The NRL "Match-of-the-day" takes us out to Campbelltown Sports Ground for a clash between the West Tigers and the North Queensland Cowboys. This clash has somewhat been overlooked for its sheer promise as the Tigers seem to be a team on the up and the Cowboys are consistently inconsistent. Both teams have had remarkably different seasons, yet find themselves in similar vains of form coming into this clash. The Tigers were once touted as premiership favourites by the bookies but have slipped down to almost the third line of betting after some very poor performances. The Cowboys come into this game on the back of a tough win without their SOO stars over Penrith at home, whilst the Tigers have ground out a few wins in recent weeks and gaining some momentum with some adequate football. They haven't exactly been clinical, but they have been doing enough to get the 2 points and in this competition, thats all you need to do.
West Tigers
The Tigers are happy to welcome back Robbie Farrah into their lineup after Origin. They definitely missed him working the Warriors forwards over in and around the ruck last week. Apart from that, Curtis Sironen has been named on an extended bench by coach Tim Sheens. This could be the return of a once famous name for the Tigers with Curtis being the son of former great Paul. As mentioned earlier, the Tigers haven't been too convincing but have been winning. I think that they will definitely be tested this week and have a forward pack that in my opinion has failed to dominate opposition forwards in previous games. This is a crucial in this battle and they must look to turn this around in this clash otherwise they could find themselves on the back foot. It is promising that Farrah returns to the starting team because he will aim to have the forwards going over the advantage line with each run.
North Queensland Cowboys
There are a host of changes for the Cowboys who get 4 players back from SOO duty. They got away with a win last week without these players and will welcome their stars back into the lineup to strengthen their squad. Most notably, Jonathan Thurston returns at 7. One thing the Cowboys missed last Saturday was a good general getting them around the field. Also they gain Matt Scott, Brent Tate and James Tamou. Brent Tate was in great form for QLD in SOO so look for him to be dangerous as always and have another solid game. It should be known that coach Niel Henry has named an extended bench to cover for the possibility that his SOO stars won't be able to back up but I don't think that it will be an issue for this clash.
Recent History
Overall = Tigers 13 - Cowboys 11
Last 5 games = Tigers 4 Cowboys 1
At Campbelltown Sports Ground = Tigers 2 Cowboys 2
Odds
TAB Sportsbet = Tigers $1.55 Cowboys $2.50
Centrebet = Tigers $1.60 Cowboys $2.40
Sportsbet = Tigers $1.60 Cowboys $2.40
Verdict
The Tigers are always a dangerous team to write off and have always shown that you should never do this. I am not going to write them off completely, but I am going to say that I will take the Cowboys. They just take y fancy more than the Tigers do because of the quality of players that are returning to their lineup and their ability to ground out victory. One thing that people will always talk aout when the Cowboys travel down to Sydney is their poor record down here. Well they haven't been that poor in the last year or so and if you look at the history at this ground, an away match for the Cowboys shouldn't worry you too much. It will be a great battle up front and the Tigers will have the superior hooker, but I believe that the class of Thurston and the toughness of their forwards will get them through in a close one.
Suggested Bet
Cowboys @ $2.50
Value Bet = Cowboys 1-12 @ $3.75
Just a thought... = Cowboys 1-6 @ $7 - I think that it will be a very close battle so why not be more specific than 1-12 and go a margin of 1-6? If I had to compare the two, I would go 1-12 but this is definitely "worth thought"!
Good luck!
Scooby
No comments:
Post a Comment