Football and Rugby League

Still can't quite get a winner on the racetrack, but nice football and rugby wins again yesterday. So we'll drop the horses today and switch rugby codes to the Grand Final at Old Trafford. Always a cracking day out, and should be a tense tight affair.

3.00 West Brom to beat Fulham 11/8 (WON 1-0 +6.43 - West Brom in the top half and Fulham facing another long relegation battle)
After losing their first two games, West Brom will be happy to have 7 points from their last four games, getting a good point at Bolton, beating West Ham at home and then last week winning at The Riverside. Fulham however, after beating Arsenal and then Bolton, have lost three in a row if you include the League Cup loss at Burnley, and again including that they have lost all three away games, scoring just once. And on their comparative form you have to fancy the Baggies to make it to 10 points today.

3.00 Wigan bt Middlesbrough Evens (LOST 1-0 +5.43 - Boro finally win away in a game not for the purists!)
This match is very similar to the one above. Wigan lost their first two games - admittedly tough assignmenats at West Ham and home to Chelsea, but are unbeaten since then, hammering five past Hull, four past Ipswich in the League Cup and then last week beating the moneybags from Man City. Morale will be high at the JJB and a win today will confirm their top half spot. Boro have lost their last four games in all competitions, with their only wins this seaosn coming against Spurs and Stoke, and havent socred in the Premier League for 246 minutes. Wigan will relish this chance.

5.30 Rooney to score 1st goal 5/1 e/w (Scored 2nd goal +5.76 - 3 in 3 for Rooney)
The one criticism labelled against Wayne Rooney is that he doesnt score enough goals, but with Berbatov alongside him he shouldn't have to come so short to get involved in the play and his two goals in his last two may be the start of the final piece of the jigsaw coming together at United for this world class talent. 5/1 is available with the high street boys and you can get 1/3 odds for the first 5 scorers.

6.00 Leeds beat St Helens 5/2 (WON 24-16 +8.26 - a slow start but the resolute defence held up against an off-form Saints side, and some magic near the tryline saw Leeds defend their title)
The bookies clearly fancy Daniel Anderson's Saints to send him off in style, but it isn't always the season's best side who win the Old Trafford showpiece. In the last three years, St Helens finished top of the league but have only won the trophy once - in 2005 they didnt even make the final, and of course last year Leeds beat them. And over the season there is little between these sides. There was one point separating them at the top of the table, and the difference in points difference was less than 2 points per game. Yet the handicaps are 8 points, and Leeds are 5/2 against. In the regular season Leeds won 14-10 at Knowsley Road and Saints won 26-12 at Headingley. Yes Saints won the eliminator 38-10, but the safety not of the playoff would have seen Leeds ease off slightly when the game was gone. And yes Saints have had extra time to prepare, but as we have seen that theory doesnt hold in recent years. So yes Saints may send Daniel Anderson off in style but 5/2 seems too good to miss about Leeds.