Melbourne Storm into favouritism for 2017 NRL title

FIVE rounds in to the 2017 season, the NRL premiership picture is just beginning to take shape.

And there’s a distinct purple haze enveloping the competition.

The Melbourne Storm have reeled off five straight wins and now stand alone at the top of the ladder – and the premiership market with WilliamHill.com.au.

With the Sydney Roosters suffering their first loss of the season, the Storm have become the only unbeaten team and the bookies have reacted by making them the $5 favourite to win the grand final.

The Storm kicked off the season without the legendary Billy Slater, who made his comeback in Round 3 after over a year away from the game, then lost Jesse Bromwich to a finger injury, before both playmaker Cameron Munster and the NRL’s leading try-scorer in 2016 Suliasi Vunivalu also went down.

And yet they just keep on winning, the latest a bow out 28-6 domination of the Penrith Panthers.

The Storm, despite being decimated by injury, have just found ways to claw their way to victory, whether it’s on the road or at home.

And that is why some pundits are saying they have the title stitched up.

But don’t tell that to the likes of the Sydney Roosters, who are $7 second favourites after reeling off four straight wins to start the season, before conceding their match on the weekend to the Manly Sea Eagles 18-12.

Despite a slow start, the Canberra Raiders are still Sportsbet’s third pick for the title at +700.

They smacked the Parramatta Eels ($23) on the weekend to right a ship that had yielded just one win from its first four games.

Ageless Jonathan Thurston and his North Queensland Cowboys are always a chance, having reeled off four wins from their first five and they are at $9, along with the Panthers.

We know it’s early doors, but, if you have been keeping track, that is five teams with quotes under $10, indicating just how split the punters are and how close this season is expected to be.

The Brisbane Broncos might just represent some value at $10, having drifted thanks to a slow start.

And if you think the St George Illawarra Dragons can keep it up, then they are definitely worth a flutter as a cash-out hopeful, with their record of four from five leaving them in second spot, despite the bookie’s long odds of $17.

At the other end of the spectrum, the Newcastle Knights ($1.62) are favourites to win the NRL’s wooden spoon, ahead of the Manly Sea Eagles at $5.50.

But there has been a big firmer in that market, with the Wests Tigers having their quote halved by Sportsbet.com.au

The bookie has shredded Wests price from $20 into $10 as the Tigers sit rooted to the bottom of the table with just one win – and a poorer percentage than the Knights.

The Tigers were slaughtered by the St George Illawarra Dragons on Sunday, 28-6, leaving the bookie’s Christian Jantzen despondent.

“As a Tigers tragic, I hate to talk about the dreaded spoon but after yesterday’s performance they’re every chance of snaring it,” Jantzen said.

“Unfortunately the other bloke who works here is off sick so it’s been left to me to deliver this sad news.”

They will be hoping a change of perspective in the coach’s box will lead to a turn around, with former New Zealand Warriors star Ivan Cleary today taking the reins from sacked former mentor

Cleary is known as a coach who makes tough decisions, but can ultimately deliver success when paired with a young team.

He led the New Zealand Warriors from neat the bottom of the ladder, all the way to the grand final and then he also, took an ailing Penrith Panthers side to within one win from a grand final berth.

Change is in the air out West.

Sportsbet.com.au reports Roosters star recruit Luke Keary has been absolutely crunched in from his starting quote of $126 to $15 on the back of stellar play through the first five rounds of the season.

But Eel Corey Norman is still the man all the punters want, with Sportsbet holding almost half the money in the market on the superstar, who is the $7 favourite to win the competition’s highest individual honour.

As far as the Clive Churchill Medal for best player in the grand final goes, it’s no surprise that the favoured Storm dominate the market, a long way out.

The top six in the market are all Storm players, with superstars Cooper Cronk and Cameron Smith sharing favouritism with Sportsbet.com.au at $19. Behind that pair are Jesse Bromwich at $41 and the Munster and Slater share the $46 quote, with Vunivalu in triple figures at $101.

2017 NRL premiership market

Melbourne Storm (+400)

Sydney Roosters ($7)

Canberra Raiders ($8)

North Queensland Cowboys ($9)

Penrith Panthers ($9)

Brisbane Broncos ($10)

Cronulla Sharks ($13)

St George Illawarra Dragons ($17)

Manly Sea Eagles ($19)

New Zealand Warriors ($23)

Parramatta Eels ($23)

Canterbury Bulldogs ($26)

Gold Coast Titans ($51)

South Sydney Rabbitohs ($51)

Wests Tigers ($67)

Newcastle Knights ($151)

Odds provided by WilliamHill.com.au

Dally M Award winner market

Corey Norman ($7)

Johnathan Thurston ($9)

Cooper Cronk ($10)

Cameron Smith ($11)

James Tedesco ($11)

Mitchell Pearce ($11)

Luke Keary ($15 in from $126)

Matt Moylan ($15)

Anthony Milford ($19)

Mitchell Moses ($21)

Josh Hodgson ($23)

Odds provided by Sportsbet.com.au