It’s been dubbed Brandzac Day quite cleverly by some in the media, which is a far cry from the expected Wooloworths-Anzac Day-gate. Why on earth people add gate to the end of a controversy is beyond me. LCD no doubt.
But Woolworths got themselves into hot water and a load of tsk tsking from a lot of people for using the Anzac images to promote their brand. Pretty ordinary work on their behalf, they will now just have to settle for owning half of everything because the government let them.
It could have been worse though, we have exclusively obtained the ads that didn’t quite make it to print in this week’s Gurgler Six Pack.
The business end of most leagues around Europe is approaching, the biggest competition of all – the Champions League – has reached the quarter finals stage. Not that you could tell if you follow most UK based football media, as there are no British teams left in either comps.
Their loss though as the final 8 features some quality match ups, the highlight is another Madrid derby, and a replay of last year’s final. Atletico surprisingly for all their rivals mega spend are undefeated against Real Madrid in all competitions this year, but with Real turning the corner form-wise in the league it should be a cracker. Or El Cracker for those who can speak Spanish.
Another two of Europe mega teams meet in Paris in the game between PSG and Barcelona. A shame that the super ego Zlatan Ibrahimovic isn’t playing due to a ban from the French football body for some disparaging remarks about France. He is rumoured to be off to Liverpool next season, which could be some kind of volatile front two if Balotelli stays.
The other two games feature two sides that are running away with their respective home championships in Bayern Munich and Juventus against the two underdogs left in the Champions League in Porto and Monaco.
The Garfunkel of European competitions the Europa League is also on show on Thursday night Europe time. It features heady mix of two Russian and Italian sides, plus a side each from Germany, Spain, Ukraine and Belgium.
The lower divisions are deemed not quite important enough to not have the night off with the big European comp and it is theirs and anyone else’s loss who doesn’t follow it.
Whilst League One and Two’s title race is down to two teams realistically, the Championship has four possible winners separated by two points with the fourth last games being played on Tuesday night. Add to that 5th to 8th covered by just one point, and it is the tightest Top 8 battles in any division in Europe.
The dreaded relegation battles are a different story though, with Blackpool already going down to League 1 and second last and third last seven points behind fourth last Rotherham with four to play. Unfortunately for Wigan and Millwall they play each other in this fixture list and either side can send the other down, and if Rotherham win, a draw will keep them up only mathematically if not realistically.
Relegation from League to the abyss of the conference is down to five teams with four to play, and with a five point gap from third last to fourth last, it is looking like two of the last three will fight to avoid that honour – Hartlepool, Tranmere and Cheltenham.
Yeovil Town secured back to back relegations as they fell from their surprise year in the Championship to League Two in two seasons. The last three to go down could come from anywhere between 15th and 23rd, with games in hand very vital at this stage.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
MULTI $28
OVER 2.5 GOALS – Atletico Madrid / Real Madrid
MONACO or DRAW v Juventus
BAYERN MUNICH to score the 2nd GOAL v Porto
SUAREZ to score for BARCELONA v PSG
CHAMPIONSHIP
MULTI $11
IPSWICH to beat Cardiff
NORWICH to beat Leeds
MIDDLESBROUGH to beat Wolves
DERBY to beat Blackpool
BOURNEMOUTH to beat Reading
LEAGUE ONE
MULTI $35
PRESTON to beat Gillingham
SHEFFIELD UTD to beat Yeovil
BARNSLEY to beat Notts County
PETERBOROUGH to beat Crewe
ROCHDALE to beat Swindon
LEAGUE TWO
MULTI $30
PLYMOUTH to beat Wimbledon
HARTLEPOOL to beat Accrington
STEVENAGE to beat Portsmouth
DRAW – York v Morecambe
EUROPA LEAGUE
MULTI $18
CLUB BRUGGE to beat Dnipro
DYN KYIV to beat Fiorentina
SEVILLA to beat Zenit
KEVIN DE BRYNE to score for Wolfsburg v Napoli
Or choose your own from the below….
The Chinese Grand Prix won by Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg second sounds like a standard race result of 2015 and 2014, however there may be more bubbling under the surface at Mercedes again after Rosberg accused Hamilton of being selfish and purposely going slow to back him up in Vettel.
The accusation is absurd as Hamilton will have no interest in allowing another constructor to beat either Mercedes, as it is starting to look like that Vettel could be Lewis’ biggest threat this year, not his German teammate who he seems to have covered pace wise and mentally so far this year.
Vettel and Kimi look good value for the title of next best, and at a circuit with more favourable conditions it may not be as easy for the silver cars as it has been last year. Kimi will hopefully gets some more luck and stay out of trouble to make it a real stoush between many World Champions.
Further back Williams slipped further back into upper midfield obscurity as they were clearly better than the rest of the cars behind, but not quite good enough to be annoying the front runners.
Even further back there was some good stories with Grosjean scoring his first points in a long time, and Sauber continuing the promise of Australia with a double points finish.
Bad day out for Renault, who took such offence at Red Bull claiming in not so many words that they ensure failures a plenty just to get the focus back onto them and what a great job they are doing. Suddenly a detuned slowpoke Honda looks a good thing.
Pastor Maldonaldo, disappointed to miss out on first retirement, was unable to negotiate the pit lane much to onlookers delight. His race was over after Jenson Button rear ended him at the first corner, probably not expecting a Honda engine car to be so close to the back of another car this early in the season.
Here’s the results.
Driver
Team
Grid
Fastest Lap
Race Time
1
Hamilton
Mercedes
1
01:42.2
2
Rosberg
Mercedes
2
01:42.6
+00:00.714
3
Vettel
Ferrari
3
01:43.0
+00:02.988
4
Raikkonen
Ferrari
4
01:43.0
+00:03.835
5
Massa
Williams
5
01:42.7
+00:08.544
6
Bottas
Williams
6
01:43.1
+00:09.885
7
Grosjean
Lotus
7
01:43.1
+00:19.008
8
Nasr
Sauber
8
01:43.7
+00:22.625
9
Ricciardo
Red Bull
16
01:43.2
+00:32.117
10
Ericsson
Sauber
9
01:44.2
Lapped
11
Perez
Force India
14
01:43.5
Lapped
12
Alonso
McLaren
15
01:43.7
Lapped
13
Sainz Jnr
Toro Rosso
20
01:42.7
Lapped
14
Button
McLaren
17
01:45.0
Lapped
15
Stevens
Manor
19
01:45.4
Lapped
16
Merhi
Manor
18
01:46.0
Lapped
R
Verstappen
Toro Rosso
11
01:43.9
Retired (52)
R
Maldonado
Lotus
10
01:43.7
Retired (50)
R
Kvyat
Red Bull
13
01:46.3
Retired (15)
R
Hulkenberg
Force India
12
01:45.8
Retired (9)
GURGLER’s MAN OF THE YEAR
5 points LEWIS HAMILTON
The perfect weekend, with added team mate losing the plot for cherry on top.
4 points SEBATIAN VETTEL
Still trying hard to make this championship a two horse race.
3 points MAX VERSTAPPEN
The youngest point scoring driver in F1 history should have scored more if not for reliability. In fact, without issues he would three point scoring finishes in his first three.
2 points FERNANDO ALONSO
The fact this car is anywhere near another is testament to the great Spaniard. Will the progress from race to race be enough in time to win him a championship?
1 point – DANIEL RICCIARDO
Despite using Mark Webber’s old engine mapping he fought back well and provided much entertainment throughout.
The irony of all the attention is that it would be something he’d shy away from if he were alive.
Since everyone is putting their tuppence and thruppence about the sad passing of the great man Richie Benaud, it would be remiss of the Gurgler to let this go without a though or two.
Simply put, Richie was the man. The man of cricket, the man of sports broadcasting, and the last decent man left in our summer of cricket.
It was only last year that we put the call out for our Man of the Year nominations to win the Golden Turpie, and one of the six was Richie Benaud, despite not having much to do at all in 2014 due to his car accident and illness. He doesn’t have to.
He didn’t win the overall award, beaten by the South Sydney mascot, but a complete coincidence that he ended up with just 2% of the vote. Maybe it was meant to be.
The endless tributes have were expected, as was the Channel 9 special on Saturday night, which was surprisingly not as bad as it could have been. It could have been hosted by Michael Slater. Amongst all the predictable Richie and I stories the highlight of it all was the montage of just Richie’s commentary without any anecdotes or need to clarify or introduce what you’re just about to see and comment afterwards like modern TV methods.
Amongst the TV tribute and the many news soundbites, web and news articles (the best from the 12th man himself) there was a theme around the man. Humble, gentleman, honest and a style of commentary that was subtle, studious and a less is more delivery.
Hopefully all the new breed of commentators were taking notes or at least turning the self indulgence in their heads down for a second to embrace the lesson. As all of the above qualities are invisible in the current commentary team.
In all the highlights there wasn’t talk of what they had for lunch, or flashing to great moments in cricket which always seem to revolve around the current cast. He probably had as many to offer as one of the greatest all rounders of all time, but although there’s an argument that would be limited footage to share, can one possibly imagine a team strategy meeting with Richie announcing he’d like the 3 for 14 against Kenya or a great slips catch in the One Day final against Pakistan in whatever year? No.
The less is more example couldn’t be anymore pronounced with the classic That is the Record line used describing Dennis Lillee. In fact the clip we have below is a fine example of the man at his best. Full of stats you know haven’t been handed to him by a producer, full of warmth and ultimate respect from another of the greats.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdwnMDmTUBQ
After listening to the clip one could argue that there wasn’t always the sublety of Richie and there was the more pants on fire delivery of Tony Greig back in the day, but they only needed one of them at a time to do it, not three wrestling each other to delivery the biggest superlative and soundbite for the news.
Maybe the current crop could go back and listen to their own words about Richie and make a difference to next summer, or perhaps the lowest common denominator of commercial TV has an inextricable grip on sports broadcasting to make zero difference. Just like the Aussie cricket team said they were going to change after Phil Hughes death, only for the on field antics to ramp up. As Michael Atherton remarked about Richie’s advice – “you are being invited into people’s living rooms for six an hours a day, try not to annoy them.” Advice worth noting if not for the arrogance.
Enough about the TV commentary of today, it was a long summer. It should be all about Richie, even if he wouldn’t have wanted it so. Another great character of yesteryear has gone, to be forever mimicked with love, and never able to be replaced.
His family had the chance of a state funeral so deserved. It was knocked back as Richie wouldn’t have wanted it that way. Not all about him. How typical.
The recent talk of Renault considering another comeback as a constructor in their own right got us thinking that if they weren’t able to follow through with it, what Crap F1 teams we’d like to see back in F1.
Here’s six of our best for your consideration.
MINARDI
It was a different era in which Minardi were the much loved perennial backmarker in F1.
Usually used as a stepping stone for youngsters or a safe haven for moderate pay drivers, the best of all their drivers was neither, and the only one to qualify on the front row and lead a race was a Gurgler favourite Pierluigi Martini.
A return for Minardi would feel like a return to a more romantic time.
SUPER AGURI
This team headed up by former Japanese driver Aguri Suzuki took over from Minardi as the much loved backmarker.
Takuma Sato’s run to sixth in the 2007 Canadian GP was a true battler’s performance as they overtook no less than a Ferrari and McLaren on their way to a bag of points.
It would also allow us to wear our limited edition Super Aguri team shirts.
ZAKSPEED
Things starting with Z always seems more fun, so please accept – Zakspeed.
Surprisingly with the new turbo era this German team didn’t put their hand up as they competed in the previous turbo era in the 80’s with their own homemade design. At least it scored two points, the association with Yamaha didn’t.
ANDREA MODA
Andrea Moda remain the only team to be kicked out of formula 1 for bringing the sport into disrepute. So it would at least bring some excitement back.
For more details on their crimes against F1, help yourself to the excellent site f1rejects.com.
PROST
As a massive Alain Prost fan, we would love to see the Professor back in F1 in any form. If they were to return though, they must install those tremendous X wings on the side of the car.
TYRRELL
Technically Tyrrell still exist, as they sold to British American Tobacco to become BAR, then Honda, then Brawn, then Mercedes.
But we really want to see the 6 wheeler return, as the modern cars are so hamstrung by regulations that if they were all painted black would be hard to differentiate.
REAL MADIRD to score the 5th goal v Eibar
REAL SOCIEDAD to beat Deportivo
LAZIO to beat Empoli
JUVENTUS to beat Parma
BAYERN MUNICH to score the 4th goal v Eintracht Frankfurt
SCHALKE to beat Freiburg
BAYER LEVERKUSEN to beat Mainz
The UK Football seasons are into the final stages, and there’s plenty to play for across all four divisions. Like someone who has sat through the boring first 2 hours of a movie so you can enjoy the excitement of the last 30 minutes without the effort, we’ll go through the leagues for the points of interest.
EPL – 7 games to go.
Chelsea have a seven point lead and two games in hand, and look like they’ll add an EPL to their League Cup won earlier in the year.
The battle for second originally looked like Manchester City’s domain, but their awful run of form including a loss to Crystal Palace during the week has condemned them to fourth and their manager to a rumoured exit.
Second looks like the tightest battle up high, and Arsenal are playing best of the three at the moment. The other two actually meet each other in the match of the round and Manchester derby. Northern bragging rights and momentum toward second is on the line.
Down the bottom the three promoted look like they will be the three relegated, and that is a shame as Burnley have offered plenty with their underdog status and tenacity, and Leicester’s manager always provides some entertainment. If the three new boys go down, some EPL regular can breath a sigh of relief they barely deserve. Team like Aston Villa and Sunderland have been clogging up the EPL for years by just surviving every season, and they won’t be the biggest loss if they go down instead.
CHAMPIONSHIP – mostly 5 games to go. Mostly.
The race for the riches of the EPL from the UK’s second tier is the closest it has been for a long time. Usually by this time a runaway leader is lining up disappointments for their EPL campaign, and second place isn’t far away either. Not this year.
The top four are separated by 2 points and include 3 EPL yo yo teams in Norwich, Middlesbrough and Watford. Bournemouth are the new team to be up this high, and most EPL fans who are ignorant of any team outside the top 6 will need some assistance in working out who they are. Two of these teams will automatically go up, the rest will join up for a four team mini league and a playoff final for the same riches.
Talking about the rest, there is another little group separated by only 3 points from 5th to 8th and are only 4 points behind 4th. These sides are unlikely to be automatically promoted but the promise of a trip to Wembley will ensure that this goes down to the last day. Like the top 4 this group is comprised of EPL yoyos like Wolves, Derby and Ipswich, whilst the newcomer and the most unlikely EPL for a while is Brentford. All of these teams have led or been in the top two at some stage this year, and may regret a bad run at the wrong time either lately like Derby or earlier in the year like Wolves.
At the bottom Blackpool confirmed their relegation to go with the misery that has been hanging around all year, with Wigan trying desperately not to join them, and decided sacking your manager at this late stage will help. It won’t and a recent FA Cup winner will drop down to the third division. Millwall are the only side that could make the unlikely happen as they have a game in hand. But they will need wins starting this weekend.
The rest are stuck in the sweet spot of mid to lower table mediocrity that is usually the safe haven of Ipswich Town.
LEAGUE ONE – 5 or 6 games to go.
League One looked sewn up for Bristol City a few weeks ago as a League One title looked in the trophy cabinet which already houses the knockout Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.
Whilst it still looks like Bristol City will win the title, they play their nearest rival and the most in form team in the competition Preston this weekend. A win will almost remove the need for calculators, whereas a loss will get their rivals within 5 points and add a little momentum their way.
A Preston loss will allow the third placed Milton Keynes side to increase their chances of an overdue promotion to the second tier. Otherwise they will join the other three sides in the race for the final promotion spot via the playoffs. The other three sides look reasonably stable with two playoff regulars in Swindon and Sheffield United, and the outsider Chesterfield. Only Rochdale with a game in hand look a chance to break into the 6.
The big battle is at the other end with the closest relegation battle this year, and probably ever as any team from 15th down could be relegated. Only bottom placed Yeovil look like they are relegated and that will be confirmed soon and their 6 losses in a row hasn’t helped.
With just 4 points from 15th to 23rd, and a mere 2 points from 15th to 21st, the other three teams to go down will go down to the wire and will no doubt be a movable feast on the last day of the year.
LEAGUE TWO – 5 games to go.
Three teams go up automatically from the fourth tier, and those 3 teams look reasonably decided in Burton, Shrewsbury and Wycombe. Although the latter’s two losses in a row have allowed Southend and Bury to get much closer.
With another two teams needed for the playoffs, the battle for those places is tight with 6th to 10th separated by just one point. A trip to Wembley and a move up a potential move up a division will ensure it is another battle that goes down to the last day.
Talking of going down, the dreaded drop into the Conference, a division which requires Houdini style skills to escape, looks like it could be any of the bottom 6. Somehow Hartlepool, who were doomed two months ago have started winning and have got out of the relegation zone just. Cheltenham are dead last now, but there will now doubt be more movement to come. All clubs will be hoping is isn’t down.
THE GURGLER’S BEST BET MULTIS EPL – $1 for $10
CRYSTAL PALACE to beat Sunderland
SOUTHAMPTON to beat Hull
ARSENAL to beat Burnley
SPURS to beat Aston Villa
CHAMPIONSHIP – $1 for $13
IPSWICH to beat Blackpool
MIDDLESBORO to beat Rotherham
WATFORD to beat Millwall
DRAW – Shef Wed v Charlton
LEAGUE ONE – $1 for $29
SHEFFIELD UTD to beat Oldham
MILTON KEYNES to beat Port Vale
ROCHDALE to beat Doncaster
COVENTRY to beat Colchester
LEAGUE TWO – $1 for $35
WIMBLEDON to beat Oxford
LUTON to beat Burton
SHREWSBURY to beat Exeter
BURY to beat Newport
This weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix arrives with a new attitude of competitiveness around the place. Sebastian Vettel’s win have breather some life into a championship that looked a Mercedes benefit after Australia.
THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO
– Whether the Ferrari form in Malaysia was just prancing horses for courses in the hot conditions or a genuine step forward. With the cold weather forecasted it looks like going back to advantage Mercedes.
– Lewis Hamilton has won 3 of the last 7 Chinese GPs, and Rosberg has one for Mercedes in 2012, so the form lines look strong for Ham win.
– Renault’s increased involvement or buying of Toro Rosso may lead to a lot more yellow being included on the Red Bull junior’s cars in the future. This would be a good thing as it will be easier to tell them apart. Normally it’s not an issue as the senior team were at the front of the gird winning race, but after Malaysia it seems that the competition will be tighter than ever between the two.
– Hopefully the progress of McLaren Honda continues. Nothing sadder than seeing Alonso that far back on the grid. It will come good, but whether either of the two drivers will still be around for it is debatable.
– Would love to see Manor get their two cars on the grid and into the race. It has been some achievement getting anything onto the grid.
– Looking forward to the long back straight and the tight corners afterwards for overtaking. Hopefully the DRS doesn’t make it too easy.
– Finally, a huzzah for Fox Sports coverage of the F1 thus far. They’ve refrained from doing too much local stuff, and getting the practice sessions, qualifying and the races live without the many, many Ashley and Martin ads is tremendous. Plus the F1 show is also on offer and is an excellent program.
TIPS
WIN – HAMILTON
PODIUM – BOTTAS
TOP 6 ROUGHIE – VERSTAPPEN
FIRST OUT – MALDNALDO
Like the Sydney to Hobart, the Monaco Grand Prix and Wimbledon Tennis, there are a lot of once a year premium sporting events that Joe Average gets excited about once a year. Welcome to Golf’s equivalent – the US Masters.
All these events don’t capture the public’s imagination without reason however, as there’s just something different, mystical and/or some deep tradition about it to make you tune in for your once a year.
Thankfully one of the traditions of the Masters – being no Australian has ever won it – has disappeared, one can now sit back and enjoy the first major of the year without the nagging thought in the back of your head how the Australians will find a way to not this year. Sort of like the relief when Mark Webber finally won a race.
Not that an Aussie will this year’s event, despite the strong claims of Jason Day and Adam Scott, as ever The Gurgler tips and recommends only one man, the only person in golf for The Gurgler. Some know him as The Mechanic. We know him as the cigar smoking, ponytail wearing, driving range gyrating, hero of the 18 holes – Miguel Angel Jiminez.
If you’ve missed some of his best work, recap with the link below.
The jovial Spaniard is starting to get on, but the quality remains as he proved for both cases with his recent form on the Senior Tour. Somehow he manages to get invited back, and we couldn’t be happier. All we can hope is that he is up the top of the leaderboard or playing with Phil Mickleson or Tiger Woods otherwise we’ll never see him.
It’s not all about The Mechanic, but it should be. To cover our love for M-A-J we provide a bunch of alternative bets for you to view or avoid this weekend.
BEST BETS
MIGUEL ANGEL JIMINEZ
To Win – $161
To Lead 1st Round – $101
Top 6 – $21
Top 10 – $10
Top 25 – $3.75
OTHERS TO LEAD FIRST ROUND
Justin Rose – $29
Keegan Bradley $61
Ernie Els – $141
Fred Couples – $81
Welcome to Gurgler’s Rugby League Weekly – Kick To Come, a brief catch up on all things Rugby League.
FOR A CATCH UP ON THE QUEENSLAND CUP – Visit our friends at Nothing But League for that and much more than we offer on rugby league from all over the world.
EYE CATCHERS FROM ROUND 5
The Good Friday clash for all it’s tsk tsking from the wider media, was a great battle that somehow Souths won despite being outplayed for a large majority of the game. Hopefully the rugby league world will get over the unsavoury incidents and ensure that this is a permanent fixture on a Good Friday in the future as it will be one worth pencilling in when the draw comes out.
On the negative side, at least some of the ugly parts of the game have been punished, and most players will think again before venting frustrations at their referee with severe suspensions handed down. However, it is hard to think that the kick to the head of Isaac Luke by Josh Morris doesn’t get a week off no matter what early plea-carryover points a players has. The sooner the NRL gets rid of a points system and simply has a set amount of weeks off for each offence the better.
Finally, maybe Channel 9 should think about their attempt to play live football before the news. A good idea would be less fluff before the game, and really less is more when it comes to Channel 9 analysis, and kick off with enough time to soak a little of the post game before being rushed off to catch whatever dreary news comes on at 6pm. At least Queenslanders get it live now that the cows no longer control the time in the Sunshine State.
Is Wayne Bennett starting to work his magic at the Broncos? For a side who looked like a busted arse in Round 5, steady progress has been made since through defence and attack with 4 wins from 5 and second on the ladder the reward. If they manage to sort out the second halves, they may be hard to beat later in the season.
Only the die-hardest of Sharks fans could have predicted such a win against the Roosters on Sunday, killing many a tipping round and multi in the process. The form of newcomer (or boom rookie) Jack Bird has been good enough to keep Ben Barba out of the starting side, another peg down for the former Dally M player of the year. Perhaps England calls if he can’t get back into the 13.
Of the rest of the games, Manly will regret taking their away game to a place much more suited and closer to Canberra. Manly find themselves last for the first time in a long while. The young Tigers look like the Panthers (aka surprise packets) of last year with their young side after their win against the Eels. The Panthers of this year, the Panthers were on the receiving end of the Cowboys waking up for 2015. Melbourne continue to amaze with their side of no names alongside the stars. NZ remain a rugby league enigma.
One stats from the weekend was that all but one away sides won on the weekend. Although with so many teams using the Olympic stadium as a home base, and who could blame them with the money they get to do so, a lot of the games these days are home and away for Sydney clubs.
LOOKING FORWARD TO ROUND 6
BRISBANE V ROOSTERS – FRIDAY 7:35pm
Heavyweight clash and rightly the live game in both states. Broncos looking for five in a row, Roosters looking to avoid water based team mascots.
GURGLER TIP: Broncos to win the first half.
CRONULLA v NEWCASTLE – FRIDAY 7:35pm
Surprise packets of last weekend and the previous four meet in Cronulla in a game for the diehards on delay.
GURGLER TIP: TOTAL SCORE UNDER 36.5 points.
PARRAMATTA v GOLD COAST – SATURDAY 3:00pm
The Super Saturday has to start somewhere. This one will be one to keep an eye on whilst watching the horses.
GURGLER TIP: PARRAMATTA -5.5 start
NZ v WESTS TIGERS – SATURDAY 5:30pm
The enigma that is the Warriors take on the Tigers side who will be fearless. Hard to guess as it depends on which NZ side shows up.
GURGLER TIP: TIGERS +10.5 start
PENRITH v MANLY – SATURDAY 7:30pm
Penrith will be licking their wounds after Monday night, as will Manly from their loss on Saturday night. Manly to remain last will keep 15 sets of fans happy.
GURGLER TIP: PENRITH to win
CANBERRA v MELBOURNE – SUNDAY 2:00pm
Both sides should be used to the cold, and Canberra surprised the Storm last year and Billy Slater is out. Another win for the Raiders?
GURGLER TIP: CANBERRA +8.5 start
DRAGONS v BULLDOGS – SUNDAY 4:00pm
Dragons will be hoping for their run to continue, Bulldogs will be hoping for less controversy, Channel 9 will be hoping the news starts at 6pm.
GURGLER TIP: UNDER 38.5 start.
SOUTHS v COWBOYS – MONDAY 7:00pm
Souths get John Sutton back to replace Adam Reynolds, not a bad swap. Whether the Cowboys reawakening continues is yet to be seen. Although Monday night seems to suit.
GURGLER TIPS: SOUTHS to win.
