Sportsbet Blog

The first cricket test against South Africa is under way in Johannesburg, and the rocky start to the Australian innings indicates that this is more than likely going to be match where we see a result.

Early Wickets Lost

Three Australian wickets were lost early on after Ponting won the toss and decided to bat, including that of test debutant Phillip Hughes who faced just four balls before being dismissed. He was soon followed by Katich and Mike Hussey. Ponting and Clarke are putting on a solid show and have steadied to see the Aussies get to 3-147.

There was plenty of swing early on for the South African quicks, but a worrying sign was the turn generated by spinner Paul Harris on a first session pitch. Australia have gone into this test without a spinner, and with part-timer Michael Clarke recovering from a back injury, options in this regard are limited to Marcus North’s little tweakers. Andrew Macdonald is also playing and he will probably be needed to do a good amount of bowling.

The Aussies are fiedling three debutant in this test, with Ben Hilfenhaus also being presented with his baggy green. The last time three players debuted in the same test for Australia was in 1985 when Merv Hughes, Geoff Marsh and Bruce Reid began their careers.

Where Australia Can Win This Series

A quick look at the stats from the tour played here last month will reveal exacly where Australia lost that series. Apart from Steyn no South African bowler averaged less than 38 runs a wicket, while four of their batsmen dominated the Aussie attack with an average of over 50.

So what does this mean

Well we couldn’t get them out basically. With those bowling numbers they should not really have beaten us, but our bowling didn’t couldn’t get the job done, and how we go over the next couple of weeks will largely depend on improvements we can make in this area.

At the start of play the betting had the South Africans at about $2.70, with Australia further out at around $4. The longest odds were for the draw at just under $5, and with the way this test has started you can see that the market has that about right.

The only questions now is whether the Aussies can prove the market, and pretty much the entire cricket public wrong and put in a strong showing at a ground on which traditionally the South Africans don’t fare as well as you’d think they should. Their last ten test matches at The Wanderers has seen them walk away with a win on only 5 occasions, with 4 losses and a draw making up the other results.

As I write this article Ponting and Clarke are at bat, with both players having reached their half centuries. If the two leaders of the team can take a stand early on in this series, it might be all the encouragement the younger players need to focus their enthusiasm into a winning performance.

At least that’s what Aussie cricket fans will be hoping for.

Crooksy

Trent Barrett Returns

I’ve spent the last few years living and working overseas during the Australian winter, and this often makes it tough to keep up to date with everything that happens on the domestic football scene – NRL, Super Rugby, AFL etc. Somehow in my time away the Cronulla Sharks have emerged as a top four team and it kind of took me back to the days of ET, Gavin Miller and Sparkles McGaw.

The thing about the Sharks over this period was that they had some great teams, but never managed to get their act together during the post-season. The perfect example of this was 1988 season where they finished as minor premiers but were bundled out with successive losses to Canterbury and Balmain.

And I was looking at the current Sharks team wondering if they’re going to experience the same problems. Personally, I think this may be the year they finally see some success. Now I’m not confident that they will win the tournament, but I think they have moved ahead of Melbourne, and should be installed as second favourites for the competition in behind Manly.

The thing is they could also crash and burn this season, having set their standards high after a third place finish on the ladder in 2008. The key to their results will be how the team adapts to losing Brett Kimmorley, and gaining Trent Barrett. Kimmorley tends to be a little underrated in the intangible aspects he brings to a side’s performance. Not only is he an excellent half back and playmaker, he is an exceptional leader and the kind of player that rallies others around him.

The good news for the Sharks is that they aren’t losing too much in this respect with the return of Barrett to the NRL. A good start to the season for Barrett may seem him rushed back in to the NSW team in an attempt to stop the QLD juggernaut. He was named Super League Player’s Player in ’07 so his game is obviously in good shape. It will all depend on how quickly he can re-adapt to the speed of the NRL.

Ricky Stuart has now been relieved of his Australian coaching duties, and you can guarantee that he will be striving to ensure his team perform well this season. They have made some good signings in Barret, Anthony Tupou and Reni Maitua – and I’m sure Stuart will be riding Maitua hard to make sure he has none of the off field incidents that have plagued his career so far.

The Sharks did cop a 40-16 thumping the other night in Darwin at the hands the Golf Coast Titans in wet, humid conditions. But that was a trial match…in Darwin. While the Titans may be a surprise package this season, I think you’ll see a different Sharks performance when they meet for their only match towards the end of the regular season.

The Sharks made the best possible start to their season in 2008 by beating both eventual grand finalists in the first two rounds of the competition. If they can emulate that start this year, they will set themselves up for a good season and a possible run at the title.

Current Odds To Win The Premiership – $9-11

Australia’s largest online bookmaker Sportsbet has been around since the early nineties and is credited for being Australia’s first online sports bookmaker.

Sportsbet is known for the ease of use and a fantastic support team including a live chat feature where questions can be answered there and then with a real person. This is a first for online bookmakers in Australia and a very useful tool for newcomers.

Sportsbet put the fun back in betting with numerous features and promotions.
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With all these products it’s hard to pass up an account with Sportsbet and equally as hard to pick anything wrong with their service. The odds are among the best and they offer a huge range of Australian and international events. However I did find that their credit service a little too easy to apply for it only took a few clicks and $200 was granted instantly into my account, this could catch a few people out so care must be taken.

Like most bookies they have an initial signup bonus. Unlike others, Sportsbet offer a high 100% extra on your first deposit of up to $200. So if you deposit $200 you get a $200 free bet. The winnings of the free bet must be turned over once before a withdrawal can be made. For example if you win $150 from the free bet then $150 worth of bets must be placed before you can withdraw funds into a bank account.

I give Sportsbet 4.5/5

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How Far Can Bennett Take The Dragons?

The obvious talking point with the St. George Illawarra Dragons this year is how much of an effect Wayne Bennet can have in his first season as coach. The general consensus over the last couple of years has been that nathan Brown just didn’t seem to command the respect that is required to get that extra 5-15% effort from the players at training and on the pitch which means the difference between a top four team and an also-ran.

This is understandable and is in no way a reflection on the character or coaching ability of Brown – his coaching began in 2003 with him taking charge of many of his ex-teamates. It was only natural that there were going to be difficulties in making the transition from player to coach at the same club at such a young age (he was just 29 when he took the reins).

And I’m sure everyone involved will tell you that it wasn’t really a factor. But they’d be kidding themselves, of course it was a factor. There are attitudes that just gradually seep into a team’s mentality over time without anyone realizing it is happening. He wasn’t able to properly assert his authority early on, and his tenure as coach had that as its foundation.

Wayne Bennett understands that, and this can be seen in the approach that he has taken from the outset. At the Bronco’s he had strong player leaders at all times, so his role was more as overseer rather than taskmaster. From all reports he has imposed himself in a very direct way from the start of his term at the Dragons, and is obviously attempting to instill a new culture into his squad of players from which he can build successful campaigns over the next couple of years.

There is also that intangible factor, an aura that comes as a result of Bennett’s success and experience. Always a talented squad, the Dragons may have had nagging doubts in the past about training methods, strategies etc. When you have one of the all time great coaches in charge, all doubts about those sort of things are immediately banished. Players know that they just have to focus their attentions on their skills, fitness and teamwork – Bennett will take care of the rest.

The Dragons have looked good so far in the pre-season, but it is just that…the pre-season. I do however find it interesting that the Dragons finished 7th last year, and are currently around the same in the betting. While it is probably too much of an ask for them to go all the way this year, signs are good that they are on the improve and will more than likely cause some upsets this year.

The Dragons face the Storm, Sharks and Broncos in the first 4 weeks of the competition – a very tough ask, and we will know at the end of that first month how good this team can be this season.

Current odds to win the premiership – $13.00

With the Australian cricket summer barely over, a new test series in South Africa is almost upon us. While much was made of the series loss earlier this year, what hasn’t been mentioned is that Australia are also protecting an impressive record against the Proteas in their own country. The Aussies have not lost a test series there since South Africa emerged from the sporting wilderness and rejoined test cricket over 15 years ago.

So while the South Africans were obviously overjoyed at their tour victories in Australia, you can be sure that they will be fighting even harder to change the record books in their home country in front of a sport loving nation who have bought tickets for this series in record numbers. Expectations have been raised high and the team will be striving hard to ensure their fans are not disappointed. Add to this the fact that only two of the current Australian squad (Ponting and Hussey) have played test cricket in South Africa and on paper you have the makings of a very lopsided contest.

So where does this leave Australia? Well…in a very tough battle to be honest. I’m not going to talk about generational change, it’s all been said many times before. For me the interest in this series lies in the performance of the current players, not the statistics of the ones who have retired. The focus of most of the attention will be on our bowling attack, who between them have taken less than 100 test wickets. With the exception of Johnson you have players untried in test cricket, let alone tough series’ away in South Africa and England. Some sportspeople raise their performances when the level of competition lifts. Others are unaable to adapt their game to differing conditions and opponents.

Hopefully one, and maybe two of the rookie bowling squad of Bollinger, Siddle, Hilfenhaus and McGain can step forward as the man with the desire to play above themselves in the top flight of cricket. South African pitches are generally favourable to pace, so the quicks will have plenty of opportunities. Mcgain may have to wait until the second test, depending on the make up of the Australian middle order.

The other worry for the series is Michael Clarke who is nursing a back injury. His consistent performances would be sorely missed, and if he succumbs we will probably see Marcus North making his debut alongside Phillip Hughes. Hughes in particular has generated more interest in a young player than has been seen in this country since his test captain was carting Sheffield Shield attacks in his teens.

This test team is without a doubt the least experienced in twenty years and for me that is exciting. We may not come through the series with a win but we should get a glimpse into the fight within the team as well as more of an idea about our prospects for the ashes tour later this year.

Centrebet has been around since 1992 and was Australia’s first online bookmaker. They are licenced and based in the Northern Territory like many other Australian bookmakers and are listed on the Australian Stock Exchange

Centrebet provides the most easy to use website out of all the online bookies. They have a colourful layout that is very inviting and simple to navigate.  Centrebet’s help section is clear and precise, answering all the simple and technical questions. Although they lack a live chat facility they make up for it with quick email support replies.

They have recently launched a new service called Centrebet Mobile. It’s a new and easy way to make bets on the go. All newer model mobile phones can install the Centrebet Mobile software. From there you can login to your account via 3G or Wi-Fi internet and make bets anywhere at any time. I’ve used this service a few times and found it very fast and well worth having for when you’re at the cricket or footy and want to get a quick bet on rather than using the TAB and getting much lower odds.

The main reason I use Centrebet is that they always have a full range of entertainment and quirky markets ranging from TV makerkets like American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance, to the quirky markets like the sex of a pregnant Celebrity baby! They also have very competitive odds on the main sports including AFL, NRL and horse racing markets.
Unlike other bookies Centrebet also cover a large range of football leagues from around the world for the football mad punter including Denmark’s SAS Ligaen league and Norway’s Tippeligaen league as well as the major leagues of the English Premier League and Germany’s Bundesliga.

The signup bonuses they offer are a great chance to get a kick start with Centrebet. Currently for signing up with them you can get a free bet bonus of double of whatever your first deposit is. For example if you deposit $50 you get a $100 free bet.

I checked out the term and conditions of the offer thinking that they would be very strict. I found that other than the free bet must be used within 45 days after being issued the only other condition worth mentioning is that the free bet must be turned over twice before you can withdraw. This means if you get a $100 free bet you must make another $200 worth of bets before you can withdraw any money back into your bank account. This is pretty usual for signup bonuses with all online bookies. An easy way to get around this is make the bets on markets with really short odds that are almost sure to win and then you will be able to withdraw at any time.

All in all I think Centrebet isn’t the most popular bookmaker in Australia but they do have the most to offer in a clean and well set out site. They are great for people who are just starting out as they explain things in a step by step process. If you have any stories or opinions about Centerbet please leave a comment, I would love to hear them!

I give them 4.5 out of 5

To signup or find out more about Centrebet check out their site.

The European golf tour has arrived in Australia with the Johnnie Walker Classic kicking off in Perth today. There has been much talk over the past few months about the inaugural ‘Race To Dubai’, and how the prize money on offer may shift the balance of power in golf away from the U.S

Over the next 10 months golfers on the European Tour will earn big dollars at events held in 26 countries across the globe. In November the 60 golfers who have made the most money will meet in Dubai to play in a tournemnt with a prize pool of $10M U.S…plus an extra $10M to be shared amongst the top 15 placegetters at that tournament.

The massive amounts of money being thrown around by the Middle Eastern Sheiks has seen some of international golf’s biggest names pledge their desire to play more European events this year. Young players such as Camillio Villegas, Michael Kim and Ian Poulter have signalled their intentions early in the season, deciding to make the trip Down Under to play the Johnnie Walker rather than the U.S tour event starting today in California.

Phil Mickelson has been in talks to play more European events this season, and when you add regular tour event players such as Vijay, Els and Garcia you have the foundations for an extremely strong tour.

It is interesting to note that 14 of the main PGA tour events have financial institutions as their major sponsor. With regards to the global economic crisis, when you compare where much of the funds are coming from on the respective tours (banks v.s sheiks) it begs the question about where the top players will be playing the majority of their events in ten years time. While everyone knows of the money in Dubai, some of their lesser know neighbours such as Qatar are getting in on the act and putting up large sums of money to host their own events.

And to make matters even more interesting, the minimum number of events you need to play on the European tour to be eligible for the season ending bonanza has been raised from 11 to 12. European tour organizers have been quick to downplay any rivalry with the tour across the atlantic but their actions speak louder than words. They are looking from more of a committment from the top players to events on the European schedule.

Top players lead to television ratings, which lead to more money for the rights, which leads to more prize money available and the snowball begins rolling from there. To top it all off the world’s top players are of more varied nationalities than ever before with seven countries represented in the world’s current top ten players. It was only a matter of time before a truly global tour emerged as a serious alternative to The Big Show in the U.S.

So what does this all mean? Well, amongst other things…more opportunities to gamble on golf I suppose. Not a bad thing at all.

The NRL season kicks off in a little less than a month, and the bookies have pretty much gone with last years top eight to finish in around the same positions this year with the two noticeable exceptions being the Raiders and the Cowboys. After finishing the ’08 regular season in sixth position, the bookies have given the Raiders little chance of a top eight finish this year and are rated as being just good enough to avoid the wooden spoon

The Cowboys on the other hand have been installed as top six material, even after their 2008 season finished with them barely avoiding the wooden spoon as a result of a superior points difference. Much of this has to do with the return of Matt Bowen to the team, and that extra strike power at fullback will be enhanced by the addition of Willie Tonga to the centres. Thurston will have more options than he did last year, and this should see the team finish higher up the ladder.

Over the next couple of weeks I’ll take a look at the teams with the greatest chance this year and see how this year may be better or worse for them than ’08. Injuries and player movements are always a factor as new players settle in at teams, and new combinations are tested.

One things is for sure, just as at the start of last year everyone believes the teams to beat are the 2008 grand finalists the Storm and the Sea Eagles, with bookies even offering odds on these two against the field. Outside of the top two, betting is very even from three through seven, and 2009 is shaping up as quite an interesting season.

I’m a Bulldogs fan, so things can’t get any worse for us this year – I don’t think. The addition of Kimmorley should have a steadying influence on a team torn apart by personnel problems in 2008. A new coach and playmaker should settle things down for a good rebuilding season.

As always the rep season in the middle of the year will have an impact and teams that can come through this stretch in good position really set themselves up for a good run at the post season.

The State Of Origin this year will be a real battle for NSW as they try to avoid the ignominy of being the first team ever to lose four straight series. The problem for them is that there has never been a QLD team with such talent so they will be facing an enormous challenge.

If you have any tips for the upcoming season feel free to add them below.

If you are thinking about placing a few bets on the upcoming tour of Pakistan don’t include Andrew Symonds in the reasoning of your choice as there is doubt that he will be playing any Australian cricket again let alone wearing the baggy green.

There are limited reasons for Andrew Symonds to want to continue playing Australian cricket altogether. After the treatment the media, the Australian Cricket Board and the selectors have given him of late I don’t blame him for setting his sights to the Indian Premier League for his future career.

The way I see it the disregard of Australian cricket Symonds has shown since being snubbed by the ACB and selectors is a giveaway that he has already made up his mind and is set to play in the IPL. He will be earning a cool 1.5 Million over 6 weeks that will make up for the 1 Million dollar share market battering in finance company Storm he took last month.

Playing in the Indian league would see him unable to take part (even if he were selected) in the scheduled ODI series against Pakistan as it conflicts with the IPL games. If he was to play it would be a huge pay cut to play the series with minimal pay compared to the IPL.

He has been quoted in saying that he dislikes all the off-field commitments that international cricket brings and didn’t want to attend majority of them. The IPL off season will allow him the time off that he needs to get away from all the hype of the cricket world.

Some analysts estimate Symonds only has 18 months left in his international playing career. Taking this into account he would have to consider whether to play the 18 months with Australia, retire from cricket (..and go fishing) or extend his cricket career and preserve his knee injury playing in the IPL for years to come, like Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist and Glen McGrath are all doing.

The all rounder is a huge icon in India after the controversy of the Australia V India tests in 2008. He has plenty of support from millions of fans in India and sponsorship deals to last years. He is perfectly suited to the Twenty20 form of the game holding an excellent batting average of 56. Backed up with a strike rate of 23 with his medium paced deliveries and a super accurate throwing arm in the field.

The tender for the 2012 Victorian Government betting licence is heating up with confidential tenders submitted to the government.

The new outlines for Victorian betting licence have been released and will no doubt shake the gambling industry considerably with betting exchanges and massive tax cuts to entice hype and competition for the betting license.

Betting exchange will be allowed to operate in Victoria formerly only allowed in Tasmania and Betfair (the world’s biggest and leading betting exchange) has already announced that it has not submit a tender for the betting licence. But they say they are very keen to operate a betting exchange in Victoria for the new licence holder. Instead of the usual TAB style outlets Betfair may essentially have the ability to open betting exchange outlets around Victoria. This alone could change the face dramatically on how we currently place bets in Victoria.

There will also be tax cuts to betting of 60% which is a staggering 1 billion dollars over the 12 year life of the licence which will be held by the new company. This will most likely see much better odds to the end user and the ability to match or beat the corporate bookmakers at their own game.

There are a few companies that have announced that they are interested. Tatts who currently own Unitab are trying to continue their Tote dominance around Australia including the upcoming Tasmanian Tote licence. Intralot the new lotto licence holder have said that they have submitted a tender and Irish gaming giant Paddy Power have also announced that they too have lodged a bid. The TAB was reluctant to comment if they had made a bid to the Government but are very likely to want to continue what has been a very profitable business for them. With big international companies bidding it may make it difficult for Tatts and Tabcorp to compete with the amount of push these companies have and may see the tender go off shore.

Whoever wins the licence will be paying a fortune for the privilege and the winners out of all this will be the gambling public. This will give people many more options over the phone, internet and outlets with a much better return than the previous TAB system.
It will be an interesting time for the Victorian gaming industry and the rest of Australia will be taking notes and no doubt will follow the lead of Victoria in years to come as the competition increases between bookmakers and the Tote.
For more information on Betfair and how betting exchanges work check out the Betfair website.