I was confident Round 8 was finally an easy round to pick a winner in NRL tipping – I thought I had a chance of a clean sweep.
I selected all the favourites except for the Roosters, picking my team the Dragons for an upset win.
Although the Dragons did pull off an upset, most of the other favourites lost and I ended up with only three from nine.
Going into Round 8 I was coming equal second in The Roar’s tipping competition, so I assumed that with only three out of nine I had blown it, but to my surprise I am still equal two, just with more company.
Almost everybody had major problems with the last round – The Roar’s Expert tipsters mostly scored less than me, ranging from 0-5.
Looking at the ladder, only eight points separate first and last, and only two points separate the Tigers in fifth and the 15th placed Eels, with Manly just a further two points behind in last.
At one third through the competition every team still has a chance at the top eight.
Fancied team the Roosters (four straight losses) are in 12th, with the heavyweight Bulldogs in 11th, and last year’s seemingly unbeatable grand finalists Souths (three straight losses) in sixth but will tumble out of the eight unless they win their next match against the defensive might of the top-placed Dragons.
The Bookies are hedging their bets at this stage and based on their current odds see a top eight of Rabbitohs, Cowboys, Roosters, Storm, Broncos, Bulldogs, Dragons and Panthers.
The Panthers may well be on the comeback trail, with numerous players including Jamie Soward due back in coming weeks, but next up they face a tougher test in the Broncos in Brisbane.
The Dragons have yet to meet Rabbitohs, apart from their 12-all draw in the Charity Shield. A loss to the Dragons will make it four losses in a row for the Rabbitohs – and seven wins on the trot for the Dragons.
The Cowboys and Bulldogs face each other in Round 9, with the Bulldogs looking forward to the return of some injured and suspended players. The Cowboys will have to deal with the loss of Jason Taumalolo but look likely to make it two losses in a row to the Bulldogs.
The Roosters are seeking to avoid five losses in a row when they play the hungry Tigers fresh from their big win over the Warriors. The Storm play the slippery Eels next, and will be looking to stamp their authority.
It is going to be a long season, and injuries and Origin commitments will play a vital part.
Manly, like the Panthers are looking forward to a number of players returning from injury, but other teams such as the Dragons, Warriors, Tigers, Roosters, Cowboys, Knights and Storm have had a relatively small numbers of injuries to date and are going into the rest of the year at near full strength.
My tips for the top eight are Cowboys, Roosters, Bulldogs, Dragons, Tigers, Storm, Rabbitohs and Panthers. The Broncos are playing very well, but will miss out due to Origin commitments and injuries.
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All the team list information for Round 8.
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