As we enter the pivotal Origin period of the season the NRL continues to showcase why so many people enjoy it.
We had another weekend full of drama, upsets, phenomenal athleticism and great games.
Read on for our five biggest takeaways of Round 11 here.
1 – Happy Travels In Round 11
A week after everyone was on the road at Suncorp Stadiums, normal service resumed with teams hosting games at their normal venues (plus Souths taking a game to Dubbo).
For most of these sides it was not a happy homecoming with punters enjoying a fill up on the visiting sides.
As has been the case in pretty much every week, regardless of where they play, the Panthers put on another clinic, absolutely destroying Souths.
It seems unlikely that trend will continue next week however with some struggling teams on the road, including the Bulldogs heading to Penrith on Saturday afternoon.
2 – Thursday Night And The Over Is A Good Match
Thursday nights might not have always produced the most competitive games but in the last few weeks, they have been a fill up for overs punters in the last month.
The last 3 games have all seen over 50 points scored (in one instance one team scored 50) and in five of the last seven Thursday games the winning team has managed at least 30 points.
North Queensland had to battle but came home with a wet sail against the Knights to pick up their fourth straight home win.
They continue to turn their new ground into a fortress which will serve them well in the coming weeks, including when they face the Warriors this Friday.
3 – Brisbane Will Enjoy The Confidence Boost
It’s fair to say the first season of the Kevolution at Red Hill is not producing the results on the scoreboard but the Broncos are beginning to put things together on the park.
Even with the Roosters fielding a severely depleted lineup, punters were happy to back them in, with the line moving from 18 to 27.5 over the week leading up to the game.
The 18 point win for Brisbane was their first away victory of the season and showed just what this side might be capable of with a bit more work.
It was a great sight as David Mead put the icing on the game late while also completing his hat-trick to give Brisbane its third win of the season.
While few give them a chance of upsetting the Storm this Thursday, it’s a good time to point out that Brisbane has covered the line in all four of its home games this season and gave the Panthers a real scare at home in Round 6.
4 – Canberra Is Not A Tough Place To Go This Season
We’ll skip the usual “even politicians hate going to Canberra” jokes and get right to the point, NRL teams should be relishing a trip to Canberra this season since the Raiders just can’t win there.
Since their Round 1 win over the Tigers, Canberra has dropped its last five in the nation’s capital, most recently going down to the Storm by 24 points this weekend.
A defence that was once as solid as a rock has given up over 30 points in four of those five games and the Raiders just don’t have the players to survive in a shootout.
The somewhat comforting news for them is the fact they have won three of five on the road this season, the bad news is they take on a Roosters side that will be desperate to atone for their loss last week.
5 – The Punters Found The Value On Manly
On occasion, you just have a gut feeling about an underdog and the punters that felt the inkling of a Manly upset on Sunday were rewarded as the Sea Eagles made it six wins from their last seven.
One punter in particular had a very strong feeling about Manly putting $25000 on them to win at $2.65 odds.
Manly took the lead after 25 minutes and would never surrender it as they piled on five tries to Parramatta’s one.
The movement to get the ball out to Garrick for his try just after half time just summed up how smooth Manly was on the evening.
They are firmly in the “back every week” category now with the side really hitting their stride.