Rabbitohs vs. Dragons NRL Monday odds, exotics and best bets

NRL Round 9 – South Sydney Rabbitohs vs. St George Illawarra Dragons
Venue: ANZ Stadium, 7pm
Weather: Clear, 21 degrees

THIS is the game everyone has been waiting for – the 2014 premiers up against the form side of 2015.

After losing their first two games of the season, Paul McGregor’s St George Dragons produced a miraculous effort to turn their season around and have won there past six matches. South Sydney is on the opposite end of the spectrum, searching for there first win in four matches.

All eyes will be on the team sheet tomorrow night for the inclusion of injured halfback Adam Reynolds. Reynolds has been desperate to make an early return to be considered for the New South Wales state of origin side and it’s evident his team need him more than ever to cement a top four spot.

St George have recorded impressive victories over Sydney Roosters, Brisbane Broncos and last year’s grand finalists Canterbury in their past three matches, whereas South Sydney have been defeated by Canberra, Cronulla and North Queensland over the past three weeks.

John Sutton will make a return from a broken jaw and the absence of Glenn Stewart due to a thumb injury has forced South Sydney coach Michael McGuire to reshuffle his forward pack.

John Dugan is a huge loss for the Dragons – replaced by Eto Nabuli – however, they welcome back Tyson Frizell.

These two sides haven’t met since round 12 of last season, where the Rabbitohs’ were victorious 29-10.

Overall they have played 23 games between each other, with St George clearly having the edge in this rivalry, winning 15.

At ANZ stadium, both teams have a 53% strike rate.

Betting Summary for Rabbitohs vs. Dragons

Despite coming into this match on the back of three straight defeats, South Sydney have been well supported by punters, paying $1.45 in the head-to-head market, with the Dragons at juicy odds of $2.85 with Crownbet.com.au.

The line is +7.5 to the Dragons, with both sides at $1.92.

If you prefer to play with the winning margin markets, there’s some great value on other for both sides. Assuming this match will be a close encounter, St George 1-12 are $4.50 and South Sydney are $3.10 to win by the same margin, giving punters great value compared to the line options. For Dragons supporters who believe they can triumph by 13+ points, you will get sensational odds of $7.25 at Crownbet.com.au.

South Sydney (1-12) $3.10

South Sydney (13+) $2.75

St George (1-12) $4.50

St George (13+) $7.25

First-Try Scorer market tips

South Sydney’s try-scoring wizard Alex Johnson is the favourite to cross the white line first at $9.50 and Jason Nightingale from the Dragons is also at enticing odds of $11.00 with crownbet.com.au

Other valuable players for both sides include:

Dylan Walker (Rabbitohs) $11.00

Joel Reddy (Rabbitohs) $12.00

Greg Inglis (Rabbitohs) $12.00

Eto Nabuli (Dragons) $12.00

Bryson Goodwin (Rabbitohs) $12.00

Euan Aitken (Dragons) $15.00

First-scoring play to be a penalty for both sides is $13.00; with a Rabbitohs try the most favoured option at $1.80.

Summary of betting options for the match

South Sydney is all the rage in this match to lead from start to finish, paying $1.95 for the half and full-time double with sportsbet.com.au. For Dragons supports who think there team can produce their fourth straight win and lead for the full eighty minutes, sportsbet.com.au are offering $3.60.

Punters who believe the Dragons can produce another sensational second half will get $8.50 for a Rabbitohs/Dragons half-time/full-time double and for the Dragons to lead and get run down in the second half, you can get juicy odds of $7.00.

With origin selection just around the corner, several players are desperate to stamp their authority and be noticed by selectors. Surprisingly, South Sydney are dominant favourites across a majority of markets, however the Dragons are in terrific form and you can’t go past a few of the exotic markets for them.

If the Dragons are successful tomorrow night, they will record their seventh straight win, having only suffered two losses at the start of the season, while South Sydney are looking to get their season back on track and break a three game losing streak.