Well, well, well....the tipping updates are back...for how long I'm not sure, but I've managed to find some time to send one out (finally) this week.
The last update was *ahem* Week 08! So what's changed since that time? And what hasn't?
The Top 4 hasn't changed.
The Storm, Rabbits, Roosters and Seaeagles have stayed safely inside the top 4 for 14 weeks and I can't see that changing anytime soon.
The Rabbitohs appear to have the pre-finals wobbles but once Sutton and Inglis return, I'm sure the Bunnies will be bouncing again.
The scene is set for a mouth watering Friday night minor premiership playoff on the 6th Septmber in the final round of the competition.
At this stage, it's hard to go past any of these sides going on to win the comp. With the additional life, I can't see the bottom 4 of the Top 8 making a dent...but stranger things have happened.
The other sides are just making up the competition numbers really.....
Well in 14 weeks, the Warriors you could say have been the biggest movers.
They were struggling in 14th spot on 4 points, but now Warriors are just outside the Top 8 by 1 point.
Both them and the Titans are biting at the heals of the Knights.
The Bulldogs and Sharks look like finishing inside the 8, but the Raiders are really struggling to hold their spot and could well lose their spot to the Warriors or Titans come finals time.
The Warriors v Titans clash in Rd 25 on the 24th August could well decide who's in and who's out.
The Panthers, Dragons, Tigers and Eels are still having a very ordinary season but with all the dramas in Tigertown such as the Benji fall out (failing to re-sign), mounting injuries & recently going down to the Eels, it's safe to say the Eels will be feeling confident that they may get the dreaded spoon finally off their hands. 4 weeks to go...we'll see.
In our tipping comp, Scotsta still holds a healthy lead and has done very well for 14 weeks to stay on top.
Feet Little was 2nd back then and has since slipped away to 10th spot.
Bronco2020 and Butch have made very good gains and are now inside the top 3 along with Vee8head who was in 27th spot 14 weeks ago but now finds himself in 3rd equal position.
The battles to win prizes re still very much on with 4 weeks to go! Keep getting those tips in folks!
FOR THE LATEST POOLS TABLES PLACINGS - VISIT THE CURRENT POOLS TABLE PAGE
Gaddaffi with a Joker All Correct score of 20 points and a margin of 16. Bang! Nailed it.
Here's what's happened in Week Twenty-One
STORM BACK INTO PRE-FINALS GROOVE IN THRASHING OF BUNNIES
A few minutes of Melbourne magic which produced two tries early in the first half set up the grinding victory on Friday night.
Souths superstar and former Storm boy Greg Inglis did not play, still troubled by the knee injury suffered during State of Origin last month.
The Rabbitohs were also missing injured five-eighth John Sutton although his replacement Luke Keary impressed in his first NRL start.
Last round Melbourne crushed Canberra 68-4 and the Storm began this match in similarly threatening fashion.
In the fifth minute half-back Cooper Cronk flung a wild ball that was batted twice across field, ending up in the arms of Will Chambers, who raced through a gaping hole in the stunned defence.
Three minutes later Melbourne scored again after Rabbitohs winger Dylan Farrell tried to work the ball from his own line but was barrelled back across by a wall of Storm defence.
He spilt the ball which was pounced on by prop Jesse Bromwich.
Farrell later saved a certain try by Sisa Waqa but his night finished on a sour note, stretchered from the field in a neck brace after his head collided with team-mate Andrew Everingham's knee while going up to take a high ball.
Apart from those opening minutes the match was fairly even, with Souths scoring late in the first half through Ben Te'o off an Adam Reynolds bomb.
The difference was that Melbourne made the most of their opportunities and the Rabbitohs did not.
Bellamy unhappy with Storm ball control
Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy said he had mixed feelings after his side's victory.
"I thought we had a good start but we really fell away with our ball control in the last 15 minutes of the second half, and we started pretty ordinary in the second half," Bellamy told the media
"While I was a bit unhappy with our lack of control for part of the game, I thought we defended pretty good for the whole game."
Melbourne and Souths may meet again in the finals and Bellamy said the Rabbitohs will be a different prospect with the likes of Inglis and Sutton back in the side.
"You'd think they are going to be a better side with Sutton and GI in there," Bellamy said.
"But having said that I don't think we play to our optimum tonight either."
Souths coach Michael Maguire said his side started poorly but he was pleased with the effort.
"I was proud of the players how they climbed back into the game," Maguire said.
"We built enough pressure at time to take a few opportunities but the finesse of our play at the time didn't get us the result."
Two dubious refereeing decisions also stalled their momentum as prop Sam Burgess was penalised for taking out Billy Slater in the air, although it appeared the full-back had already landed.
On the back of that penalty the Storm scored down the other end but it looked like Waqa failed to ground the ball over the line.
Melbourne put the result beyond doubt with eight minutes remaining when Justin O'Neill ran at pace onto a Slater ball and beat Nathan Merritt to touch down.
Storm: 26 (Will Chambers, Jesse Bromwich, Sisa Waqa, Justin O'Neill tries; Cameron Smith 3/4 conv, 2/2 pen goals) Rabbitohs: 8 (Ben Teo try: Adam Reynolds 1/1 conv, 1/1 pen goal)
TO SEE WHO TIPPED WHAT - VISIT THE FOOTY TIPS 'WHO TIPPED WHAT' LINK (YOU MUST BE SIGNED IN TO VIEW).
RANK
|
TIPPER
|
ROUND
22 SCORE
|
ROUND
22 MARGIN
|
TOTAL
SCORE
|
TOTAL
MARGIN
|
1
|
Scotsta
|
6
|
10
|
162
|
249
|
2
|
Bronco2020
|
6
|
8
|
151
|
247
|
3
|
Butch
|
12
|
8
|
150
|
219
|
4
|
Vee8head
|
6
|
8
|
150
|
239
|
5
|
Rocketane
|
12
|
12
|
149
|
223
|
6
|
Anu
|
6
|
14
|
148
|
241
|
7
|
Link Abrams
|
6
|
6
|
144
|
219
|
8
|
Darren Scott
|
12
|
10
|
144
|
252
|
9
|
jall091 (2008 Champion)
|
4
|
10
|
143
|
261
|
10
|
Feet Little
|
5
|
12
|
142
|
226
|
11
|
Warmess
|
12
|
8
|
140
|
230
|
12
|
taijay
|
6
|
7
|
139
|
251
|
13
|
tawa killers
|
5
|
10
|
139
|
259
|
14
|
devoid (2009 Champion)
|
6
|
10
|
138
|
244
|
15
|
killswitch
|
5
|
10
|
137
|
233
|
16
|
Keith Wilton
|
4
|
12
|
137
|
237
|
17
|
Harveysan
|
12
|
5
|
137
|
288
|
18
|
1YEARWONDERBARBA
|
5
|
8
|
137
|
330
|
19
|
Sincas
|
8
|
12
|
136
|
240
|
20
|
LOUNGIN SON
|
2
|
218
|
136
|
2098
|
21
|
Kiwi_Misty
|
6
|
12
|
135
|
241
|
22
|
Dean Campbell
|
6
|
8
|
134
|
234
|
23
|
jared francois
|
8
|
10
|
133
|
233
|
24
|
Alfie
|
10
|
12
|
133
|
254
|
25
|
Gorillagrip
|
4
|
22
|
132
|
250
|
26
|
NZ Tiger (2004 Champion)
|
12
|
10
|
131
|
210
|
27
|
Richard McCourt
|
12
|
10
|
131
|
215
|
28
|
Lainey
|
5
|
8
|
131
|
250
|
29
|
BEAR KNUCKLE
|
5
|
2
|
131
|
264
|
30
|
Heath Caldwell
|
14
|
10
|
130
|
233
|
31
|
Rob Killer (2006 Champion)
|
10
|
8
|
130
|
282
|
32
|
Bearass
|
10
|
6
|
129
|
239
|
33
|
ootz
|
10
|
6
|
128
|
241
|
34
|
mdt64
|
6
|
24
|
128
|
269
|
35
|
Redv4me
|
12
|
8
|
128
|
276
|
36
|
Staks
|
8
|
2
|
127
|
320
|
37
|
Bruiser
|
5
|
12
|
126
|
261
|
38
|
MrBusy
|
5
|
26
|
126
|
273
|
39
|
BT Ross
|
3
|
10
|
126
|
284
|
40
|
melz
|
5
|
14
|
125
|
278
|
41
|
Stevefromoz(2009 Champion)
|
8
|
10
|
124
|
260
|
42
|
tais1
|
5
|
12
|
123
|
217
|
43
|
Simply The Bears
|
12
|
4
|
123
|
287
|
44
|
Balmainadrian
|
10
|
8
|
123
|
288
|
45
|
steven bowers
|
7
|
0
|
122
|
240
|
46
|
Jessamine
|
5
|
12
|
121
|
293
|
47
|
Gaddaffi
|
20
|
16
|
121
|
305
|
48
|
The Neighbour
|
12
|
6
|
120
|
245
|
49
|
kazgriffo
|
4
|
20
|
120
|
271
|
50
|
Desire Wilton
|
6
|
10
|
119
|
210
|
51
|
Yo Mama
|
4
|
13
|
116
|
236
|
52
|
Jojo Azrein
|
3
|
12
|
116
|
254
|
53
|
kelren
|
3
|
24
|
115
|
243
|
54
|
blo1
|
4
|
18
|
115
|
314
|
55
|
NO1QPRNZ
|
6
|
10
|
114
|
251
|
56
|
Matthew Bowers
|
3
|
23
|
114
|
263
|
57
|
Tubasaurus
|
12
|
8
|
114
|
277
|
58
|
boogs_nz
|
10
|
8
|
112
|
216
|
59
|
TWiL Nate
|
1
|
18
|
112
|
222
|
60
|
HUDS99
|
12
|
13
|
112
|
267
|
61
|
sava4
|
6
|
8
|
111
|
258
|
62
|
trey waldron
|
5
|
16
|
111
|
284
|
63
|
cmcnls+1day
|
8
|
2
|
111
|
300
|
64
|
Kye Hudson
|
3
|
12
|
111
|
323
|
65
|
Pet Johnson
|
8
|
10
|
110
|
267
|
66
|
Rex Kwando
|
5
|
12
|
110
|
285
|
67
|
Team Upton
|
3
|
12
|
109
|
263
|
68
|
Craig Carnihan
|
6
|
8
|
108
|
259
|
69
|
Bearette
|
4
|
12
|
102
|
278
|
70
|
eviltwin
|
10
|
8
|
95
|
266
|
71
|
tank
|
1
|
18
|
92
|
266
|
72
|
rog the dodge
|
3
|
3
|
89
|
365
|
73
|
melros
|
1
|
18
|
87
|
248
|
74
|
Kyle Thomson
|
1
|
18
|
77
|
235
|
75
|
haze13
|
1
|
18
|
73
|
387
|
76
|
Evra69
|
1
|
18
|
61
|
277
|
77
|
Wilshere Wonderland
|
1
|
18
|
59
|
265
|
78
|
Joejoez
|
1
|
18
|
46
|
269
|
That's it for this update. Feels good to have another one under the belt finally.
Enjoy the last four weeks of footy action before finals time!
Have a great weekend!
Mark
aka NZ Tiger
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