SUNDAY
South Sydney Rabbitohs vs. Canterbury Bulldogs
ANZ Stadium,
Kickoff 2:00pm (local)
Souths showed plenty of potential last Friday against the Roosters but were let down by poor completions and missed tackles. I think they can also gain an advantage by throwing a few more offloads when in the outside corridors of the field. Unfortunately, the word is that Greg Inglis will not play. The Bulldogs lost Josh Morris to a knee injury last week and a replacement hasn’t been named. It will probably be out of Michael Lett, Ben Roberts, Dene Halatau or Jonathan Wright. I’d like to see Ben Barba ghosting the ruck 1 and 2 out and getting more involved in general. Could be a close finish.
Mike’s Best Bet: None
Sydney Roosters vs. Manly Sea Eagles
Sydney Football Stadium,
Kickoff 3:00pm (local)
Manly were woeful last week and their poor performance was compounded by the loss of Jamie Lyon to injury and Jason King getting a 1 week suspension. The positives are that David ‘The Wolfman’ Williams returns for the first time in over a year, and Daly Cherry-Evans should be improved with a run under his belt. The Roosters are showing some free flowing footy and the onus from coach Brian Smith will be on his side playing out the full 80 minutes. Strong line defence might see Manly lucky to score more than one try.
Mike’s Best Bet: None
MONDAY
Cronulla Sharks vs. St George Dragons
Toyota Stadium
Kickoff 7:00pm (local)
It’s hard to find a silver lining on Cronulla’s effort last week. They were never in the contest. Many are describing this encounter as a training run for the Dragons and they are expected to score plenty. The Sharks boast such a great looking list of props and back rowers on paper, but their halfback Wade Graham needs to get his business together and give his centres and wing three-quarters more ball if they are to stand any chance against the reigning premiers.
Mike’s Best Bet: $68 on Dragons -10.5 @ $1.70 (Centrebet)
