NRL Betting Odds
Sportingbet have unsurprisingly installed defending champions St George Illawarra as pre-season favourites for the 2011 NRL Premiership, as the Dragons seek to become the first side to win back-to-back titles since Brisbane in 1992/1993.
At $5.50, Wayne Bennett’s side are far from an unattractive option, having finished first past the post in the regular season in each of their two previous campaigns under the renowned super-coach. The Dragons have lost a few of their more experienced players in the off-season – most notably New Zealand international back-rower Jeremy Smith to arch-rivals Cronulla – but they still possess a well-balanced squad with plenty of fire-power out wide, and will once again be right in the mix during the business end of the season.
The Wests Tigers are next in line at $7.00 and they will no doubt be hungry to erase the memory of their heart-breaking 13-12 loss to St George Illawarra in the sudden-death preliminary final last year. The Tigers have a host of promising youngsters, who could all potentially have break-through seasons for the club, however if they are to win what would be their second NRL Premiership, they will need big seasons from star players Benji Marshall and Robbie Farah.
The only other side quoted at under $10 is – somewhat surprisingly – South Sydney, who – despite not having made the finals since 2007 – are at their shortest pre-season price ($9.00) for at least 20 years. The weight of expectation could well take its toll on the Rabbitohs and even if boom recruit Greg Inglis has a stellar season for his new club, the bunnies are unlikely to be holding up the NRL trophy come October.
Last year’s grand final runners-up the Sydney Roosters are paying $11.00 to go one better in season 2011, as coach Brian Smith – who has been on the losing end in each of his four grand final appearances throughout his coaching career – desperately tries to shake his reputation of being a perennial bridesmaid. Smith has an impressive record as a second-season coach; each his three previous Australian clubs – Newcastle, Parramatta and St George – have all boasted improved win-loss records during his second year at the helm, which is a statistic that bodes well for the Roosters.
Also at $11.00 is Canterbury, who finished a disappointing 13th in 2010, after having claimed second spot on the ladder at the completion of the 2009 regular season. The Bulldogs have made a host of good buys in the off-season including Frank Pritchard from Penrith, Trent Hodkinson from Manly and Aiden Tolman from Melbourne to name a few, but the loss of veteran backs Luke Patten and Brett Kimmorley, as well as Queensland origin prop Ben Hannant will hurt their chances.
Of the rest, Melbourne is an attractive option at $13.00, as the shamed former champion side seeks redemption following last year’s much-publicised salary-cap saga, while $19.00 appears to be a tad generous for Gold Coast, who come into the 2011 season on the back of consecutive top-four finishes. Cronulla – paying $67.00 to win the title – are firm favourites at $3.50 to win the least number of games, followed by North Queensland at $6.00 and Parramatta at $7.00.
Tip for win NRL Premiership – Sydney Roosters $11.00
Tip for Least Season Wins – North Queensland Cowboys $6.00
Tip for Dally M Medal winner – Cooper Cronk (Melbourne Storm) $23.00
Tip for Leading Try Scorer – Brett Stewart (Manly Sea Eagles) $23.00
Tip for Leading Point Scorer – Michael Gordon (Penrith Panthers) >$3.25
Best even-money bet option – South Sydney Rabbitohs To Miss The Final 8 $2.30