The NRL is down to eight teams as the finals series start. The vibe is that the premiership is down to three viable candidates – Roosters, Broncos and Bulldogs, with the Roosters top of that list. But that rules out teams with plenty of claims – Melbourne for the their experience, Cowboys for Jonathan Thurston magic, and Sharks for their tenacity. There are fewer arguments in favour of Souths and the Dragons with both sides having a reasonably ordinary second half of the year. But Souths have Greg Inglis, maybe, and the Dragons have Benji Marshall and Josh Dugan, and hopefully George Rose.
Jump on our NRL Multi, we got 7/8 last weekend with just the Penrith v Newcastle game scoring three less points than we needed.
FRIDAY NIGHT – ROOSTERS v STORM
Melbourne will attempt to choke the life out of the Roosters, and at the same time choke the interest of the neutral fan in the first of the NRL Finals games for 2015. The Roosters remain the favourites and should have more than enough to see off the Storm on current form.
One thing for certain is that there’s likely to be a few penalties in the match and the Roosters are one of the most penalised sides, and the refs might do a temporary finals crackdown on the play the ball against Melbourne. If they don’t the second certain thing will be this match featuring more wrestling than a WWE Smackdown. At least this wrestling will be real I guess.
GURGLER MULTI TIP – Neither side to score 30 points.
SATURDAY NIGHT 1 – BULLDOGS v DRAGONS
The Dragons scrape into the finals as the token side on a 50/50 record for the year. These teams are usually bundled out of the finals with a minimum of fuss. Mostly. But occasionally the 8th side spring an upset, but that is usually a side on a hot run of late season form, unlike the Dragons who fell from the top 4 to almost miss the finals, only making it after Manly threw away a few chances to replace them.
The Bulldogs are the dark horse of the finals, and it’s hard to argue a case against that also. The Bulldogs quietly made last year’s grand final and are looking much better than last year as they have come good at the right time of the year. The giant pack will be a big advantage in some regard, but could it be the Achilles heal as the finals games increase in speed and intensity from the regular season. Either way they should have enough for the Dragons this week, and live for another week of finals.
GURGLER MULTI TIP: BULLDOGS to lead at Half Time and Win.
SATURDAY NIGHT 2 – BRONCOS v COWBOYS
The Queensland local derby of just over 2000km plays out at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night and bragging rights to the back page of the Courier Mail is up for grabs.
The Cowboys have the arguably the best player in rugby league at the moment in Jonathan Thurston, and he will probably enjoy playing the Broncos as the Queensland connection will mean he may not face as many late shots as usual.
The Broncos have a halves combination with just enough X Factor to cause major problems in the finals, and it might just be the secret weapon against the rest of the sides in the competition who seem to have the big packs and tough football as a game plan. The potential of losing Corey Parker will lose the Broncos some of the forward starch they need to give the halves that freedom.
Both sides seem to be boasting at who has the biggest injury list, and what sides will take the field will be interesting.
GURGLER MULTI TIP: BRONCOS TO LEAD AT HALF TIME
SUNDAY AFTERNOON – SHARKS v RABBITOHS
Somehow Souths stayed in the finals race, and were sitting fourth just two weeks ago, despite being terrible on more than one occasion in the last half of the season. Sure there have been untimely injuries and suspensions, but there has been more than enough quality from last year’s premiership winning team to have few excuses.
The Sharks have surprised by finishing 6th, but will rue the blown chance to finish 4th and get a second chance. They would have also faced the Roosters – a side they have beaten twice this year. They would have deserved fourth too, and the return of Andrew Fifita will help them keep their dream alive for a long awaited premiership.
The only worry will be the return of Greg Inglis. He is due a good one too. It needs to be this week of he’ll have to wait until next year to show his skills.
GURGLER MULTI TIP: SOUTHS -7.5 start for no good reason / street money.
TOTAL NRL MULTI PAYS: $13
