Sportsbet Blog

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.

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 finals are here and this is where the experts really earn their money.

Tipping the winning teams in the finals series is a tough task let alone the Grand Final so following the guys they make a living out of the AFL can be a good tactic for your footy tipping competition and for your betting over the weekend.

Like last week, this week I like Sam Lanes tips. She looks to have the margins pretty right as well. Let see if she can continue her good tipping form.

Make sure to checkout our week 1 finals footy tips.

We are now down to round 26 and is the last round of the 2009 NRL season. It is setting up to be a good one as the last couple of finals positions are still up for grabs.

The top teams will be looking for big wins to make their presence felt, while the bottom teams will be trying to upset whoever they can. At the end of the day, no-one wants to lose this week whether they are bottom or top of the NRL ladder.

The odds that are listed below are from BetFair. NRL betting is best at BetFair with a wide range to choose from including winning margin and first try. Check out our review of BetFair Here.

My Round 26 tips are as follows.

Friday September 4^th @ 7.35pm

St. George Illawarra vs. Parramatta Eels

It is my belief that this will be a very close match. The dragons have not been in the best of form lately and the Parramatta Eels could most certainly use the win. With the NRL finals so close both teams will be giving it their all.

My Prediction – St. George Illawarra by less than 12.5 points with odds of $2.90 @ BetFair

Friday September 4^th @ 7.35pm

West Tigers vs. Bulldogs

The Bulldogs shouldn’t have too much trouble here, but the West Tigers will be fighting hard. With the Tigers having an outside chance of making the finals it could turn into a thriller of a match.

My Tip – Bulldogs by less than 12.5 points with odds of $2.40 @ BetFair

Saturday September 5^th @ 7.30pm

Manly Sea Eagles vs. Gold Coast Titans

The Manley Sea Eagles will be playing for a top 4 finish here as they currently sit in 5^th place on the NRL ladder. The Gold Coast Titans can’t fall below third place will only really need to find some nice form for the finals. It should be a close match-up.

My Tip –Manley Sea Eagles by less than 12.5 points with odds of $2.20 @ BetFair

Saturday September 5^th @ 7.30pm

Cronulla Sharks vs. South Sydney

Both teams have nothing to lose here. However, the Sharks may end up with the wooden spoon if they don’t take the points. South Sydney’s season is already over with no chance of making the NRL finals.

My Tip – South Sydney with odds of $1.54 @ BetFair

Saturday September 5^th @ 7.30pm

New Zealand Warriors vs. Melbourne Storm

The Melbourne Storm should be able to run all over the Warriors in this round 26 match. The Warriors are sitting pretty way down in 14^th place while the Melbourne Storm will be playing to hold their top 4 position.

My Tip – Melbourne Storm with odds of $1.42 @ BetFair

Sunday September 6^th @ 2pm

Sydney Roosters vs. North Queensland Cowboys

Similar to the Rabbitohs vs. Sharks game, this one probably won’t be very interesting. The Roosters will be trying to take the win to avoid the wooden spoon however and could be worth watching.

My Tip – North Queensland Cowboys by less than 12.5 points with odds of $2.20 @ BetFair

Sunday September 6^th @ 3pm

Newcastle Knights vs. Penrith Panthers

This will be the match of the round in my opinion. With the two teams sitting in 8^th & 9^th respectively, the loser of this clash will not play finals. Although it is my feeling that the Knights will get up in the end, it should be a very close match.

My Tip – Newcastle Knights with odds of $1.59 @ BetFair

Sunday September 6^th @ 7pm

Canberra Raiders vs. Brisbane Broncos

While the Raiders are sitting down in 13^th place with no chance of a finals birth, Brisbane will be playing for a shot at the top 4. Currently in sixth place, they are only one point behind 4^th placed Melbourne Storm and will be giving it their all to take this top 4 place from them.

My Tip – Brisbane Broncos with odds of $1.34 @ BetFair

The Bulldogs are currently paying $1.22 for the regular season win which is almost a sure fire bet and they are also tipped to take home the NRL Premiership with odds of $4.90. St. George Illawarra has odds of $5.10 for the NRL Premiership.

My tip for the 2009 NRL Wooden Spoon is the Sydney Roosters paying $1.26. Cronulla is paying odds of $3.30.

BetFair also has many other options for betting on the NRL and you should head along now, set-up your account and prepare to win some money before the end of the 2009 NRL season.

Here are the 2009 AFL Round 22 tips from the Celebrity Experts.

Sam Lane is surprisingly leading all the other experts below in 2009 with 123 correct. She has had an exceptional year and should finish off well,  although she has tipped Geelong to win by 100 points and also predicted 1 point wins to the Crows and Bulldogs.

Take a look at SportsbetBlog’s  round 22 AFL tips here for a full preview with odds of the weekends games.

There are now only two rounds to be played in the 2009 home and away season for the NRL and the fight is on for the remaining top 8 positions. For a number of teams, the next 2 weeks are either do or die with the close of competition drawing nearer.

No-one will really want to lose in this weekend round 25 games and all the teams will be looking for good form to finish the season with. Those teams who simply can’t find it will not last long in the NRL finals.

All the following odds are from BetFair. Betfair is the best when it comes to NRL betting and they allow bets to be placed in a few different ways including what the winning margin will be and first scoring play. For more information about what BetFair has to offer, check out our review here.

My Round 24 tips are as follows.

Friday August 28^th @ 7.35pm

North Queensland Cowboys vs. Brisbane Broncos

One of many games this round that will help shape the NRL finals. The Broncos are currently in 7^th place with 28 points while the Cowboys are 11^th with 24 points. A hard one to call, but I believe that the Brisbane Broncos will take home the win and secure their finals position.

My Prediction is – Brisbane Broncos with odds of $1.45 @ BetFair

Friday August 28^th @ 7.35pm

Parramatta Eels vs. Penrith Panthers

With the Panthers sitting in 8^th position and the Eels in 9^th, this is bound to be a great game. Both teams are currently tied on points and both want to play in the NRL finals. I believe that the Eels will get up in the end and possibly run away with it.

My Tip – Parramatta Eels ($1.42 @ BetFair)

Saturday August 29^th @ 5.30pm

Gold Coast Titans vs. West Tigers

Although I believe the Titans will be too good in this match-up, I do believe that the West Tigers will give them a run for their money. The West Tigers need a win here if they are to have any chance of playing in the finals.

My Tip – Gold Coast Titans ($1.40 @ BetFair)

Saturday August 29^th @ 7.30pm

Melbourne Storm vs. Sydney Roosters

Melbourne Storm is yet another team that could definitely use a win. Currently sitting in fourth place on the ladder, the Storm would like to keep it that way. Meanwhile the Roosters are sitting in last place and will simply be awaiting the season end.

My Tip – Melbourne Storm ($1.13 @ BetFair)

Saturday August 29^th @ 2pm

South Sydney vs. St. George Illawarra

After losing their last 2 games, the Dragons really need to do something here. Since they are up against the struggling Rabbitohs, St. George Illawarra should have no trouble in maintaining their number one position on the NRL ladder.

My Tip – St. George Illawarra ($1.19 @ BetFair)

Sunday August 30^th @ 2pm

Manly Sea Eagles vs. Cronulla Sharks

The great Sea Eagles will be flying high in this match. Faced with the possibility of losing their top 8 position, they will be looking for nothing but a win. Against the likes of Cronulla, I am 100% sure that they will have no trouble taking the win.

My Tip – Manly Sea Eagles ($1.11 @ BetFair)

Sunday August 30^th @ 3pm

Bulldogs vs. New Zealand Warriors

In my opinion the Bulldogs have this one in the bag. New Zealand has very little left to play for while the Bulldogs have a great opportunity to seize top position on the ladder. I cannot see the Warriors winning this match, even if the Bulldogs stay home.

My Tip – Bulldogs ($1.22 @ BetFair)

Monday August 31^st @ 7pm

Canberra Raiders vs. Newcastle Knights

Set to be an excellent game on Monday night. This game will be a fight to the finish as both teams will be pushing hard for victory. The Newcastle Knights will be looking for the win to maintain their top 8 position; meanwhile the Raiders will be looking to take it away from them.

I’m Tipping – Canberra Raiders ($2 @ BetFair)

In statement released today from Sportsbet stating that Punters who backed Daniel Rich to win the NAB Rising Star are already in the money despite the winner not being announced until September 2nd. The people at Sportsbet are so convinced that Rich will win that they announced today they would pay all bets placed on Daniel Rich.

Matt Tripp CEO of Sportsbet said “We believe Daniel is across the line so we’ve decided to pay our customers now instead of waiting. The punters have a keen eye for young talent with Rich being well supported with all punters from his original opening quote of $11.00. We are standing Rich for close to $50,000”

In light of the massive payout they have reopened the market for punters still wanting to bet on the NAB Rising Star with Sportsbet but with a difference. The new market is called NAB Rising Star 2009 – “Without The Favourite Daniel Rich.”

This is one of many good reasons to bet with Sportsbet (see our Sportsbet review). This isn’t a new thing for Sportsbet, they have payed out early before on a couple a Roger Federer games and if I can remember correctly a Tiger Woods market as well.

This announcement is definitely a win for the footy punters and unlocks unsettled Rising Star bets that would have been locked until the after the AFL home and away season was over.

There is still a very slim chance that Daniel Rich wont win the Rising Star award or does something to cause him to be ineligible so I take my hat off to Sportsbet for looking after their customers this way and I think other bookies should take a leaf out of their book.

Here’s the odds for the new market

NAB Rising Star 2009 – Without The Favourite (Daniel Rich)
AFL – NAB Rising Star 2009 – Outright Winner

Andy Otten (Adelaide) Round 9         2.75
Stephen Hill (Fremantle) Round 6         3.50
Tayte Pears (Essendon) Round 13         9.00
Chris Masten (West Coast)                 11.00
Patrick Dangerfield (Adelaide) Round 3  12.00
Jack Grimes (Melbourne) Round 14        14.00
Callan Ward (Western Bulldogs)        14.00
Dayne Beams (Collingwood)            16.00

See all the other players and the latest odds at Sportsbet where they will give you a $50 free bet just for joining them today.

Update:

Sportingbet have just opened a new market now that St Kilda has lost a game. Will St Kilda lose a 2nd game in 2009 (finals included) Yes is paying $1.35 and No $3.00. Interesting odds for both sides and I think its worth a bet for Saints to not lose another at $3.00. Checkout the latest odds at Sportingbet.

Its the question on everyone’s lips. Can the Saints go 22 wins in a row in what would be a new AFL record?

The current AFL record is 20 consecutive wins in a season which Essendon currently holds (year 2000). One record St Kilda does already own is its AFL/VFL record breaking losing streak. Between 1897 and 1899 they went 48 games without a win, a fine effort that would be worth many priority draft picks these days!

Sportsbet definitely don’t think they can get the record. They are paying $3.15 for St Kilda to go the whole home and away season undefeated and $1.35 for them to have at least one loss.

Here’s St Kilda’s run home

1. Western Bulldogs at Etihad
2. Sydney at the SCG
3. Hawthorn in Tasmania
4. Essendon at Etihad
5. North Melbourne at Etihad
6. Melbourne at the MCG

So looking at the final six games there is currently only one true danger game, the Bulldogs this weekend. The Saints comfortably bet the Doggies in round 6 by 28 points. If the Saints can emulate the way they played against the Crows on Sunday they look to have the goods not only over the Bulldogs but over the other final five teams they play this season.

Ross Lyon said they want to better their game in certain areas before the finals which at face value means they should only get better. The Saints have also said they wont be taking Geelong’s counter productive approach in resting players.

Personally as a St Kilda supporter, I think they can do it. Their bottom tier players Sam Gilbert, Sean Depster, Zac Dawson Clinton Jones and Andrew McQualter have all stepped up this year making life much easier for the leadership group. The Saints back line although not star studded is currently the most efficient in the AFL only conceding 967 points, 311 points clear of 2nd place Geelong’s defence.

My tip is to get your money on the Saints before the Bulldogs game. If they beat them on Saturday the odds to finish the season unbeaten will dramatically shorten and most of the value from the bet will be lost.

Here’s another tip, Sportsbet will give you a $50 free bet just for joining them through Sportsbet Blog. The free bet can be placed on any market including the Saints tip I mentioned earlier. They will also match your first deposit 100% up to $100. Check out the Sportsbet site to join and for the latest odds for the Saints.

The battle for the 2009 Brownlow medal is starting to hot up with a number of players coming in to contention with some fantastic performances in recent weeks. Geelong superstar Gary Ablett is still the hot favourite to finally take out his first medal, but there is a group of players that includes former winner Chris Judd and St Kilda pair Nick Dal Santo and Leigh Montagna that could cause another upset for Ablett. Here at Sportbetblog we will give you a quick run down of who is really in contention.

Gary Ablett $2.00

At $2.00 Ablett is the hottest favourite to win the Brownlow medal since betting on the medal was allowed and rightly so. He is the all round footballer and is considered the best that there has ever been by many people. He tackles hard, scores his fair share of goals and regularly wracks up 30 + disposals. It would take a brave man to bet against him but stranger things have happened. Go to sportsbet now and register for your free bet.

Chris Judd $5.50

It was 2004 when Judd picked up his Brownlow medal in what was an outstanding season with The West Coast Eagles. In 2009 he looks like he has fully settled down with his new club Carlton and is again putting in some outstanding performances. Judd is averaging 27 disposals a game and 5 tackles. While these are some pretty impressive figures it is his presence and composure under pressure that set him apart from the majority of AFL players.

Dane Swan $12.00

Once you get past Ablett and Judd the odds start to lengthen significantly. But we should all know by now that bookmakers odds mean nothing when it comes to the Brownlow medal. Collinwoods Dane Swan has come from nowhere and is actually topping the overall stats list ahead of medal favourite Gary Ablett. Averaging 33 disposals, 19 kicks and 8 marks a game he has to be in with a shot, making $12.00 a great price.

Nick Dal Santo and Leigh Montagna $14.00 Nick ‘Dangerbolt’ Riewoldt $16.00

The performances of these three players in 2009 have been one of the main reasons that the Saints have performed so well this year. And you have to think that if they can keep it up and finish above Geelong that the 2009 Brownlow medallist will be one of these three. If I had to pick one of them it would definitely be Nick Riewoldt. To me he is one of the best players in the competition, but if the umpires tend to ignore forwards Nick might just miss out.

But when it comes down to it there is really only one winner and that is Gary Ablett. He is easily the best AFL player around if not of all time. Many people think he was unlucky not to win the medal in 2007 and 2008 and I feel that this will finally be his year. Go to sportsbet now to get your $50 free bet just for signing up.