NRL Friday Warriors vs Storm odds & David Fusitua try-scorer tips

Friday, March 10 from 6pm at Mt Smart Stadium, New Zealand

ONE of the best rivalries in the NRL will add another chapter this Friday night when the Warriors host the Storm.

Both teams are coming off a round 1 victory and the bookies are predicting a close one.

Last week, home fans at Mt Smart Stadium were treated to an exciting win over back-to-back wooden spoon winners the Newcastle Knights.

The Storm made the most of tricky conditions in Sydney by beating the Bulldogs in a tight 12-6 game. They raced out to an early 12-0 lead and were able to hold off the Bulldogs, which didn’t offer much offense throughout the game.

The Warriors and Storm have a rich history of thrilling contests – so fans and punters alike are looking forward to this game.

With players such as Solomone Kata, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Suliasi Vunivalu and Cameron Munster – this game should have plenty of excitement and the try-scoring betting options will be popular.

Warriors vs. Storm first try-scorer market

Warriors:

The Warriors have many first try-scoring options, but the bookmakers are giving some good value for David Fusitua, who scored three tries last week.

Fusitua didn’t have to do much work to score his three tries, but the +1600 at Sportsbet.com.au appears to be great value for a player who finds scoring tries easy.

The current favourites for the Warriors are Kata, Lolohea and Maumalo, but we’re discounting the chances of Tui Lolohea who isn’t in the form of his life at the moment.

Lolohea is just holding onto his position in the Warriors and the bookmakers might have misjudged his talent in the try-scoring ranks. We think Solomone Kata represents much better value at the same price as he’s very hard to stop close to the line.

Kata crashed over to score in the win against the Knights and he’s becoming one of the hardest players to stop from 10m out. He’s a big bloke who has a wide frame and the likes of Cheyse Blair and Will Chambers might find it tough to stop the battering ram.

Kata looks one of the better betting options for the Warriors and he’s currently +140 at Ladbrokes.com.au to score a try at any time
throughout the game. The ground conditions are expected to be wet, so a close-range try could be on the cards.

Our final bet for the Warriors side is the enigmatic Charlie Gubb who made some good runs last week and could tumble over the line for a rare try.

Gubb is currently $11 at Sportsbet to score during the game and we think that’s good value for a bet which will make the game more interesting.

Storm:

It’s tough to go past Suliasi Vunivalu for the Storm. The Fijian winger didn’t score first last week, that went to Cheyse Blair, but he did score three minutes later.

Vunivalu was the highest try-scorer in the NRL last season and it’s not hard to see why. He attracts attention on the wing and with the likes of Cooper Cronk and Cameron Munster playing inside you, getting good ball is premium.

He’s the current $8 favourite at CrownBet.com.au to score the first try of the game and the $1.72 on offer to score at any time looks like a good multi-builder bet.

Josh Addo-Carr has been well-supported in the market at $9. He has a big reputation without fully showing his talent, but he will get better throughout the season as he adjusts to his new teammates.

Addo-Carr is $9 to score first and $1.91 to score at any time. We’re predicting many multi bets to be running through the rising star.

An underrated try-scoring option is Cooker Cronk. Whilst he’s best known for setting them up for his teammates, Cronk has more speed than advertised and he can break through the defense.

Look for Cronk to target the left hand side defense of the Warriors which looked very average against the Knights.

Cronk is currently +275 to score throughout the game.

Warriors vs. Storm game tip

The Warriors always perform at their best when playing the Storm, but there were concerning signs against the Knights last week.

The left side defense was horrible and the Storm are not a nervous team on attack. The Storm will come at the Warriors for the full 80 minutes and in what should be soggy conditions in Auckland, we think the $1.70 for the Storm is a great price.