The 2018 NRL Grand Final will be a battle for the ages with the competition’s two best teams, the Melbourne Storm and Sydney Roosters both winning through to Sunday’s decider at ANZ Stadium in Sydney.
For the Storm, the focus largely surrounded Billy Slater’s preliminary final shoulder charge earlier this week but after receiving the green light on Tuesday night, the retiring legend is set for a huge performance and the club are certainly deserved favourites.
With the return of Dylan Napa and Latrell Mitchell from suspension, the Roosters’ will take a full-strength squad into the 2018 NRL Grand Final if Cooper Cronk is cleared to play, but the champion halfback does remain in serious doubt after suffering an injury to his AC joint in Sydney’s preliminary final win over Souths.
The Storm have continued to firm all week and have become clear $1.72 favourites to beat the Roosters ($2.35) in 2018 NRL Grand Final betting.
Melbourne Storm
The Storm have consistently been the NRL’s strongest and most consistent club since 2006 and their experience at this point of the season will find them extremely difficult to beat again on Sunday evening.
Having slowly built to the task through the early stages of the season, Melbourne have come alive since the Origin period and have once again timed their run of form to absolute perfection.
While they did lose their final game of the regular season to finish second to the Roosters in the race to the minor premiership, the Storm weathered a spirited South Sydney in the first week of the finals to win through to last weekend’s preliminary and ultimately booked their spot in the decider at the expense of the injury-depleted Sharks.
With Cameron Smith at hooker and Slater at fullback, the Storm boast arguably the league’s best spine with Queensland origin five-eighth Cameron Munster extremely difficult to contain in the middle of the field, beside up-and-coming halfback Brodie Croft, who was arguably the best on ground for the Storm against Souths three weeks ago.
Boasting a big and mobile forward pack and an extremely useful bench, the 2018 Storm squad represent the best chance of a club successfully defending their title since the Broncos won the Super League in 1997 and the re-formed NRL in 1998.
Tip: Storm at the Line (-2.5) @ $2
Sydney Roosters
The Roosters were arguably the benchmark of the 2018 NRL regular season and ultimately finished with 34 competition points and the minor premiership.
The addition of Cronk and Origin, likely Australian fullback James Tedesco to their squad in 2018 has ultimately proved the difference and the two prolific players have completed what was already an impressive Roosters roster.
They outmuscled the Sharks in Week 1 of the finals to gain an automatic berth in last weekend’s prelims, before another gutsy 80-minute display ended the Rabbitohs’ season, to the tune of 12-4.
Obviously losing Cronk for this would be massive and it would almost put the Roosters behind the 8-ball from the outset, but the multiple premiership winner would be a handy asset even without full fitness and coach Trent Robinson is sure to give the thirty-three-year-old right up until game day to prove his condition, despite naming utility Mitchell Aubusson at seven earlier this week.
With their star-studded team sheet also bolstered by the emergence of players like Victor Radley in 2018, the Roosters simply cannot be written off and represent value as outsiders in NRL Grand Final betting.
Tip: Latrell Mitchell Anytime Tryscorer ($2.20)
2018 NRL Grand Final Betting
The season’s two best teams have won through to the decider and there is subsequently plenty of value to be found in 2018 NRL Grand Final betting.
Try Scorer Markets
Try scoring markets are typically a fan favourite in big NRL fixtures and that will certainly be the case for the decider. Blake Ferguson crossed the line eighteen times in the regular season to finish fourth in overall standings and the Roosters winger is currently available at $10 to score the first try on Sunday, and a very respectable $2.35 to cross any time. Josh Addo-Carr is typically the first option for the Storm and while he is odd-on to cross at any point ($1.90), he is more than worth consideration to open the try scoring at $9.
Tip: Josh Addo-Carr First Try Scorer ($9)
Line Betting
Even money is on offer for a line currently at only 2.5 points and that does look extremely manageable for the Storm, particularly if Cronk is ruled out for the Roosters.
Given what is on the line, the Roosters will certainly rally regardless of who is on the field and an alternate line like 6.5 points at $1.70 is worth consideration.
Tip: Melbourne at the Line (-2.5) @ $2