That was one very exhausting weekend of NRL. Especially for Dragons, Broncos, Roosters and Sharks fans. The NRL Competition is starting to take shape but home finals and the 8th position is still up for grabs. Much like our own Footy Tipper competition with another upset leaving the door ajar to all the prizes.
It’s the last round Risk v Reward.
The Biggest Losers
Dragons Disaster
The Dragons season could be best summed up as the 1st 5 minutes of each half verses a 10 minute highlights reel at the end of the match.
The start, and 1st half, was disastrous for the Dragons. Recalled winger Mikaele Ravalawa may as well have worn an Eels jersey with all the mistakes he made during the 1st half. Whatever was said at halftime had no effect as the Eels scored back to back tries to extend their lead to 36-6.
However, it was the final 10 minutes that will leave Dragons fans wondering “what if” after the Dragons scored five tries.
Ultimately, any team that has a -124 points differential should not be playing finals football. The Dragons not only blew their chance of playing finals for the 1st time in five years, they also blew the opportunity to play at a sold-out Kogarah stadium against the Raiders.
The Dragons can make the finals if:
- They beat the Raiders
- Dolphins and Knights draw
Broncos Banished
The Broncos entered the Battle of Brisbane knowing they had to defeat the Dolphins to leapfrog the Dragons into the Top Eight. This match was winner take all and billed as the master (Wayne Bennett) v the apprentice (Kevvie Walters).
The Broncos were never in the hunt trailing 24-6 at the break. There are a lot of things wrong at the Broncos. Despite a couple of come from behind victories in recent weeks, nothing can hide the fact Brisbane have only won one other game since Magic Round (17 May).
The Broncos can make the finals if:
- They beat a full-strength Storm team
- Dolphins and Knights draw
- Dragons and Raiders draw
Roosters Roasted
The Roosters season is in tatters with season ending injuries to Sam Walker and Brandon Smith. With these two key players missing, they looked pedestrian against a Raiders side that had Captain Elliot Whitehead sinbinned twice. There was a chance to take the match into golden point but alas the fulltime sideline conversion missed the mark.
Add to the fact JWH and Nat Butcher (concussion) will be missing next week, the Roosters look likely to be two and out, come finals time.
Big Round 27 Matches
Home finals are still up for grabs with the Bulldogs v Cowboys and Sea Eagles v Sharks being key match-ups.
Without doubt the biggest match of the Season is the final game when the Knights take on the Dolphins with the winner taking the final spot in the finals. This is in front of a sold out McDonald Jones Stadium.
SpoonBowl!
The other massive match is Friday at 6:00pm from Campbelltown Sports Stadium.
It’s the Battle of the Spoon.
Defending Spooners Wests Tigers taking on the Parramatta Eels.
Now on paper, and if you watched 70 minutes of the Eels last match, you would never back the Tigers to win. But it’s those 10 minutes where they conceded 28 points and the fact it’s a packed out home game that will give Tigers fans some optimism.
This game is not to be missed.
In Other Games
- Manly’s victory over the Bulldogs comes at a heavy cost with both their fleet of Saab and Turbo likely to miss the next few weeks
- Shaun Johnson threw his final pass in the NRL with a cutout to DWZ to score the winning try in the dying seconds of their match against the Sharks. Nice.
Main Competition
Things are tight at the top. Our two long term leaders have been feeling the pressure over the past two weeks and the rest of the field is catching.
With just 1 tipsheet to complete, it is literally now anyone’s to win.
The Creators 4 point lead going into round 26 is now a 1point DEFICIT to GeorgeTheDragon ! The Standout strikes again.
But even more interestingly, the gap from 1st to 6th (the prize money places) is only 5 points. Round 27 should not be the round to mess up your standouts. Add to that, some injuries to critical players could heavily influence tippers decisions on their final selections.
Good luck to our leaders.
2nd Chance Competition
Robert Cook has taken the lead from Stallion with an impressive 250 point round. His lead is a mere 8 points !! iTerry was the big mover going up 13 places and into 3rd spot – with $30. This comp is still anyones to win too.
The Standout
The Standout bites again. With stinky Manly and the Penrifff reigning premiers going down in shock losses, we had more wrongs than rights.
- Standouts correct – 23
- Standouts wrong – 27
- The average score – 3.08
- Our round high – 7
- Our round low was – Minus 1
Footy Tipper Weekly Jackpot
Last chance to take the money. We now playing for the remaining $40 for round 27.
Note – In the event there is no single winner in the final round, the Weekly Jackpot will be subject to a random drawn. So everyone with a valid tipsheet submitted has a chance to win.
Good luck with your tips this week.
Rob and Paul
