NRL Round 11 West Tigers v NZ Warriors Preview

Round 11 offers us only a few games as the SOO season begin on the 23rd of May. There is only 5 games for NRL fans to watch and more importantly, only a few chances to bet. Many punters this weekend may choose to turn to either Super Rugby or AFL to make some money, but be careful, unless you have a decent understanding and rationale for what you are placing your money on, then it probably isn't worth it. Nonetheless, there is going to be some great football played this weekend and I have no doubt that many punters will be suffering a loss after the round last week which saw 3 upsets.

Friday night footy delivers us a stand alone fixture at one of the traditional homes of rugby league, Leichhardt Oval. The Warriors come across after two solid wins at home and will be looking to make it 3-on-the-trot against the Tigers. The Tigers have the benefit of a bye week and will be looking to play themselves into some form. They will definitely have a great crowd  on hand to watch and you can be sure that it will be a hostile environment for the Warriors.

West Tigers- WLLLLLWWWB (Streak - 3 wins)

The West Tigers are another team which has failed to live up to expectation this season. They were installed as preseason favorites but now have been blown out of the water due to poor form. But one thing the Tigers have proven over the years is that they know how to get the job done at the business end of the season but I hope they just aren't leaving their run too late. This week throws a spanner in the works with Robbie Farrah being called into the NSW team. Pat Politoni is called into the squad in his absence, Tom Humble has been named at hooker, Chris Lawerence at 5/8 and Matt Utai is on the bench. Now that is a heap of changes! It is especially surprising that Lawerence has been named in the halves with Benji Marshall. I have no doubt that he is up to the task as well as being able to gell well with Benji Marshall, but what coach Tim Sheens is thinking of this move remains to be seen. Without Farrah, they will struggle with their normal "fast-style" football out from dummy half that has them going forward over the advantage line with each hit up; and without that, it will be difficult for the halves to create anything that will produce points.

NZ Warriors - LWLWLLWLWW (Streak - 2 wins)

As mentioned earlier, the Warriors are in some winning form. Warriors teams of the past have always offered so much potential but have normally fallen victim of inconsistent performances. This week introduces only two changes to their lineup. Glen Fisiiahi takes a starting position at fullback in the absence of both superstar Kevin Locke and Jerome Roparti. Sam Rapira also makes a return to the bench. Apart from that, the Warriors field the same team that prevailed in an exciting match against the Roosters the week before. Of course, they are still without hooker Nathan Friend, but with boom centre Konrad Hurrell starting to come into his own, they look a dangerous prospect. Also, don't be thrown off by the inclusion of youngster Fisiiahi into the line up. He is playing some great football in NSW Cup. He can produce a critical mistake from time to time, but he has scored 18 tries in 8 games this season in the reserve competition.


Recent History
Tigers - 3 Wins Warriors - 2 Wins
At Leichhardt Oval = Tigers 2 Warriors 1

Odds
TAB Sportsbet - Tigers $1.91 Warriors $1.91
Centrebet - Tigers $1.85 Warriors $2.00
Sportsbet - Tigers $1.83 Warriors $2.00

Verdict
The Warriors are the form team in this battle. Whilst they haven't been overly impressive in their wins, they have got the job done against two teams which have made them work for their 2 points. The West Tigers haven't shown too much this year to have compliments flying their way and without Farrah, the job does seem beyond them. They always grow another leg when they play at Leichhardt Oval, so be wary of that. With that in mind, it should be a very close game. Both teams have a tendency to also let in some points so it could be high scoring. I won't definitely say that the Tigers will lose, but it will be hard to put my money on them with so many factors working against them.

Suggested Bet
Warriors 1-6 points @ $5.75


or


Warriors 1-12 @ $3.25






Good luck


Scooby


PS = Stay tuned for my SOO preview which will come on Tuesday 22/5/12