What a night of rugby league action we had down at Suncorp Stadium for Finals Week 3 as the Sydney Roosters turned the tables in style, powering past the Dolphins to secure a dominant 36–20 victory. Punters who backed the visitors were richly rewarded after a fascinating shift in the lead-up, which saw the Sydney Roosters move from 2.2→2.1 (firmed). Meanwhile, the Dolphins drifted out from 1.67→1.73 (drifted) on the back of late market interest for the men from Bondi.
Coming into this clash, the Sydney Roosters most recent outing was a commanding W 46–10 v Cronulla Sharks (H), and they brought that exact attacking swagger straight into enemy territory. The Dolphins, whose last start was a W 26–16 v New Zealand Warriors (A), found themselves on the back foot early as the Roosters pack took control of the middle third and never relented.
Market Moves and Total Points Tell the Tale
The pre-match market had punters buzzing over the Total Points line set at 45.5 points. As the weight of money shifted on game day, the over saw a drift from 1.85→1.9 (drifted), while the under caught some support, moving from 1.95→1.9 (firmed). With 56 total points scored on the night, the over backers ultimately had plenty to cheer about as both sides threw caution to the wind in a high-octane finals encounter.
In the head-to-head line market, the Dolphins were laying 2.5 points with quotes shifting from 1.92→1.99 (drifted), while the Sydney Roosters' line support saw them firm from 1.8→1.79 (firmed). That early backing for the Roosters proved to be an astute pointer, as the visitors blew past the handicap comfortably by surging to a 16-point winning margin at the final siren.
How the tips went
Looking back at how our published selections fared in Finals Week 3, it was a tough outing for the home side backers. Our head-to-head tip on the Dolphins at 1.71 resulted in a loss as the Roosters claimed the spoils 36–20.
In the line market, our selection of the Dolphins -2.5 also resulted in a loss, as the pre-match points spread was comfortably overturned by a clinical Sydney Roosters outfit that seized control of the contest from the opening whistle.