Friday, May 14, 2010

Vettel's turn to win?

So, is it Vettel's turn to win, or can Lewis Hamilton keep his car together this time?

WEBBER $5.50 CHANCE AT MONACO

Aussie Mark Webber is a $5.50 chance to win his second successive Formula One Grand Prix in Monaco this weekend with Red Bull team mate Sebastian Vettel the $3.00 Favourite.

Sportingbet Australia CEO Michael Sullivan said Webber was now considered a leading chance in any race he contests and Monaco should suit him perfectly.

“Red Bull now look to have this seasons car sorted and are once again the fastest on the racetrack,” said Sullivan.

“It’s been a long road for Webber but he’s now well and truly established himself in Formula One’s top echelon of drivers.

“The Red Bull cars have shown great qualifying speed and the Monaco track is notoriously hard to pass on which means grid positions will be critical.”

Webber currently sits in fourth place on the standings seventeen points adrift of leader Jensen Button and is a $5.50 chance with Sportingbet for the Championship.

MONACO FORMULA ONE GP
Sportingbet Australia Market
Sebastian Vettel [RED] 3.00
Fernando Alonso [FER] 4.50
Lewis Hamilton [McL] 5.50
Mark Webber [RED] 5.50
Jenson Button [McL] 13.00
Michael Schumacher [MER] 15.00
Felipe Massa [FER] 21.00
Nico Rosberg [MER] 23.00
Robert Kubica [REN] 26.00
Adrian Sutil [FIN] 81.00
Vitaly Petrov [REN] 126.00
Others 201.00 Plus

Tips from the TAB

Harness Gallops Greyhounds
Friday 14th May
Harold Park Race 5 - 8:30pm
No.3 - ARTESIAN BOY NZ

Saturday 15th May
Doomben Race 7 - 3:50pm
No.10 - MELITO

Saturday 15th May
Wentworth Park Race 9 - 10:20pm
No.1 - MAGIC SPRITE

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Next West Ham manager odds

GRANT ODDS ON WITH CHANDLER FOR HAMMERS JOB

Victor Chandler make Portsmouth manager, Avram Grant the early favourite to take over as boss at West Ham Utd after Gianfranco Zola was sacked earlier today.

Grant is just 2/5 to take the Upton Park hot seat after impressing with his stint at Fratton Park – leading Pompey to this weekend’s FA Cup final despite the club’s financial turmoil.

“We’ve already seen money for Avram Grant and have now cut him to just 2/5 for the job. Most punters seem to think that the Cup final will be his final game at Pompey.

He probably doesn’t fancy a stint in the Championship,” said VC spokesman, Dave Jenkins.

Slaven Bilic is second favourite at 6/1, although the former Hammer would have to free himself from his contract with the Croatian national team. Two former West Ham managers, Alan Pardew (9/1) and Alan Curbishley (12/1) are also in the betting along with Zola’s assistant Steve Clarke (10/1) and former Man City manager, Mark Hughes (10/1).

One man Chandler’s don’t think will be going back to Upton Park, despite his availability is Paul Ince. An unpopular figure in East London ever since leaving for Man Utd some 21 years ago, Ince can be backed at 100/1 to take over at the Boleyn Ground.

Next Permanent West Ham Manager
Avram Grant 2/5
Slaven Bilic 6/1
Alan Pardew 9/1
Steve Clark 10/1
Alan Curbishley 12/1
Paul Ince 100/1

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Socceroos world cup squad

Qantas Socceroos Head Coach Pim Verbeek today announced his preliminary squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ which begins in South Africa next month.

Qantas Airways CEO Alan Joyce and FFA CEO Ben Buckley were also on hand at today’s unveiling which occurred at the Qantas Jet Base in Sydney in front of the “Qantas Socceroos” Boeing 747 aircraft which will fly the team to Johannesburg for the tournament.

Fourteen of the players selected were involved in the Qantas Socceroos 2006 FIFA World Cup™ campaign including the captain Lucas Neill, Michael Beauchamp, Mark Bresciano, Tim Cahill, Scott Chipperfield, Jason Culina, Brett Emerton, Vincenzo Grella, Joshua Kennedy, Mark Milligan, Craig Moore Harry Kewell Mark Schwarzer, and Luke Wilkshire.

It will potentially be the first FIFA World Cup™ finals appearance for Nick Carle, David Carney, Adam Federici, Richard Garcia, James Holland, Brett Holman, Mile Jedinak, Brad Jones, Shane Lowry, Jade North, Scott McDonald, Nikita Rukavytsya, Carl Valeri, Dario Vidosic, Rhys Williams and 18-year old Tommy Oar who was the NAB Young Footballer of the Year at the conclusion of the Hyundai A-League 2009/10 season.

Although not officially included in the list of 30-names that will be submitted to FIFA, Adelaide United’s Eugene Galekovic will also join the squad as a stand-by goal keeper.

As per FIFA regulations, Verbeek will name his final squad of 23 players on Saturday 1st June in South Africa.

The Qantas Socceroos will assemble in Melbourne on Wednesday 19th May to commence their preparations for their farewell match against the New Zealand All Whites at the MCG on Monday 24th May.

The Qantas Socceroos will then depart for Johannesburg on Wednesday 26th May on the special Qantas “Socceroos” Boeing 747 flight out of Melbourne.

As part of their final preparations for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, the Qantas Socceroos will play international friendly matches against Denmark and the United States of America (USA) on the 1st and 5th June, respectively, at Ruimsig Stadium near Johannesburg.

The Qantas Socceroos have been drawn in Group D for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ and will face Germany in their opening match of the tournament on Sunday 13th June in Durban, followed by matches against Ghana on Saturday 19th June and then Serbia on Wednesday 23rd June.

Should the Qantas Socceroos place in the top two positions of Group D at the end of the first phase of the competition, they will play their next opponent from Group C (England, USA, Algeria or Slovenia) in the Round of 16 on either Saturday 26th June (Rustenburg) or Sunday 27th June (Mangaung/Bloemfontein).

The Quarter Finals of the tournament will be held on the 2nd and 3rd July with the Semi Finals on the 6th and 7th July and the Final to be played on the 11th July.

Preliminary squad in full

Michael BEAUCHAMP (Al-Jazira Club, UAE)
Mark BRESCIANO (U.S. Citta di Palermo, Italy)
Tim CAHILL (Everton FC, England)
Nick CARLE (Crystal Palace, England)
David CARNEY (FC Twente, Netherlands)
Scott CHIPPERFIELD (FC Basel, Switzerland)
Jason CULINA (Gold Coast United, Australia)
Brett EMERTON (Blackburn Rovers, England)
Adam FEDERICI (Reading FC, England)
Eugene GALEKOVIC* (Adelaide United, Australia)
Richard GARCIA (Hull City, England)
Vincenzo GRELLA (Blackburn Rovers, England)
James HOLLAND (AZ Alkmaar, Netherlands)
Brett HOLMAN (AZ Alkmaar, Netherlands)
Mile JEDINAK (Antalyaspor Kulubu, Turkey)
Brad JONES (Middlesbrough FC, England)
Josh KENNEDY (Nagoya Grampus, Japan)
Harry KEWELL (Galatasaray SK, Turkey)
Shane LOWRY (Aston Villa FC, England)
Scott MCDONALD (Middlesbrough FC, England)
Mark MILLIGAN (JEF United, Japan)
Craig MOORE (Uncontracted)
Lucas NEILL (Galatasaray SK, Turkey)
Jade NORTH (Tromsø, Norway)
Tom OAR (FC Utrecht, Netherlands)
Nikita RUKAVYTSYA (FC Twente, Netherlands)
Mark SCHWARZER (Fulham FC, England)
Carl VALERI (U.S. Sassuolo Calcio, Italy)
Dario VIDOSIC (FC Nurnberg, Germany)
Luke WILKSHIRE (FK Dinamo Moscow, Russia)
Rhys WILLIAMS (Middlesbrough FC, England)

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Port Adelaide betting investigation

Port Adelaide is under investigation over a $20 bet placed 14 months ago.

Surely, they can't be serious. While I understand the implications of match fixing, a multi-bet containing two Premier League games and an AFL match can hardly be regarded a serious breach.

Must be a slow news day.

Read about it here

Punters turn to Liberals in Federal politics

... And the mud-slinging hasn't even started yet!

PUNTERS TURN TO COALITION AS POLLS STING LABOR

The Coalition’s odds for a shock election victory have been slashed from $3.40 to $3.00 at Sportingbet Australia after they hit the front in the two party preferred for the first time since the 2007 election.

Sportingbet Australia CEO Michael Sullivan said there had been a series of bets placed on the Coalition at $3.40 and $3.20 since the poll and he expected the money to keep coming.

“Labor are still clear favourites at $1.36 but I can’t see punters rushing to back them following this poll,” Sullivan said.

“All the money has been for the Coalition this morning with punters thinking the $3.40 looked attractive given they were ahead in the poll.

“While this is probably a rogue poll, it would still be of concern to Kevin Rudd and punters will abandon him until he starts turning things around.”

Sullivan said Tony Abbott would need to convert many of those disillusioned with Rudd the if Coalition was to challenge for favouritism.

“Tony Abbott at least has clear positions on issues, in contrast to some of his predecessors and that makes him a more dangerous opponent for Rudd,” he said.

“The perception of him as a man of action is sure to help at this time too when many are complaining that the Prime Minister is the complete opposite.

“The fact the Coalition grabbed only three of the eight points Labor lost is a concern though and until he can turn those undecided voters to the Coalition, he will remain the outsider.”

FEDERAL ELECTION
Sportingbet Australia Market
Labor 1.36
Coalition 3.00

Australian wins world snooker championship 2010

Australian Neil Robertson has just secured the world snooker championship, defeating Scotland's Graeme Dott 18 frames to 13 in the final.

Robertson is the first non-British winner since 1980.

He finished the tournament to roars from his family and friends with an unbeatable break of 53.

More here.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Billy Slater's future

NRL: MARKET ON SLATER TO LEAVE THE STORM

With speculation continuing about Billy Slater’s playing future, Sportingbet Australia have opened a market on which code the star fullback will be playing in 2011.

Sportingbet Australia CEO Michael Sullivan said the Storm remained a slight favourite to keep Slater as he is under contract for another year but the salary cap situation meant there were several other viable options.

“The Storm will be desperate to keep Slater as he is incredibly popular with the fans as well as been a tremendous player,” Sullivan said.

“He is $1.60 to stay at the Storm with the most obvious other option being a switch Rugby Union rivals, the Melbourne Rebels who would love to Slater to switch codes.

“It would be major coup for them and given they have no salary cap and money to spend, the $2.50 about a switch to the Rebels could be the value.”

The market also has an option on Slater following Karmichael Hunt and switching to AFL.

“He would be a sensation in AFL with his pace and creativity and there would be plenty of teams who would be keen to see how he goes,” Sullivan said.

“The Gold Coast or Western Sydney would also be keen on the publicity and interest he would bring from NRL fans.”

Where will Billy Slater Play in 2011
Sportingbet Australia market
Melbourne Storm 1.60
Melbourne Rebels 2.50
Any other NRL team 5.50
Any AFL team 6.50
Will not play 1st grade NRL, AFL or Super 14 in Australia 7.00
Any other Super 14 team 15.00

Friday, April 23, 2010

Storm player "Premiers" tattoo removal offer

Nice gimmick:

BOOKIE OFFERS TO PAY FOR STORM TATTOO REMOVAL

Online bookmaker Sportsbet.com.au has offered to pay for the laser removal of premiership tattoos for Melbourne Storm players who played in the 2007 and 2009 Grand Final sides.

Many of the players now have permanent reminders of premierships which have now been erased from the record books.

“Some of the tattoos are pretty decent in size and some players may now regret putting the tattoo pen to skin,” said Sportsbet.com.au’s Haydn Lane.

“They say a clean break is always best and we’re happy to chip in if it helps these players erase this episode from their memories and get on with their careers.”

AFL club implicated in Melbourne Storm drama?

The plot thickens:

AFL WOODEN SPOON BETTING SUSPENDED

Online bookmaker Sportsbet.com.au has suspended AFL Wooden Spoon betting amid speculation an AFL Club may be implicated in the Melbourne Storm salary cap saga.

Several punters placed bets on St Kilda to finish last in 2010 shortly before betting was suspended, with odds ranging from $5001 to $1001.

“One punter placed a bet of $110 on the Saints for the Wooden Spoon to win $110,000,” said Sportsbet.com.au’s Haydn Lane.

“Like everyone we think and hope there is nothing in it, although as we’ve seen in the past 24 hours, stranger things have happened.”

St Kilda is currently second in AFL Premiership betting with Sportsbet.com.au at $4.50.

Weekend racing tips

Tips from New South Wales TAB:

Harness Gallops Greyhounds
Friday 23rd April
Tabcorp Park Menangle Race 7 - 10:00pm
No.5 - WESTERN CAM

Saturday 24th April
Randwick Race 5 - 2:55pm
No.9 - MONACO CONSUL

Saturday 24th April
Wentworth Park Race 6 - 9:12pm
No.8 - ASHBY DEVIL

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Melbourne Storm fallout

And the fallout begins:

BIG PAYOUT ON WOODEN SPOON AS STORM STRIPPED OF POINTS

Sportingbet Australia will pay over $40,000 on the Wooden Spoon after Melbourne Storm were stripped of all their Premiership points.

Sportingbet Australia CEO Michael Sullivan said this would change the way Wooden Spoon betting would be done in the future.

“Melbourne has gone from $251 to no betting in the space of six hours which has to be the biggest shortener in betting history,” Sullivan said.

“We will look at the way we bet on the Wooden Spoon in the future as punters and bookmakers alike are betting without all the information.”

“We have refunded all Premiership bets on Melbourne as they are now out of calculations.”

Sullivan said the decision had an enormous impact on betting going forward in 2010 as well.

“This has consequences on match betting throughought the year, as what motivation do the Storm have if they can’t finish anywhere but last,” he said.

“We have suspended all markets on Melbourne’s game this weekend’s with the Warriors.

“St George are the new favourites for the Premiership at $4.50 ahead of Parramatta and Manly at $7.00.”

NRL PREMIERSHIP
Sportingbet Australia Market
St George Dragons 4.50
Manly Sea Eagles 6.50
Parramatta Eels 6.50
Wests Tigers 7.50
Penrith Panthers 9.00
Canterbury Bulldogs 11.00
Gold Coast Titans 11.00
South Sydney Rabbitohs 11.00
Sydney Roosters 15.00
Brisbane Broncos 26.00
New Zealand Warriors 29.00
Canberra Raiders 51.00
Newcastle Knights 51.00
North Qld Cowboys 51.00
Cronulla Sharks 251.00

Melbourne Storm NRL statement in full

The National Rugby League has today stripped the Melbourne Storm of the 2007 and 2009 Telstra Premierships, the Minor Premierships of 2006-8 and of its 2010 competition points after confirming a series of salary cap breaches amounting to at least $1.7million over five years.

The club will lose all competition points earned to date in 2010 and also the right to accumulate points going forward in 2010 (competition tables will record wins and losses but the club will not be awarded competition points on the basis of any wins). These measures are effective as of today.

The club has furthermore been fined $500,000 and will be forced to return $1.1million in prize-money with the prize-money being distributed evenly among the other fifteen clubs.

Individual awards by players will continue to be recognised but records will be adjusted to show that the Premiership is not recognised even though the result cannot be overturned. Neither Manly nor Parramatta will assume the Premiership titles in their respective years.

The Storm’s Chairman and Chief Executive met with the NRL in Sydney today to confirm the extent of the breaches uncovered by NRL Salary Cap Auditor Ian Schubert and his audit team.

The investigations have revealed the Storm maintained a dual contract system and the club has today confirmed that side letters promising extra payments were stored in a secret file at the home of the Chief Executive.

The accounts were structured in such a way that it would appear the commitments were not apparent to either the Melbourne Storm Board or its owners.

The NRL has uncovered breaches estimated to be in excess of $1.7million over five years, around $400,000 in 2009 and with a projected breach of $700,000 in 2010.

“While the amount itself is cause for concern, the most damning indictment is the systematic attempt by persons within the club to conceal payments from the Salary Cap auditor and, it would now seem certain from the club’s Board and from its owners, on an ongoing basis,” Mr Gallop said.

"It was through this system that they were able to attract and retain some of the biggest names in Rugby League.

“In doing so they have let down the game, the players and the fans of the Melbourne Storm.

“Clearly there were some individuals who knew what was going on and perhaps many who did not.

“By nature, that means innocent parties will suffer as a result of this punishment but the persons responsible are those who constructed the scheme and anyone who knowingly signed a false statutory declaration to deceive the game.

“It would be unfair now on the players and fans of every other club in the competition to allow the Storm to enter this year’s finals series or to retain the titles they won.

“As a game we will do all we can to restore the faith of each of those parties but there is no alternative now but to deal with the situation that has been so deliberately engineered.

“As was the case with Canterbury after 2002, the only other instance in which we have seen such an elaborate and contrived set of accounts, there is the chance for the club to begin a rebuilding process with the fans and the game by the way it conducts itself in the weeks and months ahead.

“A significant step in that process has been the way the Melbourne Board has reacted to the information the Salary Cap team tabled this week.

“Rather than look to conceal the activities, the Board has cooperated fully and we have been informed that the club’s owners, News Limited, have now ordered a full forensic examination of all club accounts.

“It should be pointed out that, as owners of the club, News Limited has only been made aware of the investigation in recent days.

“Ian Schubert and his assistant Jamie L’Oste Brown have been collecting information in relation to this process for some time and their commitment to that process deserves considerable respect.

“Salary cap investigation is among the most difficult and in many ways least rewarding roles in the game but, despite the thoughts of some critics, there is universal acceptance of the importance of the cap and of the contribution it has made to the most successful era in the game’s history.

“In truth, this issue is not so much about the Salary Cap but the simple reality of cheating the rules as they stand at any time. Everyone knew the rules, particularly after 2002.

“This investigation has relied on detailed reviews of accounts as well as evidence from informants.

“It is a reminder to everyone who wishes to test the rules that there is every likelihood the truth will emerge in time and that the consequences will be severe at that point.”

NRL Melbourne Storm betting suspended

CONTROVERSY LOOMS - WOODEN SPOON BETTING SUSPENDED AS STORM WELL BACKED

Betting on the NRL Wooden Spoon has been suspended after a string of bets were taken on the Melbourne Storm at $251 with Sportingbet Australia this morning.

Sportingbet Australia CEO Michael Sullivan said the move set off alarm bells as the Storm are favourites for the Premiership and look no hope of winning the Spoon.

“We took three bets to win $10,000 and another to win $8000 on the Storm for the Wooden Spoon all within 10 minutes of each other this morning,” Sullivan said.

“You don’t take a series of bets like that unless someone knows something or think they know something and we have suspended betting on the Wooden Spoon as a result.

“Melbourne is now our worst result for the Wooden Spoon despite the fact they are Premiership favourites.”

The Storm are still $5.00 with Sportingbet Australia for the Premiership ahead of St George at $5.50.

NRL WOODEN SPOON (BEFORE BETTING SUSPENDED)
Sportingbet Australia Market
Cronulla Sharks 1.67
Brisbane Broncos 8.00
Canberra Raiders 9.00
Newcastle Knights 9.00
North Queensland Cowboys 9.00
New Zealand Warriors 17.00
Canterbury Bulldogs 34.00
Parramatta Eels 34.00
South Sydney Rabbitohs 51.00
Sydney Roosters 51.00
Gold Coast Titans 67.00
Penrith Panthers 101.00
Wests Tigers 101.00
Manly Sea Eagles 151.00
Melbourne Storm 251.00
St George Dragons 251.00

NRL PREMIERSHIP
Sportingbet Australia Market
Melbourne Storm 5.00
St George Dragons 5.50
Parramatta Eels 8.50
Manly Sea Eagles 9.00
Wests Tigers 9.00
Penrith Panthers 12.00
Canterbury Bulldogs 13.00
Gold Coast Titans 13.00
South Sydney Rabbitohs 13.00
Sydney Roosters 18.00
Brisbane Broncos 29.00
New Zealand Warriors 34.00
Canberra Raiders 51.00
Newcastle Knights 51.00
North Qld Cowboys 51.00
Cronulla Sharks 251.00

So you think you can dance result

DANCE WINNER LANDS PUNTERS A WINDFALL

Sportingbet Australia punters cleaned up when Sydney contemporary dancer Robbie was crowned Australia’s favourite dancer on the So You Think You Can Dance Grand Final.

Sportingbet Australia CEO Michael Sullivan said Robbie was an odds on favourite for much of the competition after starting it at odds as long as $13.00.

“We had several punters clever enough to find the $13 with the good odds based on our initial feeling that Robbie might struggle with lifting some of his taller partners,” said Sullivan.

“But it became apparent by week five that Robbie was the one to beat and he spent most of the show as the shortest priced favourite in So You Think You Can Dance history.”

Robbie started the final as the $1.60 favourite with runner up Jessie H at $3.00.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Sydney Cup update

After its last run, it's difficult to see how Precedence can be favourite. Jessicabeel is a good price for mine.

MOATIZE TO PROVIDE A SPARK FOR BART

Sportingbet Australia punters think Moatize can give master trainer Bart Cummings a spark up by taking Saturday’s Sydney Cup at Randwick.

Sportingbet Australia CEO Michael Sullivan said the five year old gelding had been well supported in betting.

“ We bet as much as $16 about Moatize early with one punter getting on to win over $20,000,” said Sullivan.

“And he’s been $11 into $8.50 since we put up odds on the final field with another getting on to win $20,000.

“Bart has followed the tried and trusted route of getting miles into Moatize’s legs and the JRA Plate run suggests he’s right on target for the Cup.”

Stablemate Precedence is a $6.60 favourite in a wide open Sydney Cup.

SYDNEY CUP
Sportingbet Australia Market
Precedence 6.60
Jessicabeel 7.50
Zavite 8.00
No wine No Song 8.00
Littorio 8.00
Moatize 8.50
Harris Tweed 9.00
Capecover 11.00
Booming 12.00
Divine Rebel 17.00
Spin Around 26.00
Get Up Jude 51.00

Monday, April 19, 2010

NRL Melbourne vs Manly preview

For anybody who thinks Manly is a chance against Melbourne tonight, it seems you are not alone. At least one other person agrees with you.

I had a look at the "Last Man Standing" competition on Sportingbet, of the 1000 or so people still remaining out of an initial 10,000+, 291 of them are sweating on a Melbourne victory.

A solitary one wants Manly to win.

By that reckoning, you could safely say the $3.25 on offer for a Manly win is slightly under the odds. Likewise, it's probably safe to say that the bookies will be cheering on Jamie Lyon and his crew.

Apology from a tipster

Most tipping sites brag about their wins. Rarely do they mention their losses. It's bad for business.

Given that I rely on my own tips and any inside information I can get from the industry, I feel I am in a position to bite the bullet, take the plunge, run the gauntlet, buck the trend, and all those other cliches I've heard while listening to ABC Grandstand at the weekend.

Take this as an apology, a confession if you like. For, as I packed up the family for a weekend away, I rushed through a few tips - genuine tips; tips I backed myself before putting my foot on the accelerator and spending time with the wife and children.

There were 12 of them altogether. Two were successful. Yes, as embarrassing as it is to admit it, I've let everybody down - and seemingly I hexed all whose name was uttered in tipsterville.

Daniel Kerr did a hamstring when he was well ahead of trio opponents in the fantasy challenge; Reimers twisted an ankle in similar circumstances; Matthew Boyd missed a stack of the game with an injury.

To them, I apologise. To you, I apologise. To myself, well, it's back on the horse, so to speak.

A quick poll shows we're still ahead over three weeks of fantasy tips, so we'll shelve this one as a lost cause and keep cracking the whip.

Until then, good luck and happy punting.

Richmond already wins wooden spoon

Good news if you're a punter - tragic if you're a Tigers fan.

BOOKIE PAYS OUT ON RICHMOND FOR THE SPOON AFTER ONLY FOUR ROUNDS!

Online bookmaker Sportsbet.com.au has paid out on Richmond to collect the wooden spoon after only four rounds.

With 18 rounds to go in the 2010 AFL Premiership Season, the bookie has paid out more than $100,000 to punters who backed Richmond to finish on the bottom of the ladder.

“Unfortunately for Richmond fans we think we’ll be paying out on the Tigers at the end of the season, so our punters may as well collect their cash now,” said Sportsbet.com.au’s Haydn Lane.

“There are 18 rounds to go so it’s a definite gamble.”

Richmond, who were paying as much as $5 in early Wooden Spoon markets, are now $1.25 favourites to take home the dreaded prize.

The payout applies to all bets placed before 12noon Monday 19th April.

Sportsbet.com.au is also offering odds of $5 on Richmond not winning a game this season, although one big punter has faith and has placed $10,000 at $1.16 on the Tigers winning at least one match this season.

Sportsbet.com.au is generating a reputation for paying out early on big sporting competitions. In November last year, the bookie paid out early on Tiger Woods to win the Australian Masters after two rounds when he was three strokes ahead. Woods faltered in the third round to share the lead with two others, before he shot clear on the final day to win the tournament.

Updated Wooden Spoon Market
$1.25 Richmond
$7 North Melbourne
$12 Adelaide
$17 Melbourne
$17 West Coast
$26 Essendon
$41 Port Adelaide

Friday, April 16, 2010

AFL Saturday fantasy trio tips

I'll be away from the computer, but here's a few selections for Saturday:

Collingwood vs Hawthorn

Swan vs Mitchell vs Hodge
Tip: Luke Hodge. Form of more than 100 points in three games is terrific, and he's a big game player.

Davis vs Rioli vs Ellis
Tip: Cyril Rioli: Scored 130 points last week and should be even better for the run.

Pendlebury vs Didak vs Ball
Tip: Luke Ball: Seems to have finally found his feet in the Magpies midfield.

Adelaide vs Carlton

Gibbs vs Murphy vs Vince
Tip: Bryce Gibbs: Had a shocker last week and will be out for redemption.

Simpson vs Judd vs Thompson
Tip: Chris Judd: No form in first game back, but hard to tip against a champion who'll be hungry for the ball.

Scotland vs Edwards vs Goodwin
Tip: Heath Scotland: Has form in a high-possession team.

Brisbane vs Bulldogs

Boyd vs Brown vs Cross
Tip: Matt Boyd: Hard to go against the man who should dominate the midfield.

Power vs Cooney vs Higgins
Tip: Higgins: While others are marked, Higgins usually gets a fair whack of the ball.

Sherman vs Drummond vs Giansiracusa
Tip: Justin Sherman: I don't have great confidence here, but his scores have been the best of the 3.