We take a look at the odds for Sunday nights (30/9/2018) NRL Grand Final 2018 match between Sydney Roosters and Melbourne Storm. View the odds for both teams as well as our Tips and Bets for the match.
When: 19:20 | Sunday 30/09/2018
Where: ANZ Stadium
Bet ?: Bet On This Match HERE
Preview:
Billy Slater’s shoulder charge on Sosaia Feki last week was the most talked about incident in 2018 without doubt.
After pleading his case throughout a three-hour hearing, the kid from Innisfail will take to the field in his last ever game and hopefully he gets the send-off he had hoped for.
I understand the anger and the backlash this result has caused but I honestly do think it was the right call.
The shoulder charge was brought into our game for a completely different reason for what we saw Billy came up with.
Yes, I agree that there was sufficient contact with the shoulder etc but I’m happy to see him play.
Whether you agree or disagree on the result the fact of the matter is that he’s playing and now the Melbourne Storm are another step closer in doing what no other side has done since the Brisbane Broncos captured back-to-back premierships in 1992/93.
It would be a huge achievement if the Storm can do it on Sunday night.
After a year that saw inconsistencies and teams excel and teams underachieving, the Grand Final will feature the two best teams fighting it out for the premiership.
Things aren’t all merry in the Tri-Colours camp either.
Cooper Cronk was injured in his last start for the Roosters and will be given until kick-off to prove his fitness and rightly so.
Similar circumstances for the Roosters.
I honestly don’t feel the Roosters can win without Cooper at the helm.
His experience and direction for this team has been well noted and needed.
Very much like the Storm and if Billy couldn’t play I would say the same thing that they can’t win without him.
If Cooper is 80 percent fit, I would still play him.
We saw although he wasn’t at his best in the second half last week, he still did enough.
I expect Cooper to play and he managed 50 minutes with it against the Rabbitohs last week and he’ll manage a GF, that’s for sure.
The Roosters have proven in 2018 that defence again will win you a spot in the big dance.
They have been the benchmark that’s for sure
I’m really looking forward to the battle in the middle.
These two teams play very different in their approach.
The Roosters love the power game while the Storm are a very smart and skilful pack.
Small interchange of passes can really hurt the Roosters if they are successful.
The Roosters will have to come up with some extra plays I feel because there is no-one better at accommodating the power game than Melbourne.
They need to change the point of attack and look to move some of their big guys around.
Watch for the master Cameron Smith to go to work for the Storm at crucial stages in the match.
For the Roosters, look for Jake Friend not to over play his hand and think he has to come up with a miracle play.
He can’t be putting kicks in from dummy half and getting them wrong offering 7 tackle sets like he has been guilty of doing before.
KEY BATTLE: Storm back five v Roosters back five
We then move our attention to the power of the back 5.
This will be so important for the Roosters more so as they rely so much for these guys to get their sets started.
James Tedesco and Blake Ferguson have been the competition’s best in doing this.
Slater and Addo-Carr’s energy will be infectious and needed when the game is in the balance.
Then there is the class and X-factors.
Cameron Munster and Will Chambers for the Storm and Latrell Mitchell and Luke Keary for the Roosters.
Odds:
Tip: Sydney Roosters at $2.20
Value Bet: First Try Scorer: James Tedesco at $12.00
Teams:
Roosters:
1 James Tedesco, 2 Daniel Tupou, 3 Latrell Mitchell, 4 Joseph Manu, 5 Blake Ferguson, 6 Luke Keary, 7 Mitchell Aubusson, 8 Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, 9 Jake Friend (c), 10 Siosiua Taukeiaho , 11 Boyd Cordner, 12 Isaac Liu, 13 Victor Radley
Interchange: 14 Dylan Napa 15 Zane Tetevano 16 Paul Momirovski, 17 Ryan Matterson
Reserves: 18 Lindsay Collins, 19 Nat Butcher, 20 Sean O’Sullivan, 23 Cooper Cronk
Storm:
1 Billy Slater, 2 Suliasi Vunivalu, 3 Will Chambers, 4 Curtis Scott, 5 Josh Addo-Carr, 6 Cameron Munster, 7 Brodie Croft, 8 Jesse Bromwich, 9 Cameron Smith (c), 10 Tim Glasby, 11 Felise Kaufusi, 12 Joe Stimson, 13 Dale Finucane
Interchange: 14 Kenny Bromwich, 15 Christian Welch, 16 Brandon Smith, 17 Nelson Asofa-Solomona
Reserves: 18 Ryan Hoffman, 19 Jahrome Hughes, 20 Sam Kasiano, 21 Cheyse Blair
*Odds correct at time of posting. Subject to change
