England v Samoa
The first match of the double-header at Suncorp Stadium will feature a strong England team looking to assert their dominance over Samoa. The island nation booked a spot in the Four Nations tournament with a win in May over Fiji and now they have another mountain to climb. As is the theme with the teams in this competition, numerous players are missing that would otherwise improve their overall team performance. The Samoan pack is built to be dynamic and use relentless force, but it will be up to the English to weather this early pressure. England will be a fitter team and the inclusion of Gareth Widdop in the halves will only steady their play. He proved this season that he is a valuable asset, regardless of the players that are around him. Including him with the class of James Graham, Sam Tomkins and George Burgess only releases the pressure that is placed on him at club level. Despite their size, Samoa lack direction in the halves and hooking positions. They have capable players, but at this level they will be required to form strong combinations early or risk succumbing to pressure from their opponents. Favouritism is rightly with the Poms, however the value lies with the overall margin of victory. This English team has been aiming to make a statement for sometime now, hoping that they can contend with the Kiwis and Kangaroos. Once the early intensity settles, they should be able to commanding and comfortably capture victory.
Suggested Bet
England -14.5 @ $2
Bite off more = England 19+ @ $2.65 – This margin is not beyond them, especially when you consider the defensive vulnerability of the Samoan outside backs. There is also greater value on offer if you are willing to make the call and choose this over the “suggested bet”.
Hall of Fame = Ryan Hall FTS and/or LTS @ $8 – If you haven’t noticed Hall playing in the Super League, it won’t take you long into this match to realise his talent. He is an attacking threat and has a large physical presence to help him cross the line.
Australia v New Zealand
Both teams come into this tournament understrength, the home side more than their opponents. They have several youngsters debuting in this match and it is a chance for the next generation of stars to come through the ranks. A win here will mean that there is less pressure on them in the later stages of the tournament, where they may need to win to progress through to the Final. Missing a host of stars, the quality still remains in the Kangaroos team more than the Kiwis. Missing Issac Luke at hooker limits their potency in the middle of the field and the Australian forwards will need to dominate the middle of the field in order to be successful. The Kiwis spine has a strong halves pairing guiding them, but they too will need the support of the other players around them to be successful. Attacking threats for the Kangaroos are numerous and they have even more firepower coming off the bench. A pleasing headache for Tim Sheens to have is trying to balance out the talent within his team over the 80 minutes of a match. At this stage of the tournament, the Australian’s generally have their combinations created and it is the Kiwis who struggle. Expect that to take a similar path here, but the visitors will be remarkably stronger as the tournament progresses.
Suggested Bet
Australia 13-18 @ $4.50
Bouncing Bunny = Dylan Walker FTS and/or LTS @ $11 – Expect Walker to build on his strong NRL form in his Kangaroos debut. He has the talent and the halves will be aware of his potential. Playing outside Inglis, Cronk and DCE only draws defenders away from him, especially when they’re attacking close to the line.
Good luck!
Scooby
Please Note:
All of the above are the opinions of the author and are not recommendations or advice. The author may not be taking every bet listed above. Bet at your own risk.
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