Looking to build some momentum after breaking our streak of 3 defeats on the best bet! Into Round 10 now so we have gotten a good gauge on all of the sides and we're seeing some of the contenders starting to separate from the lower teams. As always it's about identifying value and we look to do that again in what has been a tough season to-date.
FREE Bet of the Round
Record: 5-4 (56%)
STORM Team Total U22.5 ($1.80 Sportsbet)
*Next Best: Storm TT U22.5 @ 1.80 Pointsbet
Is this the week that the Sharks finally breakthrough to dispel the stigma around not being able to beat one of the heavyweights? I will lean with them to do just that and they might fall short of an outright win… but I think we get another bet home here riding a team total.
Recent history makes for grim reading, with the Sharks conceding 54, 34 and 40 points respectively in their past 3 trips to AAMI park under Fitzgibbon. But this isn’t the same Storm team with the disruption this week and missing key attacking talent in Papi, Coates and Hughes will limit their output and fluency.
The Sharks have a different steel about them in 2024 and will come into this one full of confidence. What is gravitating me to this one is the form of their pack, with guys like McInnes, Hazleton and Kaufusi in career best form. They have very good depth in their middle rotation and some of the issues we’ve seen from Melbourne in their losses could come to the forefront yet again and I do feel this Cronulla side can help restrict front-foot play the balls for Munster and Grant to work off.
This one has the makings of a low-scoring grind and could be in the realm of past battles between these two sides with both scoring in the teens. With the line moving from +6.5 down towards pickem, I don’t want to be taking a worse number. The team total is a better proposition for mine as I marked the total at 40.5. Also, this line of 22.5 was the consensus number available when the match line was up around +4.5 so it represents value.
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