RUGBY LEAGUE BETTING: Betrescue’s Chris Hutcheon reckons St Helens can end the dominance of the Leeds Rhinos this season. Read Hutcho’s Super League Preview.
Leeds and St Helens continued their dominance of Super League in 2009; the former registering a third successive Grand Final triumph, and the pair are expected to be there or thereabouts again in this year’s competition.
The Rhinos are 5/4 with Jaxx.com to lift the trophy for a fourth time in a row and 11/10 (Betdaq) to be regular season table-toppers while Victor Chandler and Stan James price Saints at 11/4 and 10/3 respectively to do likewise.
Wigan (10/1, Paddy Power), who finished sixth in the table last year, and Challenge Cup winners Warrington (11/1, bet365), who could only manage tenth, come next in the Grand Final betting and they should show more consistency than they did in 2009 but that pair, along with Betfred’s 14/1 shots Huddersfield, will find it hard to break the stranglehold of the two favourites.
The regular season will nevertheless be competitive and with a clutch of exciting youngsters emerging Saints could be about to turn the tables on the Rhinos, by landing the top prize. Crucial to their success will be the presence of exciting halfback Kyle Eastmond, who is a tasty each-way proposition at20/1 (Ladbrokes) to be the top regular season try scorer and also appeals at 4/1 with 888Sport to be the highest points scorer.
Leeds flyer Ryan Hall heads the betting in the try market at 6/1 with William Hill and he’s a decent back up bet.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the table, Celtic Crusaders will struggle again and at 4/5 with Partybets, they look set for the wooden spoon once more.
The Welsh outfit are also a tempting 2/1 (888Sport) to lose a game to nil at some stage and one of the two Hull sides could end up in the bottom six; they’re 11/8 apiece courtesy of bet365 to end up outside of the play off places.
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