Anzac Day brings an early start to the rugby league weekend for the Intrust Super Cup and an early start for our Round 8 Intrust Super Cup Predictions and Preview.
More importantly than our predictions, we have the CEO of main sponsor Intrust Super Brendan O’Farrell giving us his tips each week.
Aside from the now traditional Burleigh v PNG Hunters clash headlining the weekend, six clashes of the seven feature a team inside and outside the top eight. So perhaps it’s a great weekend for the upset. Or a consolidation between the haves and have nots.
If you like a brief preview of the entire round, your Round 8 Intrust Super Cup Predictions and Preview awaits.
Round 8 INTRUST SUPER CUP TIPPING – ARE YOU SMARTER THAN SUPER BOF?
Fancy yourself an Intrust Super Cup tipping guru. Reckon you’re better than the CEO of Intrust Super yourself? Find out his Round 8 Intrust Super Cup tips below, and submit your via our Twitter or Facebook page.
BRENDAN O’FARRELL (CEO of Intrust Super)
BURLEIGH BEARS to beat PNG Hunters
EASTS TIGERS to beat Redcliffe Dolphins
TOWNSVILLE BLACKHAWKS to beat Central Capras
NORTHS DEVILS to beat Northern Pride
SUNSHINE COAST FALCONS to beat Mackay Cutters
SOUTHS LOGAN MAGPIES to beat Wynnum Seagulls
IPSWICH JETS to beat Tweed Heads Seagulls
SEASON PROGRESS 33/49
Last week 6/7
THE GURGLER’s TIPS (Us)
BURLEIGH BEARS to beat PNG Hunters
EASTS TIGERS to beat Redcliffe Dolphins
TOWNSVILLE BLACKHAWKS to beat Central Capras
NORTHS DEVILS to beat Northern Pride
SUNSHINE COAST FALCONS to beat Mackay Cutters
WYNNUM SEAGULLS to beat Souths Logan Magpies
IPSWICH JETS to beat Tweed Heads Seagulls
SEASON PROGRESS 27/49
Last week 3/7
Follow our weekly Twitter post to add your selections.
Round 8 INTRUST SUPER CUP – MINI PREVIEW
Here’s a quick rundown on all things Round 8 Intrust Super Cup and our thoughts for all of the games this weekend.
The full Team Lists for Round 8 can be found at the QRL Website.
BURLEIGH BEARS v PNG HUNTERS
Thursday 4pm
At least this season’s Anzac Day clash is on Anzac Day, and it is a great event on the Intrust Super Cup schedule.
But never before have the teams entered this game as far apart as they are now in the table, with Burleigh flying high in third with just two losses with the second best attack and third best defence.
The PNG Hunters meanwhile couldn’t build on their first win against Central Capras in Round 6, as the Ipswich Jets beat them with some ease last weekend. That leaves the Hunters with just one win, and avoid dead last on points difference to the Capras.
Another raft of changes to the side this weekend for PNG, as Charlie Simon takes over the hot seat of partner to Ase Boas. Simon has been operating as a hooker so far this season, but can do a decent job alongside Boas. It is certainly the most experienced half line up of the season. Along with some other minor changes, it is as good a line up as you could hope for, so perhaps an upset is on the cards.
Burleigh welcome back hooker Pat Politoni, which will make that upset a little harder. And always interesting to see PNG International Luke Page up against some of his Kumuls team mates.
There’s a big run of home games for the Hunters coming up – 5 of their next 6 after this weekend, and an upset win here could really kick start the season.
2018: Burleigh 34 Hunters 18 — Hunters 20 Burleigh 10
ODDS: Burleigh $1.18 Hunters $4.75 (+12.5 Start)
EASTS TIGERS v REDCLIFFE DOLPHINS
Saturday 3pm
A positive result for each club last weekend.
Easts got over their first loss of the season to the Sunshine Coast with a good win over Souths Logan on Easter Thursday. Redcliffe looked good in patches against Tweed Heads in last weekend’s TV game, for just their second win of the season.
A sign of the Tigers depth is not having Billy Walters named, and the replacement is Rhys Jacks. Aaron Booth is an inclusion and sets up a good head to head with Jake Turpin in the hooker position. Booth has been one of the best for the Tigers, and Turpin is on the fringe of the Broncos squad.
Interestingly both of Redcliffe’s wins in 2018 came at neither team’s home ground. One was for Country Week and the other was the Grand Final.
2018: Redcliffe 16 Easts 14 — Redcliffe 36 Easts 22
ODDS: Easts $1.50 Redcliffe $2.60 (Start +4.5)
TOWNSVILLE BLACKHAWKS v CENTRAL CAPRAS
Saturday 4pm
To teams coming off a loss last weekend, Townsville beaten in Brisbane by the Devils, and Central walloped at home by the Falcons.
It is no shame to go down to the Sunshine Coast given their current run of form, but facing Townsville will probably not help them get off the bottom of the Intrust Super Cup ladder. Their best result against the Blackhawks is one draw.
Townsville have dropped to sixth with a 4-3 record, but welcome back Josh Chudleigh, whose NRL career has been stalled by injury. He returns to the Blackhawks bench. The Capras have some reinforcements too with one of the best players back in Maipele Morseu.
and former NRL enforcer Eddy Pettybourne named in the 17.
2018: Central 12 Townsville 32 — Central 14 Townsville 26
ODDS: Townsville $1.10 Central $7.00 (Start +17.5)
NORTHS DEVILS v NORTHERN PRIDE
Saturday 5pm
Good win for Norths last weekend at home to Townsville, which saw them jump over their opponents into fifth place. The Devils were also going well at this point in 2018 before fading in the second half of the season, but facing a Northern Pride side on a run of five straight losses might make the winning run easier to maintain.
Sadly for PNG and Devils fans, Norths will be without Nixon Putt this weekend, who has been a popular and excellent signing for the Bishop Park side. They do boast one of the competition’s better backline’s on paper.
Northern Pride have lost their past four games against SEQ sides. A sixth straight loss overall will probably see them drop lower than their current 10th.
2018: Pride 29 Norths 10 — Pride 14 Norths 30
ODDS: Norths $1.43 Pride $2.85 (Pride +6.5 start)
SUNSHINE COAST FALCONS v MACKAY CUTTERS
Saturday 5pm
Tough gig for Mackay this weekend as they have to take on the undefeated competition leaders away. And given they have lost to every SEQ side they have played this season, another loss looks likely on paper.
Sunshine Coast seem to be getting better every week, following up a big win over Easts in the battle of the then undefeated sides, with a 46 point win over Central in Rockhampton last weekend. The move for Nicho Hynes into five eighth certainly hasn’t harmed them, and there’s a real international flavour to the backline with Fiji and PNG Internationals Siti Moceidreke and Justin Olam.
Whilst not an international, Cutters fullback Carlin Anderson is very handy, and back on the path to prove his worth in the NRL.
2018: Falcons 40 Cutters 18 — Cutters 4 Falcons 32
ODDS: Falcons $1.15 Cutters $5.50 (Start +14.5 start)
SOUTHS LOGAN MAGPIES v WYNNUM SEAGULLS
Sunday 1:10pm
TV GAME
The Magpies are on a run of eight straight losses at home. Given the quality in the their side, it is hard to believe they can’t win more games. Happily that record is at Davies Park, and this week’s home game is on North Stradbroke Island.
Souths Logan do have depth in talent, their depth in quality only reinforced with the naming of Shaun Fensom at lock.
Wynnum are going along quite nicely though, up to fourth in the table, and with a 5-2 record despite playing 5/7 games away so with their 100% home record intact, good times lie ahead for the Seagulls. They have to get past the Magpies first.
The Seagulls, as their nickname would hint at, love Stradbroke Island, and they are yet to be beaten at Ron Stark Oval.
Reward for their boom halfback Tom Dearden, who was named in the Broncos extended squad. A reward for quality this season and potential for the future. The Broncos actually have a lot of quality options through their feeder clubs in the halves, So if the NRL 6/7 continue to misfire, they are well covered by the Intrust Super Cup.
Just a reminder that the TV game is on the GEM Channel this weekend, not the regular Channel Nein.
2018: Magpies 10 Wynnum 22 — Magpies 40 Wynnum 6
ODDS: Magpies $1.75 Wynnum $2.05
TWEED HEAD SEAGULLS v IPSWICH JETS
Sunday 3pm
Who doesn’t love a trip to Piggabeen on a Sunday afternoon?
The Seagulls have to a degree this year with good home wins over the Blackhawks and Hunters the highlight, a big loss in the Flockbuster the lowlight.
Tweed Heads did beat Ipswich here last year, and lie 7th in the table at the moment. Although interestingly they have the second lowest total of points scored, just six ahead of the points shy 2019 Hunters.
Not quite as shy of points are the Ipswich Jets who had an excellent first win in PNG last weekend. They occupy the last spot in the top eight, and tis 7th v 8th clash is the only all top eight clash of the weekend.
2018: Ipswich 52 Tweed 16 — Tweed 20 Ipswich 18
ODDS: Tweed $1.90 Ipswich $1.90
Other games to come soon, technology issues wiped the other six games. Stay tuned. Apologies for inconvenience.
