Sportsbet Blog

The Hyundai A-League is becoming incredibly competitive now that we move into round 9. What originally appeared as though it could be a blow-out 2009 A-league season now has three teams tied for first spot on the ladder.

Gold Coast United took their second loss in a row and third for the season last weekend while Perth Glory won and is now level on points with the top ranked side. Sydney FC, now ranked third, also took a loss.

The remaining 2 games saw Adelaide United take a much needed win while Wellington Phoenix and the Central Coast Mariners had a 0-0 stalemate.

Gold Coast United V Wellington Phoenix

8:00pm Friday Night at Skilled Park

Gold Coast United is in need of a win after losing their last two matches and I believe that they will get it this week. Wellington Phoenix is far from being the strongest outfit in the A-league and that will show on Friday night.

Tip: Gold Coast United – Odds of $1.41

Perth Glory V North Queensland Fury

3:30pm Saturday at ME Bank Stadium

This is a similar story to Friday night’s match. The Perth Glory is far too strong for North Queensland and I would expect them to unleash the fury on the Fury. In fact, I would be very surprised if the Perth side slots in less than 3 goals.

Tip: Perth Glory – Odds of $1.03

Melbourne Victory V Brisbane Roar

7:30pm Saturday at Etihad Stadium

This round 9 match-up will surely be quite competitive. The two teams are ranked equally only one point away from the A-league leaders. I wouldn’t expect a result better than a draw for either side here, but it should be a great game to watch.

Tip: Draw – Odds of $3.10

Sydney FC V Central Coast Mariners

3:00pm Sunday Afternoon at Sydney Football Stadium

Sydney FC has been near the top of the ladder all season so far and a loss here could very well see them fall a fair way down. The Central Coast Mariners have the perfect opportunity on Sunday to take at least a top 3 place and I would expect them to do so after Sydney FC’s recent form.

Tip: Central Coast Mariners – Odds of $3.05

Adelaide United V Newcastle Jets

4:30pm Sunday Afternoon at Hindmarsh Stadium

This should be another competitive game with both teams floating around the bottom of the ladder. Newcastle has lost their last 3 games and I would think that this will become number 4. Adelaide had a much needed win last week and they should easily do it again.

Tip: Adelaide United – Odds of $1.85

Finally the day is here for the NRL Grand Final. The 2009 NRL Premiership match will take place this Sunday at ANZ Stadium and it is bound to one hell of a match.

The Melbourne Storm are in top form after smashing the Broncos last weekend in the semi-final. They have had a great season and will appear in their 4^th NRL Grand Final in as many years this weekend. Meanwhile, the Parramatta Eels have had an incredible finals series and will be keen to take the NRL premiership after finishing 8^th and barely even making the finals.

Melbourne Storm

The Melbourne Storm has once again made it to the NRL Grand Final this year and has a very good chance to take the trophy. They have been in great form of late with their last four games being 28+ point victories. So far in the NRL final series they have smashed Brisbane by 30 points (last weekend) and in the first week of the NRL finals they were able to absolutely dominate against Manly winning by 28 points and eliminating last year’s premiers.

The Injury list for the Melbourne Storm hasn’t changed since last week with Sika Manu, Anthony Quin and Matthew Cross all still out of the side. All three of these guys have been missing for a while now so I don’t really believe that it will have much effect on the outcome.

Parramatta Eels

The Parramatta Eels have won all of their NRL final series games so far and have really earned their place in the 2009 NRL Grand Final. Since the start of the finals, which they only just made it to by the skin of their teeth, the Eels have dismantled the Dragons in the first week of finals, the second week seen an impressive victory over the Titans by 25 points and last weekend they got up over the Bulldogs in a great match by only 10 points.

The injury list at Parramatta continues to be blank with no major troubles for the Eels.

My Opinion

The simple fact that it is the NRL Grand Final means that it will more than likely be an incredibly tight match. With both teams in fantastic form it really is hard to choose one way or the other, but I would like to see Parramatta take the NRL Premiership. The Melbourne Storm is by far the favourites however and they should be able to take the 2009 Grand Final win.

My Tip – Melbourne Storm

I would recommend Betfair for placing your 2009 NRL Grand Final bets. They have plenty of options for anyone as well as the best NRL Premiership odds. Some options include the first scoring play, Clive Churchill Medal, and they also accept bets on the winning margin.

On Saturday afternoon in the English city of Liverpool, the Reds will be playing host to the lads from Hull City in their next Premier League fixture. This should be an easy opportunity to win a bit of cash with the chances of Liverpool losing being very slim.

Liverpool

After a shaky start to the 2009/10 Premier League season, Liverpool is finally beginning to find some solid form. They are currently sitting in third place on the league table after winning their last 3 premier league fixtures. Overall they have won their last 5 games including 1 Carling Cup match and 1 Champions League match.

They have definitely been impressive over the last few weeks and their current form would be expected to be continued as they take on Hull at Anfield.

Liverpool only has 2 injuries in their line-up at the moment with Alberto Aquilani out with an ankle/foot injury (2 Weeks) and Daniel Agger with a back injury (5 Weeks).

Hull City

Hull City has not had a good opening to their Premier League campaign only managing to take 4 points in their 6 league fixtures so far. On average, Hull City is conceding slightly over 2 goals per game this season and they have lost their last 2 premier league games as well as taking a loss on Wednesday in the Carling Cup. The 2 games prior to this resulted in a draw against the Wolves and a win over Southend in the Carling Cup.

A very disappointing start to the season from Hull City has resulted with them sitting in 19^th place on the league table and unless they can turn it around, they may be facing relegation in the next few months.

Their line-up is currently riddled with injuries with 5 players out. The list includes Steven Mouyokolo with a hamstring injury (3 Days), Anthony Gardner with a knee injury (3 Days), Richard Garcia with a knee injury (5 Weeks), Jimmy Bullard with a knee injury (1 week) and Ian Ashbee is out with a PCL tear (7 Months).

My Opinion

Liverpool should be the outright winner here without any trouble from the visiting side. Liverpool only just missed out on the Premier league title last season and they are expected to challenge for it again this season. Hull City on the other hand is not exactly the best team in the league and will find it difficult to stave off defeat at the hands of the Reds.

The best bet for this match would have to be the correct score of 2-0 with a Liverpool win. The payout for this is currently $6.80 and is a very likely score line. Another safe bet would be on a clean sheet for Liverpool paying $1.70.

Head along to Betfair now for all the best Barclays Premier League odds.

The Hyundai A-League results continue to surprise many sports fans with results that seem to be unpredictable. Round 8 is now upon us and it is bound to be interesting.

Gold Coast United took a surprise upset with a 3-0 loss to the Central Coast Mariners. Adelaide United has suffered yet another loss this time at the hands of Melbourne going down 2-0.

Wellington Phoenix and North Queensland have taken a draw while Sydney FC and Perth Glory were both able to take a win.

Newcastle Jets V Perth Glory

8:00pm Friday Night at EnergyAustralia Stadium

I really cannot see anything but a draw in this match-up. Both teams have been playing rather average over the last few weeks and if anyone is to take the win then I would expect it to be the Perth Glory. Overall they are the better side here and we’ll see who has what it takes on Friday night.

Tip: Draw – Odds of $3.50

Gold Coast United V Melbourne Victory

7:30pm Saturday at Skilled Park

Gold Coast United continue to maintain top spot in the A-league even after last week’s 3-0 thrashing. With their form other the last couple of weeks it is hard to pick them although I do have a belief that they are professional enough to move past it. Melbourne should provide a challenge but not enough to win

Tip: Gold Coast United – Odds of $2.24

Brisbane Roar V Sydney FC

3:00pm Sunday Afternoon at Suncorp Stadium

Both teams here are more than capable of taking the victory in round 8 of the A-league. Brisbane has the odds that would suggest they are going to win although you cannot look past Sydney FC who currently sit in second place only by goal difference. My prediction is nothing more than a draw.

Tip: Draw – Odds of $3

Wellington Phoenix V Central Coast Mariners

4:00pm Sunday Afternoon at Westpac Stadium

The Mariners played great last week and are really beginning to make a statement in the a-league. While the Wellington Phoenix sit comfortably in 9^th place I really wouldn’t be surprised if the Mariners win by 3+ goals.

Tip: Central Coast Mariners – Odds of $2.60

North Queensland Fury V Adelaide United

5:00pm Sunday Afternoon at Dairy Farmers Stadium

Adelaide United has now moved up to 7^th on the A-league ladder although they really can’t be praised for this. North Queensland on the other hand has held bottom spot for the entire season so far with only one win. This will more than likely be the toughest game this weekend with both teams desperately in need of a big, morale boosting win.

Tip: Draw – Odds of $2.94

The 2009 AFL Grand Final against St Kilda and Geelong is set to be one of the best of all time especially after the round 14 “game of the season” between the clubs earlier this year.

Both teams are going into Saturdays match with high hopes and have been in great form leading into the game.

St Kilda

The Saints have with no doubt been the best team this year only losing two games for the season. I think they have the list to win the Grand Final on Saturday and should do so. My prediction is the Saints by 14 points.

The match will be won in the midfield and the Saints on paper seem to match-up better with Geelong in this area.

I’m expecting the Saints to once again to get off to a slow start and will most likely be behind at the first break. Once they start to relax into the game and get an idea of Geelong’s game plan they will put the squeeze on them in the middle of the ground and turn thing around. This is where it will come undone for Geelong.

I expect coach Ross Lyon to pick an unchanged side that beat the Bulldogs by 7 points last week which will see club favourite Max Hudghton on the side lines. Hudghton, who played in St Kilda’s losing 1997 Grand Final would be a good fit in the back line, but with minimal match time in the last few months it would be a massive risk picking him going into the final.

Geelong

The Cats have had another great season finishing second on the ladder and are going into the Grand Final as clear favourite with the bookies after excellent form in the final series. They have managed the injuries to their key player well and have a full list to pick from.

Although Matthew Stokes was dropped for the match against Collingwood last week I expect him to get the nod this week. He playes fairly well against the Saints and would be expected to kick a couple of important goals.

Alot of people are saying Geelong will be spured on after the Grand Final loss last year. I think if they are down a couple of goals in the 2nd half the preasure of potentialy losing another grand final could see them crumble.

Paul Chapman will be the key to Geelong winning or losing the game, if he can shake his tagger it will go a long way to Geelong kicking a winning score. This will be a tough ask against the leagues top defence and will be worth keeping an eye on.

Odds & Tips

Match Odds

• St Kilda: $2.54
• Geelong $1.63

Here are my top 5 best bets for the game.

1. Norm Smith Medal Tip: Nick Riewoldt with odds of $11.00
2. Load up on Geelong to win the 1st quarter paying $1.82
3. Take the Cats/Saints Half Time/Full Time Double paying $8.20
4. Saints to win by under 39.5 with odds of $3.10 at Betfair
5. I also like Nick Riewoldt in the most goals market at $3.00

Telecast Times:

Australia:

The game is live around Australia on Channel 10 with the telecast starting at 8:00am AEST

The AFL Radio stations are covering the game include ABC774, K-Rock, SEN, Triple M and 3AW.

International Telecast:

The AFL Final is beamed on TV live around the world. Here’s where you can catch the game.

UK: ESPN from 5:30am BST

USA: ESPN Classic from 12:25am US/Eastern or at ESPN360.com

ASIA: Australia Network 11:30am Hong Kong/China. 10:30am Indonesia/Thailand

The NRL finals are nearing completion for the 2009 season with the semi-final matches to be played this weekend on Friday and Saturday nights.

Last weekend the Titans were eliminated in poor fashion after being hammered by Parramatta. The final score for Friday night was 27 – 2 and was definitely not the best game for the Titans.

Brisbane also managed to get over the Dragons to claim a semi-final spot. The Dragons have played poorly of late and even after winning the home and away season they were not good enough eventually going down 24 – 10 last weekend.

The results of last weekend have now set the stage for 1 of 4 remaining teams to take the premiership. Of the remaining teams, the Melbourne Storm is being touted as the most likely to win the NRL premiership, but only time will tell who has what it takes.

The NRL semi-final breaks down as follows.

Bulldogs V Eels

7:45pm Friday at ANZ Stadium

The Bulldogs have a good chance to go through to the NRL premiership as they come up against the Eels. The Bulldogs have had a week off after winning in week 1 of the NRL finals and should be well rested which will give them an edge coming into the semi-final. Brett Kimmorley is still injured and should make a return next week for the grand final if the Bulldogs can get up this week. Three Bulldogs players are currently suspended.

The Eels will be on a bit of a high after their stunning form of late and will definitely give the Bulldogs a run for their money. Escaping last week without any injuries is sure to help the in-form Eels this weekend, although three players are on suspension. I would expect that the Eels get up on Friday night, but it will without a doubt be a close game.

Tip: Parramatta Eels – Under 12.5 points – Odds of $2.92

Storm V Broncos

7:45pm Saturday at Etihad Stadium

The Storm is the second team this week that is coming off of a 2 week long break and this is bound to help out with fitness. The favourites for the NRL premiership are currently sporting a few injuries along with a couple of suspensions, but I doubt that this will affect their game too significantly.

The Broncos on the other hand did play quite well last weekend with an impressive win over the Dragons. Ben Te’o is still on the sidelines with a calf injury and Justin Hodges is out on suspension. Even if the Broncos had the option of playing these two players I really don’t believe that it would make much difference. The Broncos season should end this weekend with the Storm heading though to the NRL grand final.

Tip: Melbourne Storm – Odds of $1.44

The 2009 AFL Brownlow Medal count is only days away and has huge betting interest with over $400,000 matched at Betfair so far and expected to double in the next couple of days. Checkout our Brownlow betting preview including odds for all the top players

Here’s my top 3 tips for the 2009 Brownlow Medal.

1st. Gary Ablett

The hot favourite is Gary Ablett and so he should be. The Geelong star has had a unbelievable year and arguably the best season of his career.

With an average of 34.5 disposals per match Gary Ablett will be very hard to beat. He racked up a total of 654 disposals in the 19 games he played which is the 2nd highest on the league behind Dane Swan who played 22 games.

Ablett also made a record 48 disposals in a game including a record 34 handballs in the match. He already has the AFLPA MVP Medal and the Lou Richards Medal, can Ablett make it a hatrick with a Brownlow Medal this year?

Although he was injured for 3 week early in the season I think he will get the points needed to take the award.

My prediction he will win with 25 votes.

Odds for Gary Ablett

To win: $2.90

Top 3: $1.48

2nd. Dane Swan

Averaging 31.8 possessions per game Dane Swan has had a steller season and will come close to winning the medal this year.

He played every game for the Pies this year and made the highest amount of possessions in the AFL. Swan had a fairly slow start to the season so dont expect him to poll well until after round 8 where he dominated in majority of his games.

He finished 2nd in the AFLPA Most Valuable Player Award behind Ablett but picked up the Hearld Sun Player of the Year Award beating 2nd place Gary Ablett.

It will be a very tight finish to the count but I think Swan will just miss out with 24 votes. He may be leading after round 20 but not expected to poll in the final 2 games where Ablett will take the lead in round 22.

Odds for Dane Swan

To win: $5.90

Top 3: $2.16

3rd. Nick Dal Santo

Dal Santo played all but 1 game of the Saints who finished the season on top of the ladder with only 2 losses. This alone will be worth a few unexpected votes for the midfield star who creates so much in the middle.

He finished the season with an average of 28 disposals per game. Unlike alot of Ablett’s disposals I found that Dal Santo used the ball alot more that the old one-two Ablett is know for and this will show in the votes.

With numerous St Kilda midfielders also expected to poll well Dal Santo will struggle to get enough 3 vote games to get him the 25-26 votes needed to win this year to get him over the line.

I think he will poll well with 22 votes.

Odds for Nick Dal Santo

To win: $18.50

Top 3: $4.10

Along with the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes held on the same day, the Underwood Stakes is the first Group 1 race in Melbourne’s Spring Carnival. It is a prestigious race, last year won by Weekend Hussler, and other winners include Mummify, Northerly and Octagonal. There is $350,000 worth of prize money on offer, with $210,000 going straight to the winner of this 1800m race.

Whobegotyou ($2.80 favourite with Betfair) won last week’s Dato’Tan Chin Nam Stakes over some good competition, and he is the standout runner not only in this race, but for the rest of the Spring Carnival. He has already won four prestigious Group races, and still at only four years old looks to have a bright future ahead of him.

There is no shortage of in-form horses in this race, and Vigor ($6.00) hit some excellent form when he beat Typhoon Tracy, Master O’Reilly and Melbourne Cup favourite C’est La Guerre to the line in the Makybe Diva Stakes last Saturday at Flemington. Vigor is now equal favourite for the Melbourne Cup and a win here would see his price shorten even more.

Typhoon Tracy with odds of $6.50 is another impressive horse who was just behind Vigor in his last win. Typhoon Tracy has only run in a handful of races, but they were all so well picked by her trainer Peter Moody and her management that she has at least placed in all of them. Despite two placings, she has not won a race since March and it is sure her connections are confident here.

When will the nightmare end for Efficient? The grey gelding won the Melbourne Cup in 2007, but has not even placed in a race since then. If he fails here then his trainer John Sadler will need to seriously think of retirement. He is at $34, though I’m certainly not taking a risk on him.

If you are looking for a little value then Zarita is at $14.00. The mare won last week’s W.H Stocks Stakes and finished third in the Memsie Stakes at Caulfield a few weeks earlier. She will be looking towards the Cox Plate now, and if she surprises here, her odds for the Plate won’t be $31.00 for long.

I think after Whobegotyou’s impressive win in the Dato’Tan Chin Nam Stakes he deserves favouritism and should win here, but he will have some tough competition in the form of Vigor, Typhoon Tracy and possible J.J Liston Stakes winner Predatory Pricer ($9.00). As I mentioned, Zarita might be good for a little value, both here and in the Cox Plate.

My Tips:

Whobegotyou

Typhoon Tracy

Vigor

Zarita

While all the Group 1 races may be at Caulfield this week, Rosehill still has three top class Group 2s. The 1500m Shannon Stakes is a premier race for three year olds and upwards, with a $150,000 prize pool, and features some very good racers.

Rangirangdoo ($3.70 with Betfair) has been nominated for the Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup. He has been in great form of late, although this will be his first real test. He won the Group 3 Tramway Handicap, which elevated him into view for the major races in Melbourne this spring. This race may prove whether he is worth a place as a contender or not.

Strat’s Flyer ($4.80) finished second to Rangirangdoo in the Tramway Handicap, and also looks a good racer. However, he has not had a great deal of experience at Group level, and this race will probably decide whether he continues to aim towards the Epsom Handicap or continue at a smaller level.

Drumbeats ($7.00) may be inexperienced, but he has already proved himself to be a handy horse. He has only won once but has placed in all of his other 4 starts, including a second place in the Group 2 Roman Consul Stakes.

One of the younger horses in the race, four year old O’Lonhro ($2.70), has the best recent Group record and deserves to start favourite. He won the Group 2 Chelmsford Stakes two weeks ago and will either go on to the Epsom Handicap in Sydney or the Caulfield Cup/Cox Plate in Melbourne.

It’s a very small field for a Group race, so anyone is a chance, even $201.00 shot Yallingup. He is in some horrible form, but he showed a flash of brilliance when he won the Group 3 Frank Packer Plate at Randwick in April this year.

O’Lonhro is the standout horse in this race and should win comfortably. There are some other good horses like Drumbeats, Strat’s Flyer and Rangirangdoo that will challenge, but they aren’t quite up with him in class. For a bit of value, I’m going with Ivory Pegasus ($10.00), who hasn’t had much luck with Group races but is in some good form.

My Tips:

O’Lonhro

Rangirangdoo

Drumbeats

Ivory Pegasus

The Melbourne Spring Carnival really starts this weekend, with two Group 1 races. The Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes, which has also been known as the Invitation Stakes has been run since 1951 and past winners include Manikato, Encosta De Lago and Exceed and Excel. Traditionally, horses that do well in this race run well in the Group 1 Toorak Handicap in three weeks.

Orange County is going for back-to-back Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes, and he is a fair chance. His effort in the his last run, the Memsie Stakes, was dismal, but he has been around long enough to know how to pick himself up and come out with a great race. He is at $13.00 with Betfair, but be assured that those odds would have been a lot smaller if he had performed well in the Memsie Stakes like he should have.

Favourite for the race is Raffaello at $5.50. He has run in Group races five times, but his best result is only a third in the Group 3 Easter Cup at Caulfield this year. He impressed with a win in an open race in August, but he may be a bit too short to warrant a bet at this stage.

Five year old gelding Chasm ($8.50) finished third in the Group 3 Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes in a tough race, and is one of the favourite horses here at $8.50. He had some excellent form throughout last year, and will be looking to repeat that in his first Group 1 race.

Gold Salute ($7.50) beat Chasm to line in the Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes, but still couldn’t manage to win. He is in the best form of his career at the moment and is another horse nominated for the Epsom Handicap. He is a good chance here, and with no short-priced favourite, is a good piece of value.

Estee was unlucky in the Let’s Elope Stakes at Flemington last week, but is one of the shorter-priced horses at $10.00 is this race. The mare has done nothing in her attempts at Group racing so far, but trainer Lee Freedman will be hoping that is on the change.

I am going to back Gold Salute to the line in this race, but it will be close. Raffaello and Chasm are two other top-class horses, and you can never discount the veteran Orange County.

My Tips:

Gold Salute

Raffaello

Chasm

Orange County