NRL Futures – Disaster Hits Parrammatta Eels

Now that we’re halfway through the 2016 NRL season, it’s about time I update the odds I gave after Round 8. After all, quite a lot has happened since.

First things first – let’s talk about the Eels. Things were looking pretty good earlier in the season. Despite losing their golden boy Jarryd Hayne to the NFL, they were off to a good start. They had won the preseason Auckland Nines competition and were comfortably sitting in the top eight. After round eight, I gave them 11/1 odds to win the Grand Final. They had been hit with a salary cap breach allegation earlier in the season but nothing came of it.

However, as more evidence mounted, it became clear that the Eels had violated the cap. As a result, they were stripped of all 12 of their points after Round 9. The Eels now sit 15th with just four points, above only the Newcastle Knights, and are 100/1 longshots to win the Grand Final.

At the other end of the spectrum, the Cronulla Sharks (10-0-2, 22 pts) have led the table for the last three weeks, and have been within two points of first-place since the start of the season. The Brisbane Broncos (9-0-5, 18 pts) had led the table for the previous six games, but five losses in the next seven weeks have seen them fall to fourth. 

The Melbourne Storm are tied with the Sharks for first at the moment, while the North Queensland Cowboys (9-0-4, 18 pts) round out the top-three. Already, the top four are starting to pull away from the pack while the other teams scramble to finish within the top eight for a spot in the Finals series.

Currently, there is only one point separating fifth and eighth-place, and there are three teams within two points of that all-important eighth position. That’s what makes this season so unpredictable – even the 11th-place New Zealand Warriors (5-0-7, 12 pts) have a chance to sneak into the top eight and claw their way to the Grand Final.

All in all, we can count on the Broncos, Cowboys, Storm, and Sharks to have a clear shot at taking home the cup. But the rest is still up in the air. At this point, the North Queensland Cowboys are my play, even at their relatively short 3/1 odds.

Pick: North Queensland Cowboys (3/1)

Odds to win 2016 NRL Grand Final:

Broncos: 3/1

Cowboys: 3/1

Sharks: 13/4

Storm: 4/1

Bulldogs: 13/1

Raiders: 20/1

Warriors: 24/1

Panthers: 45/1

Rabbitohs: 51/1

Manly: 66/1

Titans: 70/1

Roosters: 80/1

Dragons: 80/1

Eels: 100/1

Tigers: 150/1

Knights: 2000/1

(Photo credit: Haley Jackson (flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/haleymjackson12/19262873852) [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode]. )