How $20 was turned into $37,000 by one lucky NRL punter

ALL the mug punters out there hoping to strike it rich with a hail mary multi, this one is for you.

One very lucky sportsbet.com.au punter has hit the motherlode.

A simple two leg multi, with a $20 stake, has netted him a remarkable $37,000 pay day.

The punter had his $20 hit and hope on the NRL, targeting the try scorer markets.

First he had North Queensland Cowboys forward Ethan Lowe to score two or more tries against the Canterbury Bulldogs at a massive $61.

Lowe strode over the line twice in the Cowboys’ 24-16 win over the Bulldogs at Belmore last Thursday night, giving him five tries in his past six games.

Most people would be content with the $61 odds from that in a single bet, with the $20 returning $1220.

But not this brave punter.

He parlayed the Cowboy with Parramatta Eels full back Bevan French, putting his fate in the gun to score a hat trick against the St George Illawarra Dragons.

That was paying a gaudy $31 and would have returned $620 for his $20 stake.

But forget that, he was going big, the dividend with the two combined in a multi paying an astronomical $1891 to $1.

The Eels rookie, who has punched above his weight all season, helped the punter fulfil his dreams when he went over three times in Parramatta’s 30-18 win over the Dragons.

At just 20, this kid is going to be anything and has provided one of the few bright spots in what has been a turgid season for the Eels.

He has a remarkable 16 tries in just 12 games and looks set to be the man to drive Parramatta coach Brad Arthur’s squad as full back for the immediate future.

“Definitely French will be our fullback next year,” Arthur said.

“We get a bit of time to work with him in the pre-season.

“Having two halves that are 93-94 kilos, and good size – we’ve based our season on the back of defence.”

Doing the math, thanks to Lowe and French, the punter collected a house deposit – $37,820.

“Never mind French’s hat trick or Lowe’s double, this punter has come up with the performance of the round, if not the season,” Sportsbet.com.au’s Christian Jantzen said.

We’re not sure he is right though.

Christian might be forgetting another punter who slammed his company for $137,700 on a two-leg multi earlier this season.

His $100 NRL multi featured correct winning margin bets on two separate games.

He backed the Manly Sea Eagles to beat the South Sydney Rabbitohs by exactly eight points ($17) and the Wests Tigers to take the chocolates against the St George Illawarra Dragons by exactly 13 ($81).

His $100 lay with Sportsbet.com.au promised a return of $1377 to $1.

He watched on as the Tigers handled the Dragons 25-12, but there were a few heart palpitations along the way, with the bet kept alive thanks to a late Mitchell Moses field goal that gave the Tigers the final margin.

His bet was all but done at half time of the Sea Eagles game, with Manly leaping out to an 18-0 lead.

But, as if the punting Gods were smiling down on him, Souths made somewhat of a comeback, scoring two tries in the second half to make it 20 to 12.

They almost undid him, though, with a try in the 79th minute botched to leave the scores as they were.

His life has now been changed forever with a $137,700 return.

Either he knew something everyone else didn’t, or he is one of the luckiest punters in the world.

Ahead of the last round of the NRL season, the Melbourne Storm are still the team to beat with CrownBet.com.au, rated a $3.75 chance to lift the premiership in 2016, narrowly ahead of last season’s champions, the North Queensland Cowboys at $4.25. But there is some seriously stiff competition coming from the Cronulla Sharks, who are at $5 and are just one point behind the Storm on the ladder, with a final round clash between the top two sides set to decide the minor premiership this weekend.

Outside of those three, the Brisbane Broncos still have their claims at $6, while the Canberra Raiders – who no one is talking about, but who have also had a fantastic season – are the only other side in single figures at $7.

The Storm are $1.44 to claim the minor premiership with Sportsbet.com.au, with the Sharks out at $2.80.

The top four still has one slot yet to be decided and it’s the Cowboys who are the $1.22 favourites ahead of the Brisbane Broncos ($4) and Bulldogs ($21).

The Gold Coast Titans are $1.38 to snag the last finals spot ahead of the Tigers who are rated a $2.85 outside chance.

“One round to go and there’s still a lot up in the air but punters are circling the Sharks to cause an upset in AAMI park,’’ the bookie’s Will Byrne said.

2016 NRL Premiership Market

Melbourne Storm ($3.75)

North Queensland Cowboys ($4.25)

Cronulla Sharks ($5)

Brisbane Broncos ($6)

Canberra Raiders ($7)

Canterbury Bulldogs ($17)

Penrith Panthers ($23)

Gold Coast Titans ($51)

Wests Tigers ($101)

All odds provided by Sportsbet.com.au