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Fri April 17 2009, 7:30PM AEST GMT+10Fri: Penrith Panthers 18 l. Brisbane Broncos 38 at
Penrith Stadium, Mulgoa Road, Penrith, Sydney (NSW)Crowd: 14,332
Fri April 17 2009, 7:30PM AEST GMT+10Fri: Gold Coast Titans 16 d. Canberra Raiders 10 at
Skilled Park, Robina, Gold Coast (QLD)Crowd: 18,510
Sat April 18 2009, 5:30PM AEST GMT+10Sat: St George Illawarra Dragons 18 l. Newcastle Knights 24 at
Kogarah Jubilee Oval, Kogarah, Sydney (NSW)Crowd: 14,477
Sat April 18 2009, 7:30PM AEST GMT+10Sat: South Sydney Rabbitohs 8 l. Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 24 at
ANZ Stadium (Sydney), Homebush Bay, Sydney (NSW)Crowd: 14,225
Sun April 19 2009, 2:00PM NZST GMT+12Sun: New Zealand Warriors 17 d. Sydney Roosters 16 at
Mt Smart Stadium, Penrose, Auckland (NZ)Crowd: 16,309
Sun April 19 2009, 1:30PM ACST GMT+9Sun: Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 10 l. North Queensland Cowboys 34 at
Hindmarsh Stadium, Hindmarsh, Adelaide (SA)Crowd: 8,547
Sun April 19 2009, 3:00PM AEST GMT+10Sun: Parramatta Eels 18 l. Bulldogs 48 at
ANZ Stadium (Sydney), Homebush Bay, Sydney (NSW)Crowd: 18,233
Mon April 20 2009, 7:00PM AEST GMT+10Mon: Wests Tigers 16 d. Melbourne Storm 6 at
Leichhardt Oval, Leichhardt, Sydney (NSW)Crowd: 12,646
Mon April 20, 2009
Source: www.melbournestorm.com.auCameron Smith's 150th game has ended in disappointment as the Storm went down to the Wests Tigers 16-6, their fifth defeat at Leichhardt Oval in six appearances at the venue.
The game was a test for both teams to see who could improve on their perceived much publicised weaknesses.
For the Wests Tigers, there week was spent working on their defence after conceding the most tries of any team.
For the Storm, it was another week of attacking drills to make use of their star-studded backline.
In the first half, the Tigers showed more improvement in defence than the Storm did in attack.
Wests had a strong breeze at their back and the kicks from half-back Benji Marshall were gaining precious meters and captain Robbie Farah was creative from dummy-half.
The Storm quickly put the blowtorch on the Tigers' shaky wide defence when in Melbourne's first set of six, Will Chambers broke the line.
It didn't result in a try but it wasn't long until Greg Inglis got his hands on the ball.
Inglis stepped and charged through the line before finding Ryan Hoffman in support, the big number 12 putting it over in the eighth minute.
Smith judged the wind beautifully to make the conversion.
The Storm looked imposing but in the Storm's first tackle after the try, Adam Blair tried unsuccessfully to offload a pass.
The Tigers capitalised on the mistake when Farah put a grubber kick through for full-back Tim Moltzen.
Wests attacking ability was again on show in the 27th minute when Farah and Marshall straightened their runs to put Chris Lawrence through a hole.
Marshall missed the conversion but the Tigers had a 10-6 lead at half-time.
Tough conditions got even worse in the second half when rain pelted down at Leichhardt Oval.
The Storm went hard at the line for the first 10 minutes but without reward.
Skill levels from both teams suffered due to the slippery conditions and attacking opportunities were few and far between.
Farah put in another grubber kick in the 58th minute, but the video referee showed a try-saving effort by Anthony Quinn to knock the ball out.
Quinn was again in the thick of things when a controversial forward pass decision disallowed a try by the winger in the 62nd minute.
On replays, the pass from James Maloney appeared to be flat.
Late in the second half, successive knock-ons from the opposing half-backs, Marshall and Cronk, optimised a half where even the most skilful struggled under pressure to handle the slippery ball.
The Storm had a desperate last-ditch attempt to snatch the win when Inglis charged down the left wing but when Cronk's chip kick went out any hope of a win went with it.
Wests rubbed salt into the wounds when Lawrence took on the short side defence and ran 60 meters to score a try in the last play of the game.
Ryan Hoffman said after the game that despite trying hard, the Tigers defended too well for the Storm to get a competitive score on the board.
The Tigers weakness had become their strength while the Storm now looks to Anzac day for inspiration and a much needed win.
Wests Tigers 16 (Tries: Lawrence 2, Moltzen; Goals: Marshall 2) def Storm 6 (Try: Inglis; Goals Smith 1) at Leichhardt Oval.
Mon April 20, 2009
Source: www.rleaguebetting.comComplete look at the markets for tonight's Wests Tigers v Storm clash at Leichhardt Oval.
Whichever way you're leaning in tonight's clash at Leichardt Oval,
Pinnacle Sports are the betting agency with the best odds. They are paying $2.89 for a Tigers victory, and $1.47 for the Storm. Consider the Storm giving up 6 points start (also at Pinnacle) at odds of $1.94 - they should prove just a touch too classy for the Tigers tonight. If you think Benji might marshall his side to victory like he did against the Roosters, take the $4.35 odds from
Sportingbetthat they'll win by 1-12.
In the
1st Scoring Play market, the most value seems to be in backing a Wests Tigers try @ $2.50 from
Sportingbet. This quote compares favourably with the $2.30 available elsewhere.
Sportingbet are also paying top odds on most of the favourites in the
1st Try Scorer market. You can get $11 for Billy Slater, or $12 for Greg Inglis. Chris Lawrence has an attractive price of $16 at
Sports Alive. For a long shot, consider Wairangi Koopu - the $41 on offer from
Centrebet is almost double the $22 available elsewhere.
Greg Inglis doesn't have too many quiet games in a row, and you can get $2.10 odds from
Sportingbet that he'll score a try any time tonight.
Click Here to Compare Odds on Tigers vs Storm* Note all prices are subject to change
Round 6
Wests Tigers 16 d. Melbourne Storm 6
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