Sportsbet Blog

It may be hard to comprehend that a team that has just won its 18th league and 3rd in 3 years needs to do any sort of rebuilding, but with Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez on their way out of Old Trafford there is definitely going to be a lack of creative talent in the squad.

There are two games from this season that really stand out to me as showing up the cracks in the Manchester Utd Armour, the 4-1 defeat at home to Liverpool and the recent Champions League defeat to Barcelona. Both times Ronaldo failed to show up and both times the Manchester Utd midfield was out classed. The likes of Carrick and Park Ji Sung just aren’t good enough and unless Alex Ferguson has some big signings up his sleeve Utd will struggle next season.

I can see all the Utd fans jumping up and and down chucking stuff at their computers as they read this saying “what about Giggs, Scholes, Rooney and Berbatov”. Giggs had a great season there is no doubt about that, he didn’t win the PFA Player of the year for nothing. But he is 36 now and there is now way he can keep it up for much longer.

Scholes is 35 and as far as I am concerned he hasn’t been the at his best for a few years now. Berbatov is already whinging about the rotation system and hasn’t been the success that many people expected. Sowing flashes of brilliance one moment and then damn right laziness the next.

Then there is Rooney. Only a few years ago he was seen as the saviour of English football, skillful, strong, ran at defenders with pace and most importantly he scored goals. He still gets his fair share, don’t get me wrong 12 premiership goals is not to be sniffed at, but it is up there with the likes of Frank Lampard (who gets his goals from midfield), Kevin Davies and Dirk Kuyt and can hardly be seen as prolific, and  we rarely see the rest of his dynamic game that made him such a devastating young talent at Everton. People will say “he is a better all round player now with a greater understanding of the game”. But it is sad to see a player that as such a natural abilty to go forward and cause problems sitting out on the left of midfield, being forced to do his turn defending.

There is a concesus among Manchester Utd fans that the young talent at the club will see them through next season and that they have a similar squad of youngsters as Arsenal, but I just don’t see it. There isn’t a Cesc Fabregas or Theo Walcott coming through, not one that looks like they will be the next superstar to come off the Utd production line.

The only plus point for Manchester Utd is that they undoubtedly have the best coach in world football in Alex Ferguson, who has built a number of successful squads over his 26 years in charge. It is because of this that betfair have them as $2.62 favourites to win their fourth straight title. But can he really do it one last time?

There are plenty of betting strategies around but hedge betting is the only and a great way to guarantee a winning outcome from a bet. Basically bet hedging is used as insurance on another bet, but there are only certain times where hedging can be properly used.

Scenario 1.

You place a $10 five team multi bet on the AFL which will pay a profit of $100 if all five teams win. Your bet is going really well and the first four teams win. The fifth and last game, lets say St Kilda Vs Geelong are playing in few hours and you need Geelong to win for the multi bet to pay. This is where you have the opportunity to hedge your bet.

Instead of crossing you fingers and hoping that Geelong wins you can put $50 on St Kilda to win at $2.00 which obviously if they won would pay $100, a profit of $50.

Now you have given yourself two outcomes that both would give you a decent return on your initial $10 bet.

If Geelong wins, great! You win your multi bet and collect $100 minus the $50 you bet on St Kilda to win you still profit $50.

If St Kilda happens to win, its still great! You do lose your five leg multi bet but profit $50 on your second bet for St Kilda to win, minus your $10 multi bet at the start of the day you still profit $40

Scenario 2.

At the start of the year you put $100 on Essendon to win the Premiership at the end of the year, which would pay $1000, a $900 profit.

Essendon have a great year and make it to the Grand Final along with Hawthorn. Essendon are one step away from winning the premiership and your one step from profiting $900.

Instead of hoping Essendon wins the Grand Final you put a $500 bet on Hawthorn to win at  $1.90 which would give you a profit of $450

With this scenario you have guaranteed a tidy profit on your initial $100 bet no matter what the result of the game is.

If Essendon wins then you win your bet from the start of the year and profit $900 minus your $500 second bet on Hawthorn which brings you in a nice profit of $400.

If Hawthorn wins, you still win and profit $450 minus the $100 bet from the start of the year for a $350 profit.

Is hedge betting a good strategy?
Sure, but it depends on the amount of risk you wish to take. Looking at the first scenario if you didn’t hedge the bet and Geelong did win you would have made a profit of $90, but they lose you go home with your tail between your legs and wonder what could have been.

My advice, take a close look at the game and if there is any doubt on a winning result, hedge it. Even if you only hedge half the amount you still guarantee a happy ending either way.

Checkout our free bets section for the latest bookmaker deals that can also be used for hedge betting.

Round 9 saw the Western Bulldogs give Geelong their toughest test of the season so far, but they couldn’t quite get over the top of them losing by just two points. They did have a chance to grab the victory when Brad Johnson took a late mark giving himself a goal scoring opportunity. But like Carltons Brendan Fevola in round 6 Johnson choked under the pressure sealing the 116 to 114 win for Geelong. The Bulldogs looked good though and showed that will be one of the teams to watch when the finals come around after they fought their way back from 37 points down in the third. For the Cats, brownlow medal favourite Garry Ablett was in superb form on his return from injury, as was Steve Johnson who scored five majors. Can anyone stop Geelong powering to another title? At $2.05 you can get your freebet on them at sportsbet.com.au.

Carlton put in a disasterous 1st half display scoring only 5 points in their round 9 tie against Adelaide. It was a game that saw the worst of Carlton as they made a number of elementry mistakes, while Brendan Fevola sulked his way through another game fueling speculation that he won’t be at the club next year. Adelaide took their foot off the accelerator in the third quarter, but the truth is that Carlton were never in it. At sportsbet.com.au you can get odds of $3.00 that Carlton will miss out on the top eight all together.

The West Coast Eagles had started the year off pretty well, but now find themselves in the bottom four after they had the life squeezed out of them by Collingwood in their round 9 clash. Collingwood were missing five first choice forwards and were hoping that someone would step up to the plate and dominate play.  It was Leon Davis who took up the challenge taking 32 possesions and scoring three goals. Collingwood have had mixed start to the year and now sit in mid table, but at sportsbet.com.au you can get odds of $501.00 for the magpies to finish with the woodenspoon.

Fremantle were leading going in to the half time break but got over run in the second losing by 13 points against North Melbourne. North are struggling to attract crowds to their games at the moment and after watching this display it is pretty hard to understnd why. The Kangaroos showed a lot of heart and determination as well as some skill to claim a 98 to 85 victory in round 9. This victory is their fourth of the year and keeps them in the hunt for a finals spot. If you like the way that North Melbourne are playing at the moment why not back them to finish in the top four, you can get odds of $51.00 and a free bet at sportsbet.com.au

Another horror week ended in another defeat for the Richmond football club. The Tigers actually led their round 9 tie against Essendon at half time, but they seemed to implode as Essendon turned on the style in the second half to win 125 to 85. Jason Minderlich was outstanding for The Bombers as was Patrick Ryder who took a screaming mark over the heads of three Richmond players in the fourth quarter. At $1.95 Essendon are dead cert to be in the top eight at the end of the season go and get your free bet on them at sportsbet.com.au.

Sydney were simply sensational in the first quarter of their round 9 tie against Port Adelaide. They scored 8 goals 1 and restricted Port to just one goal. Barry Hall was back to his devastating best creating a host of opportunities and scoring two goals. the 123 to 68 victory leaves the Swans in 5th place on the ladder and looking good to be in the finals. Can Sydey actually go on to win the flag? Sportsbet.com.au has them at $41.00 to do just that.

St Kilda were lucky not to be rolled over by The Brisbane Lions after some inacurate kicking saw them go in to the fourth quarter 3 points behind. But in the end they just had too much power up fron with Nick “Dangerbolt” Riewoldt and Justin Koschitzke both scoring four while Leigh Montagna worked his socks off finishing with 33 possesions. Get you free bet on Dangerbolt winning the brownlow medal at sportsbet.com.au.

The reigning premiers Hawthorn haven’t had the best start to the season, but their round 9 victory over the Demons seemed to show that they are finally hitting their stride. Lance Franklin scored four goals while Jarryd Roughhead scored three and both of them porved to be too much for the Demons defence to deal with. Their had been question mark over the hunger or lack of it this year from Hawthorn but with some big names still to come back from injury they are now looking like they could be the team to beat in the second half of the year. At sportsbet.com.au you can get odds of $5.00 for The Hawks to win back to back flags.

See 2010 Round 10 Footy Tips here

What a week of footy last week was! The two top teams just managed to scratch victories together making the competition even more level for the year. Saying that though, both St Kilda and Geelong are now four games clear of third place and if their form continues over the next few weeks the top two spots will be almost sealed for the rest of the season. In my view round tens match of the round is Essendon V Geelong. I think Essendon will be able to get a good start in this game making for a super match.

Sports Bet of the Round

This weeks bet of the round is Bulldogs, Freo, Hawks and Collingwood to win in a Multi bet. I think they all have decent chances to get up for a win this weekend and paying around $5.80 with Sportsbet is well worth a few dollars. It’s also worth noting that when you signup with Sportsbet they give you a $50 free bet to place on anything, just for signing up!

Carlton V West Coast, Friday Night at Etihad Stadium

Tip: Carlton

This should be a pretty close game. West Coast played hard footy last week but faded out towards the last quarter. With Jarrad Waite now out for the season either Sentana O’hAilpin or Brad Fisher need to stand up and contest the ruck against big man Dean Cox. This is where the game win be won or lost for Carlton but I feel they have the class in the midfield to make up for what they will lack at the stoppages that should see them win. My prediction here is around 15 points.

Western Bulldogs V Sydney, Saturday at Manuka Oval

Tip: Western Bulldogs

The Bulldogs will be out for blood this weekend after the loss to Geelong. They would have taken alot of positives out of last weeks game that should see them run over the top of Sydney. Lets hope Brad Johnson has had some kicking practice…

North Melbourne V Brisbane Lions, Saturday at Etihad Stadium

Tip: Brisbane

Brisbane probably should have beaten the top of the ladder Saints last week. They showed great talent getting the ball forward while slowing the Saints down at the same time. Watch out for Simon Black in the middle, his precision and speed makes him a key player to winning this weekend.

Fremantle V Richmond, Saturday Night at Subiaco

Tip: Fremantle

Freo should have a good win at Subico. The Tigers have thrown the white towel in and the big trip over will only worsen things. Richmond will enjoy the weekend out of Victoria where the media pressure wont be present. Luke McPharlin had a great game kicking four goals last week which should see him deeper forward this week.

St Kilda V Melbourne, Saturday Night at Gold Coast Stadium

Tip: St Kilda

The Saints have been a little flat in the last few weeks so this game should be a good pick-me-up. The Melbourne youngsters are no match for St Kildas line up and will struggle kicking a score. Clinton Jones is having a steller season which has cemented his place in the Saints side. Expect another good game from him this week.

Adelaide V Hawthorn, Sunday at AAMI Stadium

Tip: Hawthorn

The Hawks are slowly building form with each game they play which should see them overcome the Crows at AAMI stadium, even with Buddy or is that “Tubby” Franklin not bothering the score keepers as much as last year. Beau Muston has recovered nicely after enduring three knee reconstructions in the last few years and getting a game high 31 possessions last week.

Essendon V Geelong, Sunday at Etihad Stadium

Tip: Geelong

Don’t blink or you will miss a goal! It will be a very fast paced straight through the middle type of game. Geelong should be able to hold Essendon off enough to win but I think it will be much closer than first thought. Andrew Lovett and Alwyn Davey are super quick that will make for a great spectacle against the leagues best.

Collingwood V Port Adelaide, Sunday at the MCG

Tip: Collingwood

The Pies need to start winning at home if they are going to make an attack on the top four this year. Collingwood members would be furious as they have only won one home game this year but are winning games out of Victoria. They have reshuffled their line up due to numerious injuries and are starting to be accustom to their new rolls. There is also word that Paul Medhurst, Alan Didak and Dale Thomas may be available to play this week.

If you looking at placing a few bets on the footy this weekend make sure to checkout Sportsbets free $50 signup offer where there is no deposit needed!

On June the 15th the worlds best golfers will compete to take out the coverted US Open golf tournament at Bethpage State Park Golf Course in New York. The US Open is considered by many as the best golf competition on the tour, and it always attracts alot of attention from all over the world. Millions of dollars are lost every year from people betting on the outcome, so here at sportsbetblog.com.au we are going to give you some inside knowledge of the course and which of the likely contenders you can put your free bet from Sportingbet on to win 109th US Open.

Bethstate Park boasts five of the best golf courses in the world Blue, Black, Red, Green and Yellow. The 2009 US Open will be played on the Black course,the same course that caused so many problem when the tournament was last held there in 2002. On that occasion it was Tiger Woods who took home the $1,000,000 winners cheque and I am sure there will be a lot of money riding on him to do the same this year.

Tiger Woods $3.75

The Black course is renowned for its deep bunkers that surround the greens and the large oak trees that line the fairways, making accuracy rather than distance a must straight from the tee. This is where Tiger has the upper hand on probably every other golfer out there, the guy can do both. He literally has every shot in the book and also has the power to back it up. The only plus side for the rest of the field may be that Tiger has only played in five tournaments since having reconstructive knee surgery last year, failing to win any of them. The man himself also admits that he is not driving the ball anywhere near as well as he was before the surgery. Tiger is actually sitting 136th on the PGA Tour in driving accuracy percentage at 57.6 percent thats (129/224) of fairways hit. It is this that could be the great mans undoing.

Phil Mickelson $10.00

With Tigers recent injury and lack of wins it is pretty hard to believe that he is such a strong favourite. This makes Mickelson at $10 an amazing bet, he has a fantastic short game and is in great form having already won two titles this year. It is because of this that I will be putting all my money on big Phil Mickelson to put one over on Tiger and finally win the US Open after four second place finishes in 1999, 2002, 2004 and 2006.

Sergio Garcia $26.00

Sergio is a golfer with a lot of talent and he has seven PGA Tour titles and eight European titles to prove it. But despite being considered one of the best on the tour Sergio has never been able to turn it on for the major championships. He has made a slow start to 2009 failing to even make the cut in a number of tournaments, but you can never right off the man they call El Nino. At $26.00 Segio is well worth a  punt to get his first US Open title under his belt.

Stuart Appleby $81.00

Stuart Appleby is the most fancied of the Australian contingent, but the truth is that Appleby has had a pretty shocking start to the season finishing in the top ten just once from 13 tournaments. I feel that Appleby doesn’t really have what it takes to win the US Open this year, but at Sportingbet.com.au you can take a quarter of the odds, thats $20.00, that he will finish in the top five. Deffinately worth a free bet.

Everton and Chelsea will face off in the worlds oldest domestic football competition, the F.A. Cup, on the 30th of May. The tie will be 128th final and as always it promises to corker. This year both sides go in to it in top form. Everton are still on high after disposing of city rivals Liverpool early on in the competition and then claiming the scalp of Premier league winners and Champions League finalists Manchester United at the semi final stage. Chelsea on the other hand will be looking to end the season well after failing to challenge for top honours. They will also want to give a fitting send off to coach Gus Hiddink who is likely to be replaced by Carlo Ancelotti in the summer.

There is no doubt that Chelsea will go in to this match as hot favourites. In fact sportsbet have Chelsea at $1.80 to take out their fifth F.A. Cup. This is mainly because they have a far superior squad packed with world stars that have lost only once in thier last 22 league and cup matches. They are captained by England’s Frank Lampard, and boast the premier leagues joint top goal scorer, Nicolas Anelka, but their depth of talent doesn’t end there.  Portugese legend Deco, England Captain John Terry and Ivory Coast forward Didier Drogba will all be vying for a spot in the starting line up.

Everton will be hoping that the magic of the F.A. Cup, and the fact that they have a better record than Chelsea (having appeared in the final 12 times winning it five times) will help them a massive upset. On their day Everton have proved to be a tough nut to crack. Not only did they beat Liverpool and Manchester Utd to reach the final but they  also recently held Chelsea to a 0-0 draw after wasting a number of their own chances. In form Australian Tim Cahill is an definite match winner. Cahill has a habit of popping up in the right place at the time to score the most important of goals and he loves the big stage. Everton have also finished the season strong after what was something of a sluggish start meaning that they have a lot of momentum going in to the final making them worth a $4.65 punt at Sportsbet

There are also alot of other ways to get your money on the game including betting on the final score, first goal scorer and the half time, full time result.

If you sign up to Sportsbet you will receive a $50 free bet on the game. Here are some of my recommendations on where to place your money.

Chelsea to be leading at half time and full time is $2.75 at Sportsbet. Another good one is $8.50 for it to be a 0-0 draw after 90 mins.

The two that I will be placing my money are Everton to be winning at half time and then Chelsea to be winning after 90 mins, Sportsbet are offering $26.00 for this. Well worth the free $50 punt in my opinion.

But most of my money is on draw half time then Chelsea to win at $4.50. I feel that Everton will come out all guns blazing in the first half and will push Chelsea back. But Chelsea have too much class and that will show late on.

There were many raised eyebrows within the Australian football world when relative unknown Pim Verbeek was handed the job as Socceroos coach. Many of us were looking for another big name to replace the one and only Gus Hiddink who guided The Roos to the 2006 World Cup Finals in Germany. It didn’t seem to matter that Hiddink had recommend his fellow Dutchman to succeed him, or that Verbeek came to the job with a wealth of experience from coaching all over the world. We wanted a Sven Goran Erikson or Roy Keane and that was that. How wrong we were. Pim Verbeek has guided his side to the brink of qualification to the 2010 World Cup to be held in South Africa. It is the first time the Socceroos have tried to qualify for the tournament through the tough Asian system and they find themselves top of their group yet to conceded a goal. This is thanks mainly to the astute tactical brain of Verbeek who has been able to take his side (Mostly without the big guns playing in Europe) to far flung parts of the world and get results. Verbeek is the on the verge of going down in Socceroo history as an outright legend, but he still has work to do yet.

The Socceroos have just three games remaining in their qualifying campaign. The first will be played in Doha on 6th of June against Qatar. The Aussies smashed Qatar 4-0 when they met in October 2008. Pim Verbeek had his full squad available at the time and it paid off as Everton star TimCahill scored early to settle any nerves. Brett Emerton was the man of the match though scoring twice before Josh Kennedy finished of a Hapless Qatar side. The Socceroos will be expecting to win once again, but with playing in Doha it may not be as one sided as the game in Brisbane, even with Cahill and the likes expected to make the trip.

Even so I am predicting the Socceroos will overcome any travel sickness and get a comfortable 2-0 win. Tim Cahill first goal scorer again?. Go to Betfair for your free $50 bet.

After the trip to Doha The Soceroos come back to the mother land to play two games, one against Bahrain and the other against second placed Japan. Australia will roll over Bahrain in Sydney on June 10th making the game against Japan in Melbourne a week later vital. This top of the table clash will decide who finishes top of the group and gets seeded for the finals in 2010. When the two sides met earlier in the group Australia put in a backs to the wall type display to scrape a 0-0 draw. But with the home crowd behind them and Harry Kewell looking injury free and back to something like his best I feel that The Socceroos will get up for this one and win comfortably 3-0.

Get your free $50 bet on the game at Betfair

Melbourne may be sitting at the very bottom of the ladder with just one win to their name, but they are certainly showing enough to suggest that last place is not where they will end up.  In round 8 against the Western Bulldogs Melbourne were the better tean for the majority of the game. It took a dissapointing third quarter and an inspired performance from veteran Jason Akermanis to give the Bulldogs a 104 to 97 victory. Akermanis turned back the clock scoring four goals and taking 19 touches adding to the call from Doggies fans for him to continue playing for a few more years yet.

Akermanis to win the Brownlow? Get your free bet from sportsbet now.

Round 8 saw reigning premiers Hawthorn put their season back on track with an 87 to 65 victory over Fremantle. Last years 100 goal man Buddy Franklin looked back to his best scoring four majors. While both Stuart Dew and Brent Guerra showed their amazing technical skills helping to pick apart the Fremantle defence almost at will. The only up side for Fremantle was the continued good form of captain Matthew Pavlich, but the man can’t do it all on his own.

You can get odds of $6.00 for Hawthorn to retain the title as well as a free bet at sportsbet.com.au

Even without Garry Ablett Geelong look pretty much unbeatable. In this round 8 demolition of North Melbourne the Cats scored 18 goals with 10 different goal scorers. In the first term alone they amassed 137 touches destroying The Kangaroos with their creativity and guile.

At $2.00 they are the hot favourites  to reclaim the flag and it would take a brave man to bet against them.

The Bribane Lions continued their good form under new coach Michael Voss with a 119 to 83 victory over The Adelaide Crows. Despite being behind at half time an amazing performance by Justin Sherman and four goals in the 3rd quarter from Daniel Bradshaw saw The Lions Collect their 5th win of the season and cement their place in the top eight. There was a downside for Voss’s boys though as Daniel Merrett, Jed Adcock and Joel Patfull all finished off the field. Adelaide will have to pick up their game in the coming weeks as they now have a 3 and 5 record and sit 12th on the ladder.

Adleide are $26.00 to turn their season around and claim the flag. Get your free bet at sportsbet.com

The round 8 tie between West Coast and Sydney promised alot, and in keeping with the great games we have seen so far this year the two teams didn’t disappoint. Only a few poinst seemed to seperate the sides all night before Sydney came out with a noarrow 106 to 101 victory. Adam Goodes was back to his devastating best for the Swans with three goals and 26 possesions. Josh Kennedy proved to be a handful all night and bagged three goals, but it wasn’t quite enough to get the Eagles what would have been an excellent and much needed 4 points. West Coast are now two places outside the 8 in 10th, while Sydney have jumped in to 9th.

You can get odds of $5.50 on West Coast missing out on the 8 all together and a free bet at sportsbet.com.au

Warren Tredrae put in a stella performance against a luckless Richmond side who not only lost the game after Tredrae scored his 7th goal in the dying seconds, but they also lost their star recruit Ben Cousins after he broke his hand. Cousins had only just returned from a hamstring injury and is now certain to miss round 9 after an operation to put a metal plate on the broken bone.  Tredrae’s seven goals gave Port Adelaide a 102 to 99 victory, which keeps them in the top four.

Richmond are at $2.35 to gain their second win of the season against Essendon in round 9

Carlton youngster Bryce Gibbs feels that captain Chris Judd is in Brownlow medal winning form and after his performance in round 8 against Collingwood many people agree, as Judd grabbed himself one goal, 32 possesions and four goal assists. But Judd wasn’t the only great performer for the Blues who sent a resounding message to the rest of the teams with a 104 to 53 thumping of Collingwood, on their day they are as good as anyone.

Carlton are at $2.50 to finish in the top four. Well worth your free bet at sportsbet.com.au

St Kilda remain top of the ladder with an unblemished 8-0 record, but this was certainly their toughest test of the season. Essendon found them selves 28 points down after the first quarter but they never gave in. Captain Matthew Lloyd caused the Saints back line problems and scored three goals as did rising star Jay Neagle, but it wasn’t enough and the Bombers end round eight in eighth place.

Get your free bet on The Saints winning the flag at sportsbet.com.au

Round nines footy predictions won’t be as straight forward as last weeks. The bookies took a battering with all favourites winning last round. This week I think a few outsiders have a great chance of getting up, making for a top round of footy.

Sports Bet of the Round

There are some good odds for this weeks tip. This week I recommend Freo, Adelaide and West Coast in a multi bet that at Sportsbet will pay around $7.00. Currently they have an offer where you get a $50 bet just for signing up which would make a handy profit for this weeks bet of the round.

Geelong V Western Bulldogs, Friday Night at Etihad Stadium

Tip: Geelong

Friday night brings the game of the round with two of the top four teams battling it out. The Bulldogs play well against Geelong as we saw in the finals series last year. They didn’t let Geelong play their flowing game and only went down by a few straight kicks. Jason Akermanis is showing great form and should trouble the Cats midfield but with Robert Murphy out through injury I don’t think they have enough depth to match the unbeaten Geelong.

North Melbourne V Fremantle, Saturday at Etihad Stadium

Tip: Fremantle

This is a tough one to pick. Sportsbet have set North at 1.77 favourite but personally I think Freo have what it takes to get over the Kangaroos. Big Matthew Pavlich is playing great footy at the moment that will suit Etihad Stadium. Aaron Sandilands continues to own his opposition with a massive 41 hit outs last weekends.

Adelaide V Carlton, Saturday at AAMI Stadium

Tip: Adelaide

This game is another one where I think the bookies may have it wrong. The Crows play decent footy at home and Carton have yet to prove they can win out of Victoria this year. Sportsbet have Carton as clear favorites at 1.65 to the Crows 2.20, it might be worth chucking a few dollars on the Crows this weekend as I think the bookies have underestimated Adelaide. I’ve picked the Crows to win in a hard battle.

West Coast V Collingwood, Saturday Night at Subiaco Stadium

Tip: West Coast

Collingwood are in shambles at the moment with the team riddled with injuries and Mick Malthouse’s sacking being called for by some parts of the media. Majority of AFL supporters will be happy with the way things are going with the Pies especially after the flogging against arch rivals Carlton last weekend. West Coast is a solid team with alot of potential that come the end of the year could see them take part in the finals this year. Lets hope the Eagles can make it three big losses in a row for the Pies!

Richmond V Essendon, Saturday Night at the MCG

Tip: Essendon

The Dons really pushed the Saints last week winning three of the four quarters but couldn’t quite put a few goals together. This weeks “Dream time” match should see the Dons do it easier and will continue to play a very fast straight down the middle game. This will catch out the Tigers midfield giving some clear inside 50 entries to Matthew Lloyd. Richmond’s nightmare season continues with a three point loss last week after leading with seconds to go, the speculation of coach Terry Wallace’s sacking earlier this week and now looking at another loss in this big game.

Sydney V Port Adelaide, Sunday at the SCG

Tip: Sydney

Sportsbet have Sydney as 1.60 favourites which looks about right. Port are still yet to prove their critics that they are a contender this year with inconsistency in past weeks. Warren Treadrea continues to hold up the Port team and Barry Hall is starting to get a fair bit of the ball for Sydney which could see a goal shootout from both ends. The Swans senior players Adam Goodes, Rhyce Shaw and Jude Bolton will be the key to Sydney winning and if all three are on song the Swans should win comfortably.

St Kilda  V Brisbane, Sunday at Etihad Stadium

Tip: St Kilda

St Kilda should continue their winning ways against the Lions on Sunday. Although the Saints look likely to win this weekend there is plenty of value for Brisbane with the bookies. Sportsbet have set the Lions at $5 which I think is pretty long odds. St Kilda may have some problems with the Brisbane forward line made up of Jonathan Brown and Daniel Bradshaw, which could see the game being much closer than first thought. The added incentive of the 200th game for Lenny Hayes and the announcement of long term dedication from Nick Riewoldt after signing a four year deal should see them get over the line.

Hawthorn V Melbourne, Sunday at the MCG

Tip: Hawthorn

Last week the Hawks showed some signs of returing form and this game should be a walk in the park for them. Arron Davey and Cale Morton both show that Melboure can play decent footy but they lack team effort which is needed to win especially against last year premiers. Hawks by 40+ points

With a $7,000 trophy and a total prizepool of around $700,000 on offer it is no wonder that the Doomben 10,000 is seen as one of the most prestigious horse races in Australia. May 23rd will see the 76th running of the race, as well as millions of dollars bet on the outcome. Here at sportsbetblog.com.au we are giving you the run down of the top three contenders while the people at Centrebet are offering you a free $50 bet when you sign up with their site.

Apache Cat $3.20

Apache Cat won the 2008 Doomben 10,000 and will start this years race as the hot favourite. There was some doubt that the horse would make it to the start line after he was reported to be lame by Queensland racing vets after finishing a close third in the Doomben Cup. But trainer Greg Eurell has dismissed the report and feels that Apache Cat will be on top form for the big race. “The vet’s been right over him and basically his interpretation was that in any sport, no matter what you do, you can give your maximum and, the next day, you know you’ve given it your best. He said he wasn’t lame, but he may have been feeling his joint a little bit. There is no heat and there was no swelling and he could go around every horse at Doomben and find similarities in many cases. He’s been right over him and cleared him. It’s back to business.” Said Eurell. Apache Cat is hot favourite for a reason get your free $50 bet on him at Centrebet

Bank Robber$8.00

The four year old actually beat Apache Cat in to third place in the Doomben cup at the weekend, and the feeling is that Bank Robber could push last years Doomben 10,000 winner all the way again as he looks to defend his title. Bank Robber is trained by Gai Waterhouse who has high hopes for the horse, saying that he has it in him to join the elite of horse racing. “He’s run some fabulous races in Group One races but he just hasn’t been able to break through at that level yet,” Waterhouse said.
“But that could be about to change. He’s a little older now and has matured a lot and he’s very wound up.” To get your free $50 bet on Bank Robber go to Centrebet now.

Danleigh $8.00

Danleigh comes in to this race in great form having won the All Aged Stakes at Randwick in April. Ridden by Damien Oliver Danleigh came from behind to outsprint Royal Discretion, Light Fantastic and Hot Danish to claim the biggest win of his career. “He’s always had a lot of ability but injuries have hindered his career,” Oliver said. “I had a lovely run on him and the gaps started to appear at the top of the straight. I just had to bide my time but once he saw daylight he really hit the line well.” Danleigh is looking good and well worth a $50 free bet.

If you are feeling a little bit more daring and fancy some longer odds go to Centrebet for a full list of the runners and riders.