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St. KILDA
The Saints have lost only two games without injuries for the most part and this weeks fixture will be no exception.
The team is expected to line up as they did last week, although there has been some specualtion over the condition of captain Nick Riewoldt’s troublesome knee. He will play with the help of painkillers.
The Saints who have the no. 1 defence in the league will again need it hold up against the multiple pronged Geelong attack. The battle of the midfield will be one for the ages with some profilic ball winners in Hayes, Dal Santo and Montagna being vital cogs in the centre.
Clint Jones is likely to get the tagging job on Gary Ablett and he did ok last time holding him to 27 relatively ineffectual touches. This will again be a match-up to follow closely, as shutting Ablett down goes a long way to stopping the Cats.
GEEOLONG
The Cats demolished the Pies last week and the form they have found will go a long way to deciding this fixture. Their midfield had a monopoly on the ball during the second half, and the defence only allowed 1 Magpie goal in 60 minutes of football.
Paul Chapman kicked 5 goals and other contributors helped with building a big Cats score, which could have been bigger given their inaccurate kicking … this will be need to be improved on Saturday.
The defence led by Scarlett, Harley and Taylor will get solid support form Enright and Milburn. The team is expected to line up the same as last week but there will be a hard luck story of one player having to miss.
It is likely to be Matthew Stokes who played all year but missed last week due to a niggling injury, that may have been costly.
HEAD TO HEAD
2009, Round 14, St Kilda (14.7) 91 def Geelong (13.7) 85
Geelong leads last 4 games 3-1, with only defeat being by 6 points right at the final siren.
The Betting Verdict
The Cats have scoring options all over the field and are one of the few teams who can post a score over the Saints. Brownlow Medalist midfielders Bartel and Ablett will be a bit too classy in the centre and will help get the result.
September 24th, 2009 1:45:13 PM GMT+5 | Posted in Other Sports by ranma | No Comments
Eels are on top form at exactly the right time and they are good value with the start.
Its amazing how things have turned for both of these teams in the last couple of months. Had this fixture been in June or July you would have been expecting a 20 win for St George. The Dragons looked like the best side in the competition back then while Eels couldnt buy a win.
But 7 wins in a row and some outstanding performance mean the Eels are in the play offs and they are a side no one really wants to face at this time. Their confidence is sky high and although it is going to be tough to make the finals a win here could see them finish 5th which ofcourse means even if they lose the 1st play off game there is another chance.
Hayne is on fire at the moment, easily the top player in the NRL. Their forwards have been outstanding but the biggest improtvement for Daniel Anderson side has been the defence. We are not seeing them lose the soft trys they did early in the season and even the small guys like Mortimer have fired into the tackles.
I thought St George were a great bet to be champions not so long ago and they certainly have the quality in that squad to do so. But the last month has been an poker.asp”title=”absolute poker” >absolute nightmare as all their top players seem to have lost form at the worst time possible. Im not sure what it is, has their bottle gone, is there problems in the dressing room, do they not believe in themselves ?
Only 3 trys scored in the last 3 games, all defeats, and it seems from what ive seen as though their forwards have gone missing. That was the strongest part of their team as Weyman and co would simply batter sides up the middle. Not now.
Souths, who had nothing to play for, put 41 points on the board last week and some of those trys were very soft.
I would always go with the form side. Ofcourse Dragons at home will be fired up to end the slide and if the Dogs result goes their way could still take top spot. But they will face a team who are playing with complete confidence and look fantastic in attack. Hayne and Mortimer should take control.
I expect Eels to win so im happy to be taking them with a start, even if its only few points.
September 3rd, 2009 2:10:40 PM GMT+5 | Posted in Other Sports by ranma | No Comments
The third Test of the 2009 Ashes cricket series between England and Australia gets underway in the morning at Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham, and England will go into it with a chance to perhaps put themselves within touching distance of a series victory.
After England made a dramatic comeback on the final day of the first Test to earn a draw, they took that momentum into the second Test at Lord’s and recorded a historic win to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
England hadn’t won an Ashes test at Lord’s since 1934, and it was no surprise that there was a little drama towards the end, but they made a lead of 521 after three days hold up in winning by 115 runs. Thanks to the high-scoring partnership of Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin, Australia went into the fifth and final day with a realistic chance to win, but thanks to the bowling of Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff, Australia’s valiant comeback attempt fell short.
Edgbaston was the site of the closest margin of victory in Ashes history in 2005, when England edged Australia by two runs. That narrow victory by England brought them back into the series after Australia had rolled to a dominant win at Lord’s in the opening Test. This time around, it could be Australia that swing the balance back in their favor after an England victory at Lord’s.
England will be without star Kevin Pietersen, who’ll miss the remainder of the series due to an Achilles injury. However, England will have the services of all-rounder Flintoff, who has been battling severe knee pain. Flintoff, who announced two weeks ago that he’ll retire from test cricket after the Ashes, stepped up huge to take five Australian wickets and thwart their comeback attempt.
Australia will once again be without Brett Lee, who missed the first two Tests due to a side injury and hasn’t recovered fully enough to be participate at Edgbaston.
Australia were solid favorites going into the Test at Lord’s, but with England picking up the win, the favorite role has shifted to England, with the latest cricket odds having England at evens to win, with a draw at +220, and Australia at +250 to win.
July 29th, 2009 9:07:34 PM GMT+5 | Posted in Futures, Other Sports, Sports, Sports Betting by Griffdog | No Comments
The second of five five-day Tests between England and Australia in the latest edition of the Ashes series gets underway today at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London, and after an amazing comeback by England to earn a draw in the first test, it’s still very much anybody’s series.
If you’re a close follower of cricket, then you’re no doubt watching the Ashes closely, but if you’re a casual follower or a novice like I am, this is as good a time as any to get into it.
In following soccer news on English news websites and watching the Sky Sports News segments that regularly show on Fox Soccer Channel, I’ve become acquainted with cricket, and I must say that I was following the first Test pretty intently.
The first of the five Tests was held in Cardiff, which was the first time an Ashes match was held in Wales, and going into the final day, England were 219 runs behind and in need of a major comeback to salvage a draw and avoiding putting themselves in an early hole. That’s exactly what happened, thanks to the heroics of Paul Collingwood, Monty Panesar, and James Anderson, and depending on whose side you’re on, perhaps a little controversial time-wasting on England’s part at the very end of the match.
Australia have won nine of the last 10 Ashes series, but England did triumph 2-1 the last time the Ashes was held in England in 2005. So, it’s no surprise that the latest cricket futures have Australia a solid favorite to retain their Ashes crown with a victory at -150.
For that to happen, Australia will have to win at least two of the final four Tests, but even if the series ends in a draw (if both teams each win two of the last four, or there’s one win apiece and two draws in the final four), Australia will still retain the title, and the odds on a draw are at +350. For England to claim victory, they must at the least win two of the final four Tests and earn a draw in another, and the odds on them being able to do what it takes are at +250.
Australia have a chance to yank the momentum back from England in the second Test, and the odds are on their side to do it, as England haven’t beaten Australia at Lord’s since 1934.
But, England’s comeback might serve as a big confidence boost for the second Test, and if they‘re able to able record a win at Lord‘s, it‘ll put them in an excellent position going into the final three Tests. Whatever the result of the next few days, from the looks of it, cricket fans are in for a very exciting, tight series, and even if Australia are to continue their dominance in the Ashes, England will certainly go down fighting.
July 16th, 2009 1:29:43 AM GMT+5 | Posted in Futures, Other Sports, Sports, Sports Betting by Griffdog | No Comments
Lee has been ruled out of the first two Tests of the Ashes series with a low-grade abdominal tear and is no guarantee to play thereafter. As revealed by Cricinfo, the Australian fast bowler experienced pain down his left side following last week’s tour game against England Lions in Worcester, and will be sidelined for the Cardiff and Lord’s Tests at the very least.
Lee was absent from Australia’s training session at Sophia Gardens on Monday after being sent to London for scans, which revealed a small tear in an abdominal muscle. His absence has thrown Australia’s planning into disarray ahead of the first Test, which begins on Wednesday, and will deny the tourists the services of their most decorated bowler.
“There probably is a bit more disappointment that it is an Ashes Test,” Lee said. “I’m extremely disappointed. I’m gutted that I won’t be there for that first Test match. But I’ll find a way to bounce back. I’ve gotten back from five ankle surgeries so I’m sure one little muscle strain won’t keep me out for too long.
Flintoff is back from injury (yet again) and could be anything, but I just hope and prey he lasts the series. KP is playing well as is Strauss and Bopara who are our main hopes of outscoring the aussies.
England have a decent keeper in the shape of Matt Prior who can actually score some runs, and then they have the very strange selection of Monty Panesar who has taken wickets this season at an average of over 70 !!
Gone are the stalwarts of Warne, Mcgrath, Hayden, Gilchrist and in have come largely undertried individuals with not a huge amount of experience of test cricket, let alone the cauldron that is ashes.
So you have 2 sides who are very equally matched but with potential match winners in their 11, both of which have something to proove.
The picth in Wales is slow and flat which means just one thing, and that is runs, and lots of them.
I will be hoping for the toss to be won by England when we should bat first and hopefully rack up 5 or 600+, then try and skittle the convicts out twice. Obviously the aussies will do the same thing if they win the toss, but the message is clear. This is a batsmans picth, everyone wants to see runs, and the groundstaff will have prepared it in such a manner that the fielding side get very little out of it.
July 6th, 2009 5:12:23 PM GMT+5 | Posted in Other Sports by ranma | No Comments
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