What did football fans do to have this game as the only NRL clash to watch on a Saturday night?! Must've been something pretty severe because these are two teams who have been struggling in recent weeks. BUT, maybe it is just the people of Newcastle that are being punished. They had to endure a rugby union test on Tuesday night between Scotland and Australia which was won by the Scots 9-6 after the bell...yep thats right, no tries were scored! If you want to take some positives out from this clash, then one set of fans will definitely be in a more positive frame of mind following this clash. There will also be fewer questions asked of the winning coach. But what about for the poor team that doesn't win this match? There could be two very contrasting weeks ahead for the players and coaches of each team depending on the result of this clash. I guess we just have to be thankful that there is at least some form of NRL to watch on a Saturday night. The Newcastle Knights will be looking to mirror the middle 40minutes of the game they played against the Broncos last week. They played very well in that part of the game. You take away the first 20 minutes and the last 20, and you have a pretty positive outlook. The Canberra Raiders however...well they lost 40-nil at home. No other words can describe that performance and I won't bother, the scoreline says it all. Interesting side note...both teams have the bye next week.
Newcastle Knights
The Knights have obviously lost Darius Boyd for this clash as he was named for SOO2 on the wing for QLD. This couldn't have come at a worse time for the Knights as he was beginning to really hit some form playing at fullback. As a result, Peter Mata'utia is named at fullback. Broncos discard Dane Gagai starts in the centre position and Willie Mason is the starting front rower. He has undoubtedly been one of the best forwards for the Knights in recent weeks and will be hoping that he has another big game this week. The Knights also have an extended bench with one to be omitted. The Knight will be looking to build on the back of some their 40 minute performance last week and will want to give their home fans something to cheer about.
Canberra Raiders
Well the Raiders have an unchanged lineup after their dismantling at the hands of the Tigers. I cannot believe that, but good on coach David Furner for showing some sort of faith in his young players. Josh Dugan remains at 5/8 and he definitely looked out of his depth last week. Personally, I do not believe that he is a 5/8 and he will struggle to move his team around the park and create something for other players. He creates things for himself or works off the back of other players going forward. The Raiders have also named an extended bench and have 3 players to be omitted. I do believe that lock Sean Fensom (Supercoach favorite) is under a severe injury cloud coming into this clash but he will be given every chance to play.
Recent History
Overall = Knights 15 - Raiders 19
Last 5 games = Knights 3 - Raiders 2
At Hunter Stadium = Knights 12 - Raiders 4
Odds
TAB Sportsbet = Knights $1.55 Raiders $2.50
Centrebet = Knights $1.50 Raiders $2.67
Sportsbet = Knights $1.55 Raiders $2.45
Verdict
Well it is a battle of two of the worst teams this season but I believe that this clash will offer so much to the fans. I reckon you should do yourself a favor and watch this clash. Although they haven't offered much this season, you will two teams that will desperately want to win this clash. I think that the Knights should be too strong for the Raiders in this game. A lot of my decision is based on the fact that Dugan will be playing 5/8 for the Raides. He is a great individual player but similar to the Jarryd Hayne experiment at 5/8, I don't that he is a 5/8 that is capable of directing a team around the park and showing leadership from this position.
Suggested Bet
Knights -4.5 @ $1.90
Value Bet = Knights 1-12 @ $3 - I said that this game should be a cracker because both teams are desperate and have a point to prove. I don't know if Newcastle have the attack to really put the Raiders away by more that 12 points so take this as the better margin.
Be more precise = (Winning Margin) Knights 7-12 @ $5.50 - I've taken Knights -4.5 and 1-12...I think that all signs then point to becoming very precise and selecting this margin of result.
Good luck!
Scooby
No comments:
Post a Comment