Melbourne Storm and South Sydney Rabbitohs lead us into the Round 2 Games of the Week for BetDeluxe.
All the best bets, tips and selections ahead of a massive weekend of Rugby League.
Melbourne vs. South Sydney
march 17th 8:05pm
An early test of character arises for Melbourne Storm when it faces South Sydney at AAMI Park on Thursday night.
The Storm were left rocked by season-ending injuries to Christian Welch and George Welch in the season-opening victory against Wests Tigers.
Matters were made worse with Brandon Smith also likely to miss the next three to six weeks.
Craig Bellamy will be able to select captain Jesse Bromwich who returns from health and safety protocols, but the Rabbitohs will have to fancy themselves in this game after shock loss in Round 1.
South Sydney was caught out by a fierce Brisbane Broncos outfit and had to settle for a 11-4 loss.
Relying on outs for the Storm to win a game is not exactly a tactic that wins you games given how brilliant Bellamy is at ensuring his structures and systems withstand opposition.
This should be a case of one soldier down and another one comes in for Melbourne.
Suggested Bet: Melbourne Storm -8.5 $1.98
Suggested Same Game Multi:
Leg 1: Melbourne Storm -8.5
Leg 2: Total points under 40.5
Leg 3: X. Coates anytime tryscorer
Combined odds = $6.25
sydney vs. manly
march 18th 8:05pm
Rebounding off Round 1 losses will be on the agenda for both Sydney and Manly when they meet at the SCG on Friday night.
Both teams were left flat-footed to begin the season after going down as favourites in their respective matches.
The Roosters were stunned by the Newcastle Knights, while Manly failed to beat a Penrith Panthers missing Nathan Cleary.
There was an argument to be made for the Roosters, for loss in which resting their guns in the pre-season trials might have left them underdone for the first game last weekend.
The Roosters failed to find their mojo, but there looks to be a little more upside compared to Manly.
Manly struggled to make any meaningful inroads between itself and the Panthers and there was no excuse given the strong form of Tom Trbojevic and Daly Cherry-Evans in the pre-season trials.
This will come down to how well the world-class fullbacks of either team performs.
Trbojevic for the Sea Eagles and James Tedesco for the Roosters.
Giving the Roosters another chance.
Suggested Bets: Sydney Roosters -1.5 at $1.85
Suggested Same Game Multi:
Leg 1: Sydney -1.5
Leg 2: J. Tedesco anytime scorer
Leg 3: Total points over 41.5
Combined odds = $6
