Club 20 NRL Tipping Round 2: ‘How good were Birdy and Barba?’

Last updated: Mar 17, 2021, 2:32AM | Published: Mar 17, 2021, 12:48AM

A solid start to the NRL tipping season for the Stats Insider NRL Model in Round 1, hitting on 6 winners from the 8 games, missing a lacklustre Titans team and a Rabbitohs side that should have, could have, but didn’t.

Sadly for those of you who followed the ‘advice’ of our guest tipster Vlad Putin, you managed just 2/8, a result which should teach you all a valuable lesson: #TrustTheModel!

Another political Guest Tipster this week and another coup for our burgeoning column as we welcome Scott Morrison.

Yes that’s right, the man who so graciously refrained from peppering us all with rubber bullets on Monday has backed up his altruism to help you tip some winners at the footy this weekend.

Despite the fact we didn’t ask, his press sec said that Mr. Morrison is ‘a great advocate for Women, in fact right now he is working on a new policy whereby women, for a small daily fee, will receive an hour of chore-free time each day, so long as the man that owns them has no further need of them during that time.’

So, back to the footy.

DISCLAIMER: All bets/picks mentioned are accurate as of 11th March at 1:30pm. The model predictions are dynamic and will update up until the match.

Eels v Storm

Morrison: Parramatta is a club that I greatly respect and admire, from their mascot, the noble eel, to club greats like Kenny Edwards, Semi Radradra and Jarryd Hayne.

Model: Storm

Green Smilie Watch: The model has spied some value in the Totals market in this game, identifying a 7% edge on the Overs (36.5pts).

Warriors v Knights

Morrison: I feel for the women in the Newcastle electorate, led by Sharon Claydon and her tiny brain, a brain half the size of mine. It’s science. Despite her tiny brain, early polling suggests we have a better chance to flip New Zealand… so as of this morning, flights to Auckland now cost 8c and I have replaced esky with chilly bin in the Collins dictionary. Go Warriors!

Model: Knights

Titans v Broncos

Morrison: Matt Lodge used to be a real favourite of mine, but this nasty business of he and Ben Te’o getting involved in the private affairs of perfectly innocent and upstanding citizens. What happened to you Matt? I’m warming to that David Fifita chap. Go Titans.

Model: Titans.

Green Smiley Watch: The model has identified value in the Totals Markets, with a 6% edge on the Overs (40.5pts).

Bulldogs v Panthers

Morrison: What a club the Bulldogs are. You have to respect their record. Ben Barba obviously, but even guys like Michael Lichaa, young Adam Elliot is coming along nicely too. Bulldogs.

Model: Panthers

Sea Eagles v Panthers

Morrison: What can we say about Sam Burgess that hasn’t already been said about Ghandi? I mean what a champion. Then again, Dylan Walker at fullback, we all know his bonafides. Hard choice. Go Manly!

Model: Bunnies

Green Smiley Watch: More value from the model in the Totals Market, this time a 6% edge for the Unders (41.5pts).

Cowboys v Dragons

Morrison: Matt Canavan is confident the Cowboys will win given their hereditary blood immunity from Covid which they got from 17th century Moscovian Pirates. He also said these new man-shakes he got from a Nigerian Prince can improve players’ reading and diablo skills by up to 97%. Pretty impressive stuff. Go ~~Coal~~ Cowboys.

Model: Cowboys

Green Smiley Watch: Massive 11% edge on the Dragons to hold their +5.5pt line against the Cows.

Tigers v Roosters

Morrison: No debate needed here, Shaun Kenny-Dowall is my favourite player, the girls have posters of him on their walls. #SKDuralrightbyme

Model: Roosters

Sharks v Raiders

Morrison: From Greggy Bird to Benny Barba, still have a soft spot for Michy Lichaa too, just champion blokes with good christian values. What a club. Rain, hail, tropical cyclone, bushfire, foreign invasion, whatever is happening, I’ll be there cheering them on.

Model: Raiders

Okay, so there you have it, thanks to Mr. Morrison for taking the time out of his busy schedule to provide his insights.

For those less inclined to listen to our guest tipster, be sure to make the Stats insider NRL Match Pages part of your pre-tipping and pre-punting routine.

Markets adjust, factors change – the model runs every game 10,000 times and is constantly updating so don’t waste such awesome data, harness it and fly up those tipping comp leaderboards!

If you have any suggestions as to who we can add to our Guest Tipsters for 2021, feel free to let us know over on our Club 20 twitter page.

Hedge

Cruelly denied sporting glory due to recurring shin splint complaints and an aversion to warm-up laps, Hedge now spends his days golfing, fishing the leaves out of the Club 20 pools and identifying value plays in PGA, AFL, AFLW and T20. All you really need to know about him is he's more than comfortable taking 3I off the tee on a Par 5, and more than capable of pulling driver off the deck second shot.