Saints Trying to Halt the Slide

Posted on | September 3, 2009 | 1 Comment

Three weeks ago the St George Dragons were the unbackable favourites to claim the NRL minor premiership. But three successive losses have put paid to that and NRL betting has now installed the Bulldogs as the favourites. The Bulldogs sit on top of the NRL ladder and if NRL results pan out a certain way, the Dragaons may not even finish in the top two.

The Dragons play Parramatta in their final game of the season. The Eels are assured of a finals berth and will be looking to climb higher with a win over their long time rivals. At the same time the Bulldogs will be playing the Wests Tigers. The Tigers have a very slim chance of making the top eight and a win by the Bulldogs will guarantee them top spot.

Third place Gold Coast has had a fantastic season in just their second year. Their final game of the regular season is a tricky away trip to Manly to take on the Sea Eagles. The defending premiers haven’t had the best of seasons. Their early season woes were well documented but they regrouped and climbed their way up the NRL ladder. They could finish the season as high as fourth spot.

Melbourne will stitch up fourth spot if they beat the Warriors in New Zealand. The Storm haven’t been as dominant as they have in recent years and the Greg Inglis incident has proved a major distraction. Inglis will be back but one cant help by wonder if their period of domination is now over.

Down the other end of the ladder, Cronulla are fighting the Roosters to avoid the wooden spoon. The Sharks are playing South Sydney while the Roosters are hosting the Cowboys. Should both achieve the same result, the Roosters will finish last by virtue of the inferior points difference. It has been a horrendous year for the Roosters who will be coached in 2010 by Brian Smith. Smith leaves the Knights who are in eighth spot and play the Panthers this weekend. The winner of this game will play in the finals. The Broncos play the Raiders in their final game of the regular season. The Broncos started the year very well but had a difficult middle to the year. It is doubtful whether they will last long in the finals. NRL betting has them at rather long odds.

David Wiseman is a sports journalist for Betfair Australia. He loves watching all Aussie sports especially the Melbourne Cup.

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3. Can the Aussies arrest the slide?
4. Saints axe Gamble
5. NFL: Analyzing the Monday Night Game – Pats at Saints

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