NRL Round 1
The 2010 NRL Season kicks off this Friday night for another big season. The fixture gods have smiled with some HUGE games to open the round. They don’t come much bigger than Parramatta v St George, two teams who had premiership hopes shattered last year. But hang on, it does get bigger! South Sydney and Sydney clash on Sunday, this is always a huge clash.
The Broncos host the Cowboys in the Queensland Derby. Expect some brawls here cause these two are bitter rivals. Rick Stone will coach his first game at the helm of Newcastle when they take on the highly fancied Bulldogs on Saturday night, meanwhile two clubs who’ve had off-field issues in Penrith and Canberra will meet on Saturday night also.
Melbourne Storm will be looking to go back to back this year and their premiership defence kicks off with a trip up to Cronulla to take on the Sharks, while Gold Coast will host the Warriors up at Skileld Park. Monday footy comes from the Sydney Football Stadium as Wests Tigers and Manly do battle.
NAB Cup: Saints v Dogs
Well we’re finally here – the Grand Final of the NAB Cup! The match will be played at 7:10pm on Saturday night at Etihad Stadium and what it means is that we’ll be one step close to the actual season proper and an end of this glorified practice match competition. It is likely this will be the last NAB Cup ever, with the entry of Gold Coast next year.
The Saints start favourite in this match at $1.82 and rightfully so. They had a super season last year, losing the real Grand Final by a narrow margin, and they don’t look to have weakened so far from what we’ve seen. Their defence is still as sound as ever, while their attack is still very potent. They will receive Nick Riewoldt and Brendon Goddard back for this game and will field a full strength squad.
The Dogs are $2.00 to win. We only need to cast our eyes back to last year’s Preliminary Final between these two sides. The Bulldogs lost by a kick and if they had of had a key forward capable of kicking multiple goals, they may well of won. Enter Barry Hall. Hall has had a sensational pre season to date winning games off his boot. He’ll be the wildcard in this match. The Dogs have ball winners everywhere and a good defence, all the ingredients to win a football game.
Denman
Form analysts at IASbet.com believe that the Peter Snowden trained superstar Denman is vulnerable in Saturday’s Group One Australian Guineas and are prepared to take him on.
While other bookmakers and the TAB have him between $1.55 and $1.65, IASbet.com is willing and able to lay him at $1.80.
“It’s not a foregone conclusion, there is rain forecast and the race may well be set up for horses to run over him. I expect Denman to lead from his outside barrier and it may not be an advantage to be on the rail” said IASBet’s John Dow.
The son of Lonhro has won nine of his last ten with his only defeat being at the same distance in the Caulfield Guineas. “I think history is about to repeat itself.” said Dow.
A-League Finals: Week 1
Well, after 27 Round of action, here were are at the business end of the A-League season with the A-League Finals Series kicking off this weekend. After playing off for the minor premiership last weekend, Melbourne and Sydney go head to head again this weekend for a spot in the Preliminary Final.
In the two Semi Finals, Gold Coast and Newcastle go head to head at Skilled Park, while Wellington Phoenix play their first ever finals match when they host the Perth Glory, also in their first finals match.
We’ll be previewing the round ahead later this week so be sure to check back for our betting preview including tips, odds and more. Remember, get a $300 Free Bet for the A-League Finals when registering a new account at Sportsbet!!
- Melbourne Victory v Sydney FC
Major Semi Final – Feb 18th at 7:30pm, Etihad Stadium
- Gold Coast United v Newcastle Jets
Semi Final 1 – Feb 20th at 7:00pm, Skilled Park
- Wellington Phoenix v Perth Glory
Semi Final 2 – Feb 21st at 5:00pm, Westpac Stadium
Super 14 Round 1
Super 14 is back, finally, and what a super opening round it should be. We are being treated with six huge derby games to kick off the season. All eyes will be on reigning champions the Bulls as they travel to Bloemfontein to take on rivals the Cheetahs.
Aussie fans have plenty be excited about with the Western Force hosting the Brumbies, while the Reds entertain the Waratahs in Brisbane as the bitter QLD/NSW rivalry heats up a notch.
In New Zealand, the Crusaders and Highlanders meet, as do the Blues and Hurricanes, while last seasons runners up the Chiefs will take on the Sharks in Durban in what is the only non-derby game of the round.
Round 1 Super 14 Fixtures and Odds
Our Best Bets
Some good value out there. We like the $1.50 on offer about the Warratahs over in the west. The star studied Brumbies have been boosted by the return of Matt Giteau and Andrew Pretorious and a top four spot beckons. Take Warratahs straight win at $1.50.
We also like the South African double of the Stormers and Sharks to win at odds of $1.96. Both sides are highly fancied to beat their opponents and $1.96 appears to be a gift.
William Reid Stakes betting
The 2010 William Reid Stakes will be run again this Saturday at Moonee Valley racecourse. The fields have been released and it is undefeated Black Caviar who is starting as a short priced favourite, $1.75 on early markets at Sportsbet.
This super young mare has won all of her five starts so far, but it’s the ease of which she has won which has really caught the eye. Four of her five wins have been over this distance and she has won twice at the Valley. Lightning Stakes winner Nicconi is second favourite after a stunning win last start. He has won two of three at the Valley as well as a third and will be tough to beat.
Others that look a chance to be in the money include Lightning Stakes runner up Wanted from the same stable as favourite Black Caviar, course and distance winner Light Fantastic, as well as Roman Consul winner Shellscrape, who ran an impressive third in the Lightning Stakes last start.
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Race Details
Detailed Form Guide
You can view a more detailed form guide including previous runs, ratings and more at our partner size RacingZone.
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Categories: Racing Tags: black caviar, city superprice, form guide, iasbet, moonee valley, nicconi, odds, shellscrape, sportsbet, wanted, william reid stakes
2010 AFL Fixture
The 2010 AFL Fixture was released last year, but we are now only a matter of days away from the new season kicking off and, as has been the case in recent years, Carlton and Richmond will kick off the season on a Thursday night on March 25th.
Check out the fixture below and if you want to see further details on any fixture, click on the View Preview link to view stats, injury news, odds and much more, as well as a detailed match preview prior to kick off. We have also listed which tv station each of the games are televised on, including Seven, Ten and Fox Sports.
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EPL Previews
Thing’s really get interesting this weekend in the English Premier League. It is Matchday 25 and with only fourteen games remaining, the run home is only beginning to heat up. Without doubt, the clash of the weekend is between London rivals Chelsea and Arsenal who are battling for the title, who will take the honours? Centrebet are predicting Chelsea, at odds of $1.80.
Liverpool meets Everton in the Merseyside Derby which is always a HUGE match. Liverpool has the wood over Everton in recent years and this is shown in the bookies price of $1.83. But Everton could be value at $4.45.
Tottenham host Aston Villa in the weekend’s other big fixture, with both these sides desperate to win to remain in the hunt for that elusive Champions League spot. The Spurs are $2.08 with Villa value at $3.60.
Our expert writer has, as usual, covered every game in great detail at our partner site Freebetinfo.com.au, so be sure to check out the links below for this weekend’s matches.
NBA Tips 02/02
There looks a bit of value out there today in the NBA. We’ve studied today’s matches and found a couple that we like. The out of form Boston will be looking to out gun Washington and are value to do so at -5.0 at $1.91. The Celtics have the wood on the Wizards in recent years winning the past four straight, including the last two at this venue (won of those a 122-88 win). Hard to see the Celtics dropping this one. Tip – Boston -5.0 at $1.91
Milwaukee appear WAY over the odds at $3.25 with their trip to Miami. The Bucks were 95-84 winners over Miami only two days ago on Sunday and they do know how to win at this venue, winning in two of their past four visits here. The line here is +6.5 on the Bucks which is hard to ignore. Tip – Milwaukee +6.5 at $1.91
Phoenix is another we like. They look over the odds at $2.00 in their trip to New Orleans and their form suggest they should be able to scoot past the Hornets.The Suns have won at Houston and defeated Dallas in their past two games and are really firing, thanks to solid form from Amare Stoudemire. The Hornets will be without superstar Chris Paul until mid March after he injured his knee last match, while James Posey will miss also. Very hard to dismiss the Suns here. Tip – Phoenix win at $2.00
Portland could be another one who look value at $1.80, home to Charlotte. The Bobcats have been struggling on the road this year winning only 6 of 23, however the Blazers will be without playmaker Brandon Roy for this clash. It is a tough one, but we slightly fancy the Blazers to win a close one. Portland win at $1.80
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EPL Weekday Matches
If you didn’t already know, there are a round of midweek matches this week in the English Premier League. As usual, our EPL expert has covered each game in detail and you can find his views and opinions by clicking the match links below. Or click the ‘Bet Now’ to place a bet with Sportsbet.
There are some cracking fixtures ahead. Aston Villa v Arsenal is a massive match. The Gunners are flying at the moment and have just snatched top spot on the table from Chelsea, they are $2.25 to continue their golden run, can they do it?
Chelsea host Birmingham in a tricky fixture at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea are short, understandably, but we think Birmingham may just be able to get something out of this game and the $5.60 for the draw looks tempting.
Of the other games, Bolton at $1.77 are value, as is Everton at $1.66 against Sunderland. How about taking both for a double at the juicy odds of $2.94? Be sure to register an account with Sportsbet if you already haven’t and claim an exclusive $300 Signup Bonus by registering through our Blog!
