Three winners last week, with James extending his lead at the top. David widened the gap between third and fourth, while Matt clawed his way back to come within a single dollar of Adrian, nearly off the bottom of the ladder. Can anyone improve their position this weekend?
Ladder
(Total)(Change from last week)
1. James ($352.70) (+40.70)
2. Tomo ($262.10) (-$10)
3. David ($126.70) (+24)
4. Adrian ($58.40) (-$10)
5. Matt ($57.40) (+$30)
————————————
Matt
NRL R18 Tigers def Bulldogs @ $2.75 – I may have tipped against them, but the Tigers are great value at $2.75. Robbie Farah might be out, but Curtis Sironen is in, and he should take plenty of pressure off Marshall, while Liam Fulton’s return means their defence should be tightened up considerably.
&
ODI G4 – Australia def England @ $1.90 – Somehow the Aussies are favourites for this one despite being hot and cold in the opening two games. Graham Swann is out for the rest of the series, and I think that will allow the Aussies to score more freely in the mid-late overs.
=$4.95
Adrian
NRL Rd 18 – No Golden Point @ $1.20 – With a number of one-sided contests this round, I can’t see any heading for extra time.
&
AFL – Rd 15 Highest Scoring Team – Hawthorn @ $2.15 – It’s tough to say whether Geelong will score more, but the Hawks should put in a professional performance against the young Giants side at the MCG.
&
Wimbledon – Djokovic v Federer – Djokovic @ $1.40 – Should be a fantastic match, but I think the World No. 1 will continue his recent dominance.
= $3.61
James
Super 15- Reds/Lions/Stormers @ $2.24 – A few lopsided games this weekend, and these 3 shoule be sure things.
&
Wimbledon- Tsonga def Murray @ $2.82 – All the talk since Rafa’s shock second round exit has been on the how the draw has opened up for the great “British” (British when he wins, Scottish when he loses) hope Andy Murray, and I think the weight of expectaion will be heavily on his shoulders when he comes up against Tsonga in arguably career best form.
&
NRL- Melbourne/Manly/Cronulla @ $2.12 – As with the Super Rugby, there should be some easy games this round in the NRL.
&
Netball- Melbourne Vixens def Northern Mystics @ $1.33 – The Vixens finished top of the table for a reason, and should be too strong for the Mystics in this ANZ Championship semi final
= $22.26
Tomo
SRg R17 Chiefs-Crusaders 06/07 – Half/Full – Chiefs/Crusaders @ $5.75 – No real logic, but all the big guns are back for the Crusaders after last weeks crushing defeat by the Hurricanes. Let’s see if Dan Carter can hold off Aaron Cruden and the Chiefs.
&
ANZ Championship – Magic v Thunderbirds – Magic @ $1.40 – Go NZ team!
= $8.05
David
SRg R17 Chiefs-Crusaders 06/07 – Crusaders @ $1.72 – The Crusaders have Dan Carter, Israel Dagg and Kieran Read back in the team for this game, and all of those are very influential players, particularly Carter, who makes such a difference to the alignment of the backs. The Chiefs by contrast have effectively sewn up the New Zealand conference and although they will be glancing over their shoulders at the second placed Stormers on the overall log, it might be that their rivals from the south island have more to play for. Crusaders tend to get cracking in the big ones, and this is a big one.
&
SRg R17 Sharks-Bulls 07/07 – Sharks @ 1.80 – its test match footing for both teams going into this one, with neither management being prepared to give much away during the build-up week. A few weeks ago I would have said the Sharks would win easily, but they have lost three of the star players from the big win over the Stormers the last time they played in Durban – Patrick Lambie, Willem Alberts and Steven Sykes. The second row, in particular, looks vulnerable against a quality Bulls combination. Then there is also the question of rustiness, with the Sharks not having played together now for over a month. The key players at the back, Frederic Michalak, Frans Steyn and Tim Whitehead, have not played together at all. But the Sharks do have a good record when they are playing a match that amounts to essentially a final for them, and they are playing at home. That, and the fact they have a marginally better back row and front-row, is the only reason they start this game as slight favourites.
= $3.01
