by the Storm. But previously, their completion rate was absolutely outstanding v the Roosters in rd 11 - 82% - and v the Sharks in rd 10 - 88%. Just 10 and nine errors respectively in those games too.
With a host of Warriors being named in the Kiwi test squad this week, there are many players with plenty to prove and they get the ideal opportunity here to rectify things very quickly.
PLAY NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS PICK 'EM OR ML
GLTA
Game 7) Nth Queensland Cowboys v New Zealand Warriors, Townsville
Cowboys pick 'em
Those who have followed my plays this season will know how reluctant I am to wager on any game involving the Warriors; my bogey team when it comes to punting and one of the most unpredictable and frustrating sides around. Therefore, I've given this one serious thought and think for value - one of the biggest if not the key to sports wagering - the visitors are worthy of a play tonight.
The Warriors are coming off the back of their worst effort of the season; an absolute drubbing at home to the Melbourne Storm. But I believe that will have been a big wake-up call to a siode which has been an improvement this year in standards under new coach Daniel Anderson. They were rolled by the hottest team in the NRL at present but know this clash is an absolute must-win if they are to continue their claims for a top-eight spot at the end of the season. They have a weakened front row with Justin Morgan joining Mark Tookey on the long-term injury list last weekend but Ali Lauititi, while not usually a front-rower, could cause the Cowboys many problems with his elusive running and ability to offload in the tackle. I expect the Kevin Campion-led forward pack to be fired up after being embarassed last weekend.
The Cowboys are bottom of the table but pushed leaders Newcastle hard last weekend and have the likes of Origin heroes John Doyle and John Buttigieg fizzing. But Doyle admitted last weekend it was hard for him to "get up" after the Origin frenzy for a club game. The Cowboys' bold effort v the Knights could also be seen as a reaction to the absence of coach Tim Sheens on "stress leave". Murray Hurst took over and the game could be read as a typical "first up big effort for the new man" performance. Whether they can do it again is debatable - the Cowboys as a club still have many financial and personal problems. They haven't been a huge force at home either, despite Townsville (or Cairns) being a tough place to visit. Again the Bulldogs in rd 11 they lost 14-26 with a 67% completion rate and 26 missed tackles; v the Eagles in rd 10 in possibly the worst game of the year, they lost 22-24 with an abysmal completion rate of 52.73% and 19 errors.
The Warriors made 13 errors and had a completion rate of just 62.50% when being humiliated by the Storm. But previously, their completion rate was absolutely outstanding v the Roosters in rd 11 - 82% - and v the Sharks in rd 10 - 88%. Just 10 and nine errors respectively in those games too.
With a host of Warriors being named in the Kiwi test squad this week, there are many players with plenty to prove and they get the ideal opportunity here to rectify things very quickly.
PLAY NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS PICK 'EM OR ML
GLTA
