Rugby League / Nick Tedeschi / 13 May 2009 / Leave a comment Bet Now

The Bulldogs will extend their lead at the top of the premiership table, writes Nick Tedeschi.

The Bulldogs have surprised many this season on their way to the top of the table, having lost only one match all year. The Dragons have also jumped the gate this season, now second on the table on the back of the stingiest defence in the NRL.

Canterbury have a fantastic recent record against the Dragons, defeating their local rivals seven straight times until last year, when the Dragons beat the Bulldogs 30-0 the weekend Sonny Bill Williams walked out on the Belmore Boys.

The key to this match should be the respective packs. The Dragons have built their success on their dominant forward pack but if one pack is equipped to take it to the Dragons it is the Dogs big men. Ben Hannant is arguably the form prop of the league and the likes of Ryan and Stagg can wear down an opposition pack with their ability to create second phase play.

The Bulldogs lead the NRL in attack and rank 4th in defence yet are outsiders in this exciting match-up. The Dogs can be bet down to 1.90 while traders can take any plus on offer.

The Gold Coast have a number of key injury concerns for this weekend with both Scott Prince and Luke Bailey in severe doubt. That should put the Broncos in good stead this week to atone for their shock loss to Manly. Traders should be careful when playing this match. The best bet, however, is Brisbane in the half-time/full-time double.

The Roosters have lost four of their last five and are on the dreaded five-day backup against the in-form Newcastle Knights, who have won five of their last six including victories against Brisbane and the Dragons. Newcastle looks like good things this week and can be bet down to 1.40 and traded in both the handicap and half-time/full-time double markets.

Penrith have strung together two straight victories and rank 6th in attack and 10th in defence. They have too much speed out wide for Cronulla and with the Sharks incapable of scoring points the bet is Penrith and by plenty.

The Warriors have won their last three against the Cowboys at Mt. Smart and the Cowboys only road win this season was against Cronulla in Adelaide. The Warriors are edging towards a big win and this could be it. Lay the points with supreme confidence.

Manly may have turned the corner last weekend with a stunning come-from-behind win against Brisbane. The Eagles have won five of their last six against Parramatta and with Parramatta ranking 15th in the NRL in both attack and defence, the smart wager is Manly. Try them straight out at 1.40 and in the half-time/full-time double market.

The Tigers have won six of their last seven against Souths and in each of those wins have racked up 30-plus points. With Robbie Farah in career best form and Benji Marshall playing with some consistency at halfback, the bet is the Tigers at better than 1.55 with the Tigers likely to get the points in a shootout.

The Storm have won thirteen straight against Canberra, one of the longest winning streaks in the NRL, with the Raiders not winning at Olympic Park since 2000. The Storm have won by an average of 18 ½ points against Canberra at Olympic Park in their last four encounters and have looked a far more threatening outfit since Brett Finch has arrived in town. Traders should bet the Storm spotting up to 11 ½ points with a saver on the Storm half-time/full-time double.