THE LONG HARD LOOK WITH MIKE WILSON
NRL ROUND 1 PREVIEW – SATURDAY FIXTURES
Round 1 has finally arrived and it looks to have some great games lined up to kick off the 2011 season. Some very tough betting prospects have been thrown up as a result so we’ll keep the betting pretty conservative early on until the comp begins to produce a bit more form.
STAKING PLAN
Along with each best bet I will provide the amount to bet using a specialised staking plan to optimise betting results. All bets are based on a $2,000 starting bank.
Let’s have a look at the games for the opening round and where the best bets are.
SATURDAY
Gold Coast Titans vs. St George Dragons
Skilled Park
Kickoff 6:30pm (local)
The Dragons have made the long trip back from the UK after their World Club Challenge victory and now face another road trip up to Skilled Park on the Gold Coast which won’t be favourable. The weather forecast is for 29 degrees and the Titans will be expected to handle the conditions better. But the Dragons are a class act and going against the Titans is the fact that 4 of their forwards are carrying injuries. Nathan Friend, Anthony Laffranchi and Brad Meyers are out, and Mark Minichello may join them yet. Dragons centre Mark Gasnier has been training the house down in the off season and will be potent on the right hand side. St George should be good enough to win against a depleted Titans outfit.
Mike’s Best Bet: $45 on St. George @ $1.53 (IASbet)
NZ Warriors vs. Parramatta Eels
Eden Park
Kickoff 7:30pm (local)
Known for their off-the-cuff style of play in recent years, the Parramatta Eels turned up to this season’s trial matches with very structured format under new coach Stephen Kearney. They may need a couple of games under their belts to get it right. The Warriors are fielding a strong team at home and will come out firing in a bid to get their season off to a strong start, unlike their 2010 season. Watch out for Feleti Mateo if he is still on the field in the final 15 minutes.
Mike’s Best Bet: None
Melbourne Storm vs. Manly Sea Eagles
AAMI Park
Kickoff 7:30pm (local)
Brett Stewart is back for Manly having only played a handful of games in the last 2 seasons. It could be fair to say that depending on how he performs could turn the match either way. Both team coaches know the importance of defence in the opening rounds of any season which should see this being a fairly low scoring affair
Mike’s Best Bet: Total match points under 38.5 @$1.90 (Sportingbet)
