NRL Grand Final Betting Preview: Bet Melbourne Storm to beat North Queensland Cowboys by 6-10 points
Recommended bet: Winning Margin – Melbourne Storm to win by 6-10 points @ 5/1 (6.00) with Sportsbet
It’s the culmination of the NRL Premiership season at the ANZ Stadium on Sunday evening, as Melbourne Storm take on North Queensland Cowboys in the Grand Final.
Few will be surprised to see the Storm taking their place in the Grand Final, having dominated the league all season. Having edged past the Parramatta Eels 18-16 in the Qualifying Finals, they then comprehensively saw off the Brisbane Broncos 30-0 in the Preliminary Final. The Storm go into the Grand Final on the back of a nine match winning streak.
By contrast, but the Cowboys have done things the hard way and will be looking to upset the betting odds again and complete what has been a fairytale progress through the finals, with wins at Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, then Parramatta Eels, then Sydney Roosters in their three consecutive finals games.
The Storm have won both meetings between the teams in the Premiership this season, scraping home 23-22 in extra-time at AAMI Park in June, then a more clear-cut 26-8 win in Townsville. That said, the first game was affected by Origin call-ups and the second saw the Cowboys lose Gavin Cooper and Antonio Winterstein to injury during the match, so it’s perhaps unwise to read too much into either result.
Melbourne are likely to name the same 17 that were on duty against the Broncos last week, but North Queensland coach Paul Green could bring back co-captain Matt Scott after a lengthy absence after undergoing knee reconstruction. Should he make his comeback, Shaun Fensom would be the unlucky man to miss out.
Michael Morgan, in the continued absence of Johnathan Thurston, and Jason Taumalolo have been in outstanding form for the Cowboys, but this will be the last time that Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater play together for the Storm and they will be desperate to ensure that the purple jerseys end the campaign with the victory that their performances throughout the season deserve.
A Melbourne win looks the likely outcome, but it could be tight. Backing the Storm to get home by 6-10 points at 5/1 (6.00) with Sportsbet looks like a good bet.
