2024 NRL Round 11 Wests Tigers v Dolphins – TIGERS 12 DOLPHINS 24. The one-minute match report – giving you the bare minimum NRL round up in the bare minimum of time.
The Dolphins remain in the top four after grinding out a 24-12 win over the Wests Tigers to sign off another hugely successful Magic Weekend.
Jack Bostock got the scoring underway in the 12th minute, finishing off a move as he does so well this season – he is equal top try scorer after all. Mark Nicholls then charged over beside the posts from close range in the 25th minute to double the lead to 12-0.
It wasn’t all Dolphins though, as the Wests Tigers had plenty of ball and led the Dolphins 24-8 for tackles inside the 20m zone in the first half, just some poor last tackle options kept them scoreless until the 35th minute. That score was a try by Justin Olam, with a hint of the final pass being quite flat. The 12-6 scoreline remained until half time, but importantly just before the break Brent Naden was sent to the sin bin for a swinging arm on Jack Bostock who was already on the ground diving on a loose ball.
The Dolphins went on the attack with the extra player and were denied more points when The Bunker intervened for a Euan Aitken try for obstruction. The Bunker proving to be the least popular thing at Magic Round and that decision wasn’t the worst of the weekend, but still looked harsh. Never fear though, for a few minutes later the Tigers were down to 11 players as Justin Olam was sin binned for dangerous contact masquerading as a sort-of hip drop tackle. Minutes later the Dolphins extended their lead through a spectacular try to Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow. Although, The Bunker could well have ruled this one out for a small knock from Jeremy Marshall-King too. They didn’t for some reason and the score extended to 18-6.
Wests Tigers continued to fight and reduced the gap to six points when Api Koroisau scored whilst they had only 12 players on the field. A nervous finish was put to bed in the 69th minute when The Hammer crossed for his second try of the match, and a 24-12 win was secured.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Dolphins got away with that one. A better side with the opportunities the Wests Tigers had close to the Dolphins line would have put the Dolphins away on Sunday night. Luckily the Tigers last tackle options were usually woeful. The Dolphins also squandered some great attacking opportunities and should have been much further ahead. In particular, the Herbie Farnworth-Jack Bostock combination looking a little unsure on more than one occasion. Thankfully there was enough spirit and effort, and the return of a certain fullback to get the Dolphins over the line. And for perspective, the Dolphins record of seven wins and three losses is currently the same as the all-conquering Penrith Panthers, and just two more points scored would have seen the Dolphins leap the triple premiers into third. Top four at Magic Round? Most would have said you were mad if you tipped that at the start of the season.
The Hammer is back, and if that’s his effort in his first game back from injury then Woof for the rest of 2024. He was solid at the back as ever, but he looked line break ready with every second touch, and could and probably should have added to his two tries scored against the Tigers. Just a lazy 234 running metres tonight with a line break. As good as Trai Fuller has been for the Dolphins, having Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow back is a good thing. Maybe a way can be worked to have both for games later in the season.
Euan Aitken has had a very good 2024 and had arguably his best game for the Dolphins this season against the Tigers. One wonders if he played for a side in NSW that he would be being mentioned more seriously for State of Origin given his work ethic and versatility. However, selfishly as a Dolphins fans we will be happy to keep him in the side during Origin period and given we are a Queensland based website we hope NSW picks the worst side they can manage.
Quick shout out to Mark Nicholls, who is turning into a try scoring machine, and gives it his all every week, a wonderful re-signing for 2025. And Isiaya Katoa, who sometimes you have to pinch yourself that he is so young and only in his second season of NRL given the way he controls a game.
Finally, perhaps next season the Dolphins can get a better timeslot than Sunday post 6pm. Although, one shouldn’t complain, as it is another away game in Brisbane.
Courtesy of nrl.com
BEST OF STATS
Dolphins are undefeated this season v Wests Tigers at Suncorp Stadium. They are also undefeated in their alternative black coloured jersey. They are also undefeated in two Sunday 6pm games this season.
Dolphins are the only team left with a 100% record v Sydney teams in 2024 – 5/5.
Dolphins are W2 L1 as the away side at Suncorp Stadium.
Wests Tigers have won only one of their last 22 Sunday games.
Dolphins are one of only four teams to not lose a game when leading at half time (5 half time leads). The others are Cronulla (3), Melbourne (7) and Canberra (4). Dolphins also top the competition for average points scored in the second half (15.4).
Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow’s 234 run metres is his best single game effort for the 2024 season and fourth best overall for the Dolphins.
The Dolphins missed more tackles than the Tigers by 44-28. It was actually the third highest single game tally of Missed Tackles + Ineffective Tackles by a side that won in 2024 so far.
Max Verstappen wins another Grand Prix as he takes out the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, but it wasn’t as easy as it has been it a lot of the last few seasons, with Lando Norris pressuring him at the end. Talking of pressure here is our 2024 Emilia Romagna F1 Grand Prix Result Summary which covers both races and anything else of interest.
This 2024 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix Result, Lap by Lap, Review & Summary gives you just enough to catch up with. With just a hint of cynicism, bias, opinion and colour. The perfect bite sized review for those who couldn’t be bothered, or don’t have enough time.
2024 Emilia Romagna F1 Grand Prix Result Race Summary
Didn’t see the race live? Don’t have time to watch the whole race? Here’s where we capture the laps where stuff happened. We write these live as we go, sort of like a minute by minute for the football, but marginally more interesting.
Setting the scene – Max Verstappen takes pole position again, pulling out a pole lap from seemingly nowhere, as he looked to be out of sorts for a lot of the weekend. His nearest challengers were the McLarens and Ferrari with Oscar Piastri second best but dropped three places for impeding Kevin Magnussen. Further back the RBs look like they are close to being genuinely faster than Mercedes. Yuki Tsunoda was 2nd in Q2 and Daniel Ricciardo made Q3 for the first time this season. Nico Hulkenberg also showed some speed during qualifying. Fernando Alonso had a shocker, crashing in P3 and missing the Q1 cut.
Talking raceday, the Italian National Anthem sung by kids with a violin accompanying is plenty good. Plus a change in the commentary box as David Croft takes the weekend off. It might be a slightly quieter start to a Grand Prix then.
GRID (Starting Order) – VER NOR LEC SAI PIA RUS TSU HAM RIC HUL
Lap 1 – Max Verstappen gets away OK and Lando Norris, who looks to get a slightly better start, threatens for a hundred metres or so to challenge but falls into line into the first chicane. Falling into line is the rest of the top five and it’s down to Lewis Hamilton in 7th for the first movement from the grid position. Nico Hulkenberg delays his Sunday slide backwards through the field by climbing to 8th ahead of Tsunoda. Sergio Perez gets ahead of Daniel Ricciardo, who loses a few places off the start as per usual. Everyone else behaves, and even Logan Sargeant is ahead of Fernando Alonso in 19th. For now.
ORDER – VER NOR LEC SAI PIA RUS HAM HUL TSU PER
Lap 4 – The top five staying as is, but Lando Norris is hanging on to the back of Max Verstappen, staying around the one second mark behind. Oscar Piastri is harassing Carlos Sainz. McLarens looks quick, and maybe it’s Piastri’s turn to get lucky from fifth on the grid.
Lap 7 – Nothing further to report on here really. Max Verstappen edges out further to Lando Norris to 1.8 seconds, with similar gaps back through the Ferraris. Only Oscar Piastri is within a second of the car in front of the front runners. Hopefully Oscar remembers the Sainz-Miami shenanigans, but if he can get past he looks to have super pace.
Lap 10 – Alex Albon pits for tyres, and moments after his exit is shown to be crawling around the circuit, with a loose wheel perhaps. He pits the next lap for four tyres and four wheel nuts. That might be unfair to the Williams pit crew. Maybe not, by Lap 17 the FIA stewards are investigating.
Lap 12 – Both RBs pit where Ricciardo wins something for a change and is the first RB driver to get serviced. They rejoin in 15th/16th but have clean air to go at their own speed, which is hopefully top six speed. It was fast enough for Yuki Tsunoda as he leapfrogs Nico Hulkenberg after the Haas made its pitstop.
Lap 17 – The top five remains unchanged, as does the TV footage too, as the Ferrari of Sainz continues to lead the McLaren of Piastri. It doesn’t help the perception of a dull race if you show the same thing for so long.
Lap 18 – The Sainz-Piastri battle is broken up with footage of Sergio Perez running wide into the gravel. That won’t help his cause for all those F1 fans calling for #PerezOut.
ORDER – VER NOR LEC SAI PIA RUS HAM PER STR OCO
Lap 21 – Max Verstappen says on team radio that one of his front tyres is no good. Maybe it will fall off and we will have a race on our hands.
Lap 23 – Lando Norris pits from second, so the first of the heavy hitters. Bad news for Norris is that he ends up behind Sergio Perez. A lap later Norris flies past into the first chicane and resumes his afternoon as second best. Oscar Piastri pits on the same lap and comes out behind Lance Stroll. Similar to Norris, a lap later Piastri has gained a place and is in front of Stroll. Again similar, Norris and Piastri trade a fastest lap.
Lap 25 – Leader Max Verstappen pits and the Red Bull comes out in fourth behind the Ferraris and the Hamilton Mercedes. A lap later Charles Leclerc pits and he comes out behind Sergio Perez. He’s not behind for long as a lap later the Ferrari overtakes the number two Red Bull, as Piastri does a lap after that. With their pace they have probably jumped Sainz. Which is exactly the case when Sainz pits on Lap 27, the Ferrari ends up behind Leclerc, Piastri and Perez.
ORDER – VER NOR LEC PIA PER SAI RUS STR HAM MAG
Lap 29 – Replays of a pair of good overtaking moves by Yuki Tsunoda and Nico Hulkenberg on Logan Sargeant. Which is a surprise. Sargeant is still circulating.
Lap 31 – Both Sainz and George Russell have got past Sergio Perez now, with Perez realistically racing Daniel Ricciardo for the last Championship point. He is an un-pitted 7th, Ricciardo has pitted once and is 14th.
Lap 35 – Just over half distance and Max Verstappen still leads and has over six seconds in his back pocket to Lando Norris who is complaining on the radio about the car’s pace. The only foreseeable battle on offer for the rest of the race will be Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri for the final podium spot. Lewis Hamilton v Sergio Perez rages for a lap or so, with Red Bull ensuring Perez loses as many places and as much track position by keeping him out on track. The Mexican finally pits on lap 38 and he drops to 11th and behind Ricciardo.
ORDER – VER NOR LEC PIA SAI RUS HAM TSU HUL RIC
Lap 40 – Perez gets in front of Daniel Ricciardo for the final point. Then Perez makes it past Nico Hulkenberg for another point. He’ll get Tsunoda before time too. He should, he has the best car. He does on Lap 42. The Mexican is now on one of those rolls he gets into on a Sunday from time to time. Usually after stuffing up qualifying.
Lap 42 – Lando Norris is on the radio advising that he is struggling for pace. It shows in the lap times as Leclerc closes to within a second of Norris. At least we have a battle to watch and attempt to shake off the sleep nods as the clock on this side of the world passes midnight.
Lap 44 – Fernando Alonso sets fastest lap from 19th place. Lance Stroll gets past Ricciardo and Hulkenberg to take 10th. By Lap 51 Stroll is up to 9th. A good run for Aston Martin then.
Lap 48 – The Norris-Leclerc battle has settled down a bit with 15 laps to go. Verstappen is six seconds out in front and cruising. Piastri and Sainz are slowly drifting back
ORDER – VER NOR LEC PIA SAI RUS HAM PER TSU STR
Lap 51 – Norris has reduced the gap from over six seconds to under five seconds, and Verstappen admits that his tyres aren’t working great. Do we have a sensational finish coming. By Lap 54 the gap is 3.7 seconds. So the answer is maybe. And hope so.
Lap 53 – Mercedes even seems bored by the race and pit George Russell for new tyres. He comes out 7th, so only drops one spot behind his team mate. He sets a fastest lap on lap 54 which will give him one of the two points he lost by pitting.
Lap 55 – Lando Norris takes a full second out of Max Verstappen’s lead and is now just 2.4 seconds behind the Red Bull. The race for the lead is on. Stand by for a 2024 sensation.
Lap 57 – Lando Norris continues to close, with six laps to go the gap is 1.6 seconds. DRS is available soon at this pace.
Lap 59 – Lando Norris drops back slightly from Max Verstappen, so looks like the battle for the lead is over without a mistake being made.
Lap 61 – Three laps to go and Lando Norris finds a little more time, the gap back to 1.3 seconds now. 1.1 seconds by the end of the lap, and Verstappen is running out of battery.
Lap 62 – Lando Norris almost runs wide into the gravel in his efforts to steal first place from Verstappen. He just fails to get within a second on the final DRS opportunity.
FINAL LAP – Norris does get within a second as they tour around the Imola circuit for the final time, but it is not enough, and Max Verstappen holds on for another 2024 win, but only just. Another fine showing from Lando Norris who finishes second and McLaren in general as Oscar Piastri finishes 4th too. Leclerc takes the final podium spot with Carlos Sainz 5th.
FINAL ORDER (Across the line) – VER NOR LEC PIA SAI HAM RUS PER STR TSU
Here we go through the field and highlight the very best (Great) of the race, and the plodders, the over-ambitious, the out of luck, and simply hopeless (Grape).
These points get added to our Driver of the Season scores. points for a great nomination, and -5 for the worst or grapest driver in the pack. Then it is +2 /-2 for honourable or dishonourable mentions.
THE GREAT-EST – LANDO NORRIS
Second best on the track, but best in our books for the Great v Grape. Looked to be under pressure from Charles Leclerc in the second half of the race, but then goes onto harass Max Verstappen for the win. Looks like he will be an increasing factor for the rest of the season.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
MAX VERSTAPPEN – A win from pole seems good enough to most for a great-est rating, but Lando Norris’ drive in the end pipped the Championship leader. And Max can’t win everything all the time.
CHARLES LECLERC – A solid weekend more than anything without getting too excited. Ferrari form looks good enough, but potentially behind McLaren now.
OSCAR PIASTRI – Without the penalty would have started from second on the grid, so who knows what could have happened. About what actually happened, he came fourth in a strong drive. A win is coming this season, and you can be sure he will simply shrug it off.
LANCE STROLL – Two points and some good overtaking from a modest grid position. Flogged his team mate in a comparison of achievement. Decent race for the Canadian.
YUKI TSUNODA – Another point for RB with his team mate out of the points, and Tsunoda outdrove Red Bull driver Sergio Perez for large chunks of the race. MAybe not Red Bull worthy yet, but at least Liam Lawson won’t take his seat.
THE GRAPE-EST – FERNANDO ALONSO
Small crash in P3, didn’t make Q1 cut, spent a lot of the race towards the back of the field. Not great for someone who has over-achieved so much in the past few seasons.
DISHONOURABLE MENTIONS
ALEX ALBON – Sent out from his first pit stop with a loose wheel. Then later on became the first and only retirement of the race. Luckily he has re-signed with Williams.
DANIEL RICCIARDO – Yes he made Q3 for the first time, but still qualified behind his team mate and didn’t get any points. He needs a Monaco podium to save his career.
SERGIO PEREZ – We’re not fooled by the Sunday recovery. Underwhelmed in qualifying again and looked to be getting no points at one stage. Did a good job in the end, but he should be further towards the front.
Was it a good race, loads of action, a tense ending, a surprise result or DNF, or just a big, fat, snooze-fest?
We rate the big race itself, so we know which races to go back and watch in the off season or one to simply remember the winner for the post season quiz nights.
ON TRACK ACTION – 6 / 10
Pretty dull first half of the race until the pit stops. From there it seemed the action started to flow with a bunch of cars getting past Sergio Perez who had yet to pit but was far enough behind to get in the way of the top five drivers. Then the action of when Perez had pitted and overtook some cars himself. Followed by the battle for first at the end. Just better than average, hence the 6/10.
ANY SURPRISES? – 4 / 5
The genuine McLaren pace was a bit of a surprise, as in the new upgrades appear to be giving them Championship challenging pace.
SEASON IMPORTANCE – 4 / 5
A second race where Lando Norris could have won, and not forgetting that Oscar Piastri qualified second. Have we reached a turning point where McLaren are now not just a clear best of the rest but are genuine title contenders. Maybe going overboard, maybe not. Talking of overboard, it’s off to Monaco next.
ENDING 9 / 10
A battle for the lead over the final 10 laps. That will do us for late action.
OVERALL RATING 23 / 30
It looked like a dull race, but opened up at half distance and had a great ending. And it looks like there might be a compeditive season in 2024 after all. Even for first.
2024 F1 Season Power Rankings
Stay tuned for our Power Rankings from the race soon as it is currently being calculated and will be ready on Monday.
NRL Rd 11 - Raiders v Bulldogs
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - MAY 17: Morgan Smithies and Sebastian Kris of the Raiders celebrates victory during the round 11 NRL match between Canberra Raiders and Canterbury Bulldogs at Suncorp Stadium, on May 17, 2024, in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
A Melbourne man has discovered just how passionate his new girlfriend is about rugby league.
Trevor – a lifelong Richmond man – met his new girlfriend Zooey at a friend’s party. Originally from Canberra, Zooey moved to Melbourne for work and she and Trevor quickly became an item.
While Trevor knew Zooey was a Canberra Raiders fan, he didn’t realise how emotionally invested she was until Magic Round.
“I invited Zooey over on Friday night for dinner. She agreed but asked if I had Foxtel so she could watch the Raiders game,” said Trevor. “I don’t know the first thing about Rugby, so I said yes.”
Trevor was shocked when she turned up in a current Raiders jersey, a retro Raiders hoodie, and even a Raiders scarf.
“I thought it was a bit odd that she was dressed up so much, but it was a cold night so I let it slide.”
As the game started, Trevor saw first-hand how passionate she is about her Raiders.
“She started out in a good mood when Canberra scored two early tries. Then she was stone faced when two players were binned and the team wearing North Melbourne colours [Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs] got infront. She didn’t even talk to me at half-time.”
But her mood brightened when two tries to Hudson Young gave Canberra the win.
“She was so happy at full-time: she screamed out ‘YES’ a few times and gave a few fist pumps and a little dance. And we then had our own ‘celebration’ afterwards.”
While Trevor was shocked by Zooey’s passion, he’s willing to embrace it.
“I’ve been a Tigers fan all my life, but I don’t get this passionate. I enjoyed our recent run of premierships, but I guess Rugby fans are a bit different. It’s miles better than my last girlfriend: she was obsessed with TV and would make annoying TikTok videos about how much she loved her favourite shows. At least Zooey likes sports.”
Trevor is currently educating himself on the rules and history of rugby league so he can support Zooey when she watches Raiders games. And Zooey has agreed to go to a few Richmond games with him.
Formula One grandest race of the year is here, a street track with history, with spectacular corners and an actual harbour with actual boats. It is the greatest race of the season, even if it doesn’t end up as the greatest race of the season. Talking of grand, our 2024 Monaco F1 Grand Prix Preview will give you a bit of everything without promising anything ahead of the upcoming big weekend of F1.
The Gurgler’s 2024 Monaco F1 Grand Prix Preview brings some thoughts on the race itself, a few bold predictions here and there, a more than a few barely interesting stats.
Essentially a quick summary of what a casual F1 fan needs in the shortest possible time for your convenience.
Normally we try and match a track map to an animal or a thing, but Monaco is Monaco, so it needs nothing like that.
The tight confines test like few others, with mediocrity punished like few other places. Not much need for lap times being removed for overstepping, hopes are removed instead as the cars usually are from the barriers when running off line.
So many famous corners, the blast through the tunnel which is more curved than it looks on TV, rocketing up the hill after the start which is steeper than it looks on TV, the famous hairpin which has a kerb that is so much higher than it looks on TV and La Rascasse towards the end of the lap which is tighter than it looks on TV.
Of course waxing lyrical about the race is the thing to do, and then the reality of the track which is usually impossible to pass on sets in. But that is most tracks these days, so it’s great to have the spectacle anyway.
2024 Monaco F1 Grand Prix Preview – Race Rating
The Gurgler does like to use some obscure drivers in our Race previews and report, so who better to use than Teo Fabi to determine a race rating system.
So before each race we give a rating out of ten for four key category that are loosely based on each letter of Teo Fabi’s surname. Don’t know who Teo Fabi is, you should.
FAST? 5/10 – So it certainly isn’t the fastest track, so pace it should be a 1 or 2 out of 10, but the proximity of the barriers makes it look fast. And there are some insanely fast parts if you consider how dangerous it looks. And is.
ACTION? 5/10 – It’s a 50-50 track for action. Some races can be action packed with crashes, poor pitstops or decision making punished, and the occasional surprise result. And then there are the races which are so dull it is like a sleeping pill.
BIG HISTORY? – 10/10 The race has been on the F1 calendar since the World Championship begun in 1950, and it existed before that for what was Formula One before Formula One existed. Not every season though, with a few in the 1950’s and a Covid related 2020 exception, but it has been around more than most, and usually won by only the very best drivers.
INCLEMENT WEATHER? – 3/10The Weather Channel says a 50% of rain on the Friday, 30% of PM showers on Saturday and even less chance on the Sunday. But you just nevrr know. And it doesn’t take much rain to make it interesting.
RACE RATING 58% – So much history, so much prestige. But often dull.
2024 Monaco F1 Grand Prix Preview – Stats
Want to know if your favourite driver for this weekend is a master of the track or the track is a master of them? Here then are some barely interesting facts and stats.
These visuals go back to 2000 to cover the current drivers, thanks to Fernando Alonso. The all time history goes back to 1950.
The Monaco winner hasn’t come from further back than third on the grid since 2000. 8th is the lowest grid slot for a podium.
No current driver has managed to make Q3 on all appearances at Monaco.
Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz are the only drivers to finish in the top ten on every F1 visit to Monaco.
DRIVER GRID POSITION vs RACE RESULT – CURRENT DRIVERS
TEAM GRID POSITION vs RACE RESULT
HISTORIC DRIVER RESULTS
99 = a DNF. Grid position 20 is overstated as that was also used for cars starting in pitlane.
HISTORIC TEAM RESULTS
GRID POSITION INTO RACE RESULT
99 = a DNF. Grid position 20 is overstated as that was also used for cars starting in pitlane. Results from 2000.
A career saving race for Daniel Ricciardo with a top six qualifying followed up by a podium.
Charles Leclerc pole position followed by a first lap accident.
A cricket team’s weekend away has proven underwhelming.
After winning the premiership back in March, the Morningside Magpies C Grade team decided to celebrate with a ‘boys’ weekend’ at Moreton Bay.
“Our skipper has a holiday house up in Moreton, so we all kicked in some money for a weekend away,” said Peter – the Magpies’ C Grade leg spinner.
While Peter and the boys were anticipating a big weekend full of drinking and debauchery, reality hit quickly.
“The house was in the middle of nowhere and the only entertainment was a table tennis court and a TV room with a bookcase full of DVDs.”
Arriving on Saturday afternoon, the boys kept to themselves on Saturday night.
“Some of the boys were a bit dusty after a big Friday night and didn’t feel like going out. Even if we wanted to go out, the nearest pub was yonks away! We had a BBQ dinner, played a bit of table tennis, and then sat around and talked about the cricket season over a few beers. A few of the younger boys got bored and went to the TV room to watch movies. I ended up going to bed before midnight and watching footy highlights on my phone.”
But the Sunday was slightly better.
“We had a nice fry up and then went to the nearest beach, browsed around the Sunday markets, and had ice cream. After that we went back to pack up and go home. Some of the boys were talking up how amazing this weekend would be, but it was kinda boring – everyone behaved themselves and nobody got blind drunk. I would have preferred if we’d stayed home and gone to a pub instead. Or at least go away on a long weekend so we’d have more time to do stuff.”
Though it seems Peter wasn’t alone in his feedback, with a lot of group chat discussion about how the weekend was pleasant but not very exciting.
The Gurgler presents stories of the Park Cricketer, where we explore the lower reaches of the great game of cricket from the suburban ovals and rural grounds across Australia.
A big weekend of NRL action awaits, and sometimes there’s nothing better than to have a responsible side wager to accompany the game/s. Or perhaps you like to bet early and bet often. Or maybe you just like to throw out some street money. Whichever way you like it, The GurglerBet Magic Round NRL Betting Summary is here to help.
There’s a look at this weekend’s odds, our almost reliable Total Points predictions and calculations. Plus loads of other stats on the performance of favourites, teams as favourites, plus First and Last Try Scorers, and our multi special of the week.
Magic Round NRL Betting Multi Special
B efore we dive into the stats for the upcoming weekend of NRL Betting, we may as well put our money where our mouth is.
So here is our favourite betting tips across all the games, all rolled into one convenient multi.
TOTAL POINTS – OVER 42.5 – Canberra v Bulldogs @ $1.98
CANBERRA H2H v Bulldogs @ $1.62
TOTAL POINTS – UNDER 45.5 – Gold Coast v Newcastle @ $1.98
DEINE MARINER – 1st/2nd/3rd Try Scorer v Manly @ $3.25
WESTS TIGERS to score the first try v Dolphins @ $2.47
SYDNEY ROOSTERS to score the last try v Cronulla @ $1.69
It all comes down to this for the Premier League title, the final game weekend of the season. Will Arsenal break the dominance that is the Man City juggernaut? Probably not, but there is chance. Talking of last chances, our Premier League Week 38 Predictions and useful stats are here with enough to help anyone make an informed selection.
Each week we provide a meandering look into the upcoming round of Premier League football, with not only our predictions for the upcoming Premier League fixtures but offer up a wide range of H2H and in-season stats and barely interesting facts. This week is shorter than usual, that’s because there’s a day to do it. And no one reads this anyway.
2023-24 Premier League Week 38 Fixtures
2023-24 Premier League Week 38 Predictions
Here are our fearless predictions for the fixtures ahead, and tune in below for all the stats and barely interesting stats that go along with them. Or given our form, skip the tips and go to the stats.
Arsenal 4 Everton 0
Brentford 0 Newcastle 2
Brighton 1 Man Utd 1
Burnley 2 Nottingham Forest 1
Chelsea 2 Bournemouth 0
Crystal Palace 2 Aston Villa 2
Liverpool 2 Wolves 0
Luton 3 Fulham 1
Man City 5 West Ham 0
Sheffield Utd 0 Spurs 3
Season Progress: 46% – 162/354 – Correct Scores – 20
Season Tip Rating: Terrible, and awful.
2023-24 Premier League Week 38 H2H Stats
Need a reason to pick one team over another, or just have a stat ready to impress friends and family, either way you are welcome to our favourite H2H stats of the current gameweek.
ARS v EVE – Arsenal have won the last two home games v Everton by a combined 9-1.
ARS v EVE – Arsenal are unbeaten in their last 11 home games v Everton (W9 D2). With the last loss coming in 1996. For those who like to bet on both teams to goal – despite not winning, Everton only failed to score in one of those 11 games.
ARS v EVE – Everton have lost all four away games to top six sides (top six at time of fixture not current ladder). And lost all five away games to the big six clubs so far.
BRE v NEW – Newcastle have won three in a row v Brentford.
BRE v NEW – Newcastle’s record away to London clubs this season is W1 D1 L5.
BHA v MUN – Brighton are on a run of four straight league wins over Man Utd. Brighton have also won their last two home games in the league v Man Utd without conceding.
BUR v NFO – Burnley (W7 D1) are unbeaten in their last eight home games v Nottingham Forest.
BUR v NFO – Burnley (four) have won more games this season against bottom six clubs (at time of game) than Nottingham Forest (two).
CHE v BOU – The H2H for Chelsea v Bournemouth at Chelsea on a Saturday is two wins each.
CHE v BOU – Bournemouth’s record this season v big six clubs is W1 D2 L8.
CRY v AVL – Crystal Palace have won four of their last five v Aston Villa at home.
CRY v AVL – Aston Villa have won four of the last five anywhere on a Saturday v Crystal Palace.
CRY v AVL – Aston Villa have a good record v London clubs this season – W11 D3 L1.
LIV v WOL – Liverpool are unbeaten in their last six at home to Wolves – W5 D1.
LUT v FUL – Luton’s W1 D1 L11 record against London clubs this season is the worst.
LUT v FUL – Fulham are unbeaten in their last eight v Luton (W5 D3) which includes a 7-0 win in the Championship two games ago.
MCI v WHU – Man City are unbeaten in their last 17 games v West Ham (W14 D3).
MCI v WHU – Man City have won seven straight home games v Man City and 14 of the last 15 games at home.
SHU v TOT – Spurs are one of only three clubs to win all their games v the current bottom three sides. Arsenal and Man City are the others.
SHU v TOT – Sheffield Utd’s record v big six clubs this season is D1 L10.
2023-24 English Premier League Current Season Stats
A quick look at the current state of play in the Premier League. An alternative table, form summary, points per game at home or away, v opposition and expected goals. So many.
The biggest event of the NRL outside of the first round, State of Origin, and the finals series is here with the 2024 NRL Magic Round, and to celebrate we have an additional Stats extra for those who want and need more.
So if you’re unsure of who to tip, and if your team is going to win, get your pens ready.
2024 NRL Magic Round Stats Extra
And here is our bunch O stats on NRL Magic Round.
Good news for South Sydney heading into this weekend. It appears they have signed Wayne Bennett to save them and they have a 100% record at Magic Round.
Bulldogs and Dragons are yet to win a Magic Round game.
Thankfully the Thursday game was abandoned after one season.
Bulldogs and Canberra are meeting for the third time in Magic Round. Both teams have the two worst Suncorp Stadium records.
Defying a ground that has seen five games before it, Sunday has the highest average points scored.
Last season aka 2023 saw the fewest points scored for Magic Round.
Suncorp Stadium Winning Stats
Since all the games are at Suncorp Stadium, why not look into some stats around the NRL at The Cauldron.
Like who’s best at Suncorp Stadium of all time, or recently. Which days are teams particularly good and bad. And who is a point scoring machine.
The first game of Magic Round features the teams with the worst and second worst record at Suncorp Stadium – Canberra and the Bulldogs.
Broncos have won their last three games at Suncorp Stadium as the away side.
Gold Coast have won their last two games at Suncorp Stadium. Newcastle won there earlier in the season v Dolphins.
Roosters are W1 L1 on a Saturday at Suncorp Stadium. Cronulla are W1 L3.
Cowboys have lost their last three at Suncorp Stadium on a Saturday. South Sydney have won their last three on a Saturday at Suncorp Stadium.
Penrith have won eight in a row at Suncorp Stadium and 13 of their last 14 there. Plus both games there v Warriors.
Parramatta have lost four of their last five at Suncorp Stadium on a Sunday.
Wests Tigers are W3 L3 at Suncorp Stadium on a Sunday. Dolphins are W1 L1 as the away side at Suncorp Stadium. Dolphins did beat Tigers earlier in the season as the home side.
Formula One lands in Europe for the first time this season, on a classic track that has made a comeback thanks to Covid, but was cancelled last season because of weather. Max Verstappen would have won it anyway. Talking of European, classic and Max Verstappen winning, our 2024 Emilia Romagna F1 Grand Prix Preview will give you a bit of everything without promising anything ahead of the upcoming big weekend of F1.
The Gurgler’s 2024 Emilia Romagna F1 Grand Prix Preview brings some thoughts on the race itself, a few bold predictions here and there, a more than a few barely interesting stats.
Essentially a quick summary of what a casual F1 fan needs in the shortest possible time for your convenience.
By Sentoan – Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14323726
The track map looks a bit like a seal, with only the ball for balancing on its nose missing.
It’s a classic track that features natural elevation, which tends to go missing on modern tracks or the many street tracks.
The straightened section on pit straight makes sense, and Acque Minerali with its dipping, rising challenge is good watching.
We’d love the Variante Alta chicane to be straightened too, then leading into a hairpin at Rivazza for a great late lap overtaking place.
But it is fast enough, and difficult enough to prove a challenge.
2024 Emilia Romagna F1 Grand Prix Preview – Race Rating
The Gurgler does like to use some obscure drivers in our Race previews and report, so who better to use than Teo Fabi to determine a race rating system.
So before each race we give a rating out of ten for four key category that are loosely based on each letter of Teo Fabi’s surname. Don’t know who Teo Fabi is, you should.
FAST? 7/10 – It’s fast enough with some good long straights. Safety improvements have seen the absurdly fast first third of the lap slowed down, but that’s probably a good thing in these cars.
ACTION? 5/10 – It’s a 50-50 track for action. Some of the great races remembered were back to back Alonso v Schumacher battles, but they were essentially a slightly slower car holding up a slightly faster one for 30 odd laps. Rain helps, and that does come every now and again. Too much last year. And the first corner will probably wipe out a few hopes.
BIG HISTORY? – 8/10 The race has had three different Grand Prix names – Italy, San Marino and its current title Emilia Romagna. Which beats San Marino, because the race is actually within the area of the name of the GP. Although, without this race, very few people would know San Marino existed. Sadly Imola is remembered for one F1’s worst days in 1994, but it has also seen the Turbo era of the 1980’s, the blaring V10’s of the 1990s, and a pile of Michael Schumacher wins. It goes back a while. The race returned in 2021 when Europe held a lot of races because of Covid.
INCLEMENT WEATHER? – 8/10 The Weather Channel says between 40% and 50% chance of rain and thunderstorms in the PM from Friday to Sunday. That’s very good to know.
RACE RATING 70% – It’s a good old track that will probably disappear soon for another race in America or the Middle East. So enjoy it while it lasts.
2024 Emilia Romagna F1 Grand Prix Preview – Stats
Want to know if your favourite driver for this weekend is a master of the track or the track is a master of them? Here then are some barely interesting facts and stats.
The lowest qualifying position a driver has come from to win this race since 2001 is third. With a 50-50 split for the front row.
George Russell is the only driver who has been at all three Emilia Romagna Grands Prix since 2020 who has not made it into Q3 at least once. He’s also DNFd 2/3 of those races.
Good news for Daniel Ricciardo fans he has the fifth best average grid slot for this Grand Prix of the current drivers.
A pole sitter has only missed out on a podium on once in ten races from 2001.
If either Ferrari or Williams take pole at this race they will hold the pole position track record by themselves for the whole history of F1 races at Imola.
DRIVER GRID POSITION vs RACE RESULT – CURRENT DRIVERS
TEAM GRID POSITION vs RACE RESULT
HISTORIC DRIVER RESULTS
99 = a DNF. Grid position 20 is overstated as that was also used for cars starting in pitlane.
HISTORIC TEAM RESULTS
GRID POSITION INTO RACE RESULT
99 = a DNF. Grid position 20 is overstated as that was also used for cars starting in pitlane. Results from 2001.
It will still be a Red Bull win and pole, but Lando Norris with give Max Verstappen a hard time in both. Oscar Piastri will qualify on the second row too.
Lance Stroll will hit someone at the first chicane.
It will be Logan Sargeant’s last race in an F1 car at Imola. He’ll be replaced after Monaco. If not before.
Daniel Ricciardo will have a decent race and finish just outside the points, just before a career saving podium in Monaco.
Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes will be rubbish and he will complain about it all race.
Kick Sauber drivers will be as invisible as ever.
Yuki Tsunoda will qualify 6th.
ALL RACE RESULTS – EMILIA ROMAGNA F1 GRAND PRIX AKA SAN MARINO GRAND PRIX
Another big weekend of NRL action featuring more key injury worries for NSW with Origin looming, and some of the Bunker’s finest work. As ever there were star performances, work horses giving it their all, and some who lit up the field. But which players were the best of the best you ask? We’ll let the stats do the talking and separate the Wheat/Chaff to present the 2024 NRL Round 10 Team of the Week & Player Stats.
First we have our Team of the Week, which takes some of the key player stats from the weekend and using various scoring methods come up with the best players in their positions from the latest round of the NRL.
Then there’s additional player stats from this weekend and some bite sized points of interest.
We’ve used the stats for each position and picked the best starting 13 players from the most recent round, the stats and points assigned are explained at the end.
On top of the best starting 13, we include the best four interchange players of the week. Seeing who has provided maximum impact from the bench.
Plus we throw in the players we thought were great but the stats did not with Gurgler’s Choice.
2024 NRL Team of the Season…so far
Here is the above but for all rounds.
2024 NRL Round 10 Player Stats
Want to see which players topped the key stats for the latest round of the NRL this weekend?
Want to see which players topped the key stats for the latest round of the NRL this weekend?
2024 NRL Season Player Stats…so far.
2024 NRL Round 10 Player Comparisons
Here is a quick look at the H2H Player stats from the most recent round in key positions.
Since some of the rugby league talk is of the NSW Origin fullback choice between James Tedesco and Dylan Edwards, let’s have a look at the comparison for Round 10 and the season so far.
ROUND 10
SEASON SO FAR
INTERESTING STATS FROM THIS ROUND
Dominic Young’s five Line Breaks is equal second for best efforts for a single round, and he now tops the season tally. His Roosters team mate Daniel Tupou is second for the season. Young is also second for Line Breaks per Run at 12.9%. Josh Addo-Carr is best at 13.7%.
2024 NRL Round 10 Team of the Week – Losing Side Players
Just for something different we ran our Player of the Week data and stats against the result to see who performed when their own team maybe didn’t.
How the Team of the Week works
Want to know how we come up with the numbers to rank the players, the below table should explain hopefully.
Want more Player Stats? Neeeeed more NRL data and stuff? Why not try our friends at Nothing But Legue for bite sized pieces of NRL Stats and more every day.
