Sportsbet Blog

The New Zealand Warriors will make it three consecutive Toyota Cup titles says online bookmaker sportsbet.com.au, who’ve installed the Kiwi side as the $3.50 favourite. Their biggest threat comes from the Melbourne Storm, who’ve been priced at $6.50 with the North Queensland Cowboys and Sydney Roosters sharing the third line of betting at $9.00.

The Wests Tigers and Newcastle Knights are next at $13 followed by the Cronulla Sharks and Brisbane Broncos (both $15), Canterbury Bulldogs ($17) and Canberra Raiders ($19). “The Warriors are once again the team to beat. Their line-up is just as strong as the past few seasons and when you throw in their physical attributes and flair, there’s a lot to like about them. They’ll take some beating.” sportsbet.com.au’s Ben Hawes said.

2012 isn’t looking good for both the Manly Sea Eagles and Gold Coast Titans, who are the biggest outsiders in the market at $51.

Market courtesy of sportsbet.com.au

2012 Toyota Cup winner

$3.50 New Zealand Warriors

$6.50 Melbourne Storm

$9.00 North Queensland Cowboys, Sydney Roosters $13 Wests Tigers, Newcastle Knights $15 Cronulla Sharks, Brisbane Broncos $17 Canterbury Bulldogs $19 Canberra Raiders $21 Parramatta Eels

$26 South Sydney Rabbitohs, Penrith Panthers $41 St. George Illawarra Dragons $51 Manly Sea Eagles, Gold Coast Titans

By claiming victory for an Australian team for the first time in six years in last weekends World Club Challenge, the Manly Sea Eagles have fired out an early warning to rival clubs that they haven’t let any complacency creep into the camp over the off-season.

Back-To-Back, Can It Still Be Done?

No team has won back to back premierships in the last decade and it has become a much more difficult achievement than in previous eras. The days of the rugby league dynasty would appear to be over – just don’t tell the boys from across the bridge.

Compared to the high player turnover seen at some other clubs, Manly has managed to retain the core of the team that was so dominant during the second half of season ’08. The most obvious loss has been Steve Menzies, with three of his team mates following him to colder climates.

Replacements have arrived in the form of a couple of signings with great potential in Chris Bailey and Tony Williams. While neither of these is an established match winner, they have the potential to do great things this year in a team that will create plenty of opportunities to impress.

Manly fans will be quietly rejoicing at the announcement of Tim Sheens as the next Australian coach. Des Hasler was on the short list but is now able to focus his attention on doing what no other coach has done since Wayne Bennett in 1998-99. He has quickly developed a reputation as one of the more astute coaches in the game

Along with Brisbane and the Storm, Manly will be hit hard by the mid-season representative fixtures. They have managed to avoid this in the past couple of years, with their players flying under the radar. They are well and truly out in the open now with  four of the squad making their debut at international level last year. You would expect somewhere between five and seven of the Manly squad to feature during the State Of origin series this year depending on form and injuries.

Plenty Of Strengths, Very Few Weaknesses

110-12…that was the for and against for the Sea Eagles in last year’s post-season. It takes a complete team to rack up those sort of numbers. Attacking options aplenty are combined with a tireless defence. Rivals looking for weaknesses will need to do their home work because they aren’t readily apparent.

The bookies have installed Manly as pre-season favourites, with the Melbourne Storm close behind. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Melbourne drop down in the betting early on in the season, but it is very hard to see Manly getting off to a slow start and they are definitely the team to beat this season.

Current Odds To Win The Premierships – $4.25

Crooksy

There is a great night of Aussie sporting action ahead with two finals of interest as well as the Australian cricket team assuming  a commanding position heading into the fourth day of the first test in South Africa.

World Club Challenge

First up we have the Manly Sea Eagles playing the annual World Club Challenge against last year’s champions, the Leeds Rhinos. Australian teams have a terrible history in this event – at the moment they are on a run of five consecutive losses. So it is understandable to see the reactions from league people in England when people such as Manly chief executive Grant Mayor apparently speak on behalf of the NRL and call the Super League a “second-tier” competition.

While it may be true that this is the view held by the majority of league supporters on this side of the pond, it is a poor example of gamesmanship for a ranking official to state as much in a week that should be all about the sporting event that brings together the top teams from both competitions.

Bookies have installed Manly as favourites at $1.70, against the $2.10 on offer for the Rhinos. If you’re a betting man who values history this may be good enough for a punt on the Rhinos, with Australian teams traditionally struggling in this match

World Matchplay In Arizona

If you were to be asked who has the winningest record at The Accenture World Match Play Tournament, the lions share of fans whould guess defending champion Tiger Woods would have to be the man. Well he’s close, but there’s one golfer ahead of him – Australia’s Geoff Ogilvy who will be contesting his third final in this event tonight against Englishman Paul Casey.

Both players have already notched up their first win of the season and as such it would seem their good form has continued this week. Ogilvy’s game has improved every day, and his 4 and 2 win over Stewart Cink in the semis included three birdies and an eagle in the last four holes to completely shut the American out.

He has proved himself time and again to be one of the games great matchplay exponents and when asked the reason for this, he explains his success has much to do with his ability to handle the pressure moments, which occur with more regularity during a matchplay tournament

“You could go all year and not have a must-make putt. I’ve had 15 this week,” Ogilvy said. “So we play golf to put ourselves in these situations. It’s so enjoyable to hit good shots and to get those situations. You feel the pressure as much in the first-round match on the 13th hole as you do sometimes on the 13th hole on Sunday.”

Paul Casey is no slouch himself in the format, as evidenced by his victory at the 2006 HSBC World Matchplay event and his strong showing this week. And he’s comfortable playing with Ogilvy – the pair are good friends and members of the same golf club, Whisper Rock in Arizona.

In fact the two of them ventured across to Tucson together last week to check the course out for the first time. They are both finding it a little surreal to have each progressed to the final where they will play each other again – this time with just a little more at stake than a friendly wager.

The bookies have installed Ogilvy as a firm favourite, and you’d have to agree that is where the smart money would be.

Crooksy