Featured Tip from Mike Wilson

Pick Details

Sport / league:: NRL
Event / fixture:: Sea Eagles vs. Rabbitohs
Event date: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 at 7:55 PM
Market:: Line/Handicap
Tip:: Rabbitohs -5.5 @ 1.80 (Centrebet)
Tip Result:: Win

Here we go! It’s finals time again and like most NRL fans around the globe, I can’t wait for it to start!
We kick off with the Sea Eagles taking on the Rabbitohs and as has been well publicised, the Sea Eagles have had to give up their home ground advantage and move the match to Allianz Stadium. The Sea Eagles look to be needing all the help they can get thanks to injuries suffered by key players and having to give up a game at Brookvale Oval is far from ideal.

Of those injuries is none other than hooker Matt Ballin. Ballin is the service provider to the halves and you can find his picture in the dictionary next to ‘consistent’. He turns up week in, week out and puts in reliable performances at a repeatedly high level which gives Coach Geoff Toovey the luxury of not having to worry about what Ballin is up to as he knows it will get done, be it in attack or defence.

This time around marks the first finals match the Sea Eagles will play without Ballin since the Grand Final of 2007 and personally I think his absence is going to hurt the side more than most are anticipating.

One group of people that are in agreement with me are the bookies. The market was framed with the Rabbitohs as solid $1.45 favourites and the bookies know that the Sea Eagles, or most sides for that matter, are not at their best when missing first choice hookers.

The Rabbitohs don’t have any such woes in the hooking department with Isaac Luke ready to lead the forwards up the middle in a bid to penetrate Manly’s defence with some direct, power running.

Behind the forwards are the halves, and three of them at that in Reynolds, Sutton and Keary. At this point in time Keary and Reynolds have been named at 6 and 7 with Sutton in the second row, but I have my suspicions that Sutton will start as the five-eighth which is a move I would agree with.

I’m tipping the Rabbitohs to be the first finals victors in 2014 and I think they are the specials of the round. The line of 6.5 turns me off but you can get $1.80 for the Rabbitohs -5.5 and that’s where I’m looking.

I would recommend getting on that early in case that price shortens and you’re staring at $1.75 or less.

About Mike Wilson

Bio: Mike Wilson is an avid Rugby League fan and has been following the game since he was 6 years old. He devotes much of his time to studying and reviewing games. When he is not neck deep in match replays and stats, Mike enjoys earning some pocket money playing online poker, which he has done successfully for over 7 years. Mike lives on the Gold Coast and also enjoys Formula One and casual afternoon in front of the horses with a few quiet beers ;)

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