Crikey’s NRL Hot Form Chart

A tough week for tipsters last week and round 15 won’t get any easier with state of origin duties impacting heavily on the abbreviated series of matches.

Normally the Broncos would be marked down in blood against Cronulla but with Brisbane’s depth to be tested and the sharks enjoying a monumentally surprising run of form, we have to plump with Ricky Stuart’s boys — maybe all that was needed to spur them into gear was the threat of extinction.

Keen observers will note that last year’s grand finalists now sit atop Crikey’s Hot Form Chart. Both Melbourne and Manly, however, lose considerable fire power this week so the stay might be temporary. The absence of stars will be more keenly felt by the Storm, who will struggle at home against Wests. The Sea Eagles should still pack enough of a punch to lay out Canberra.

But no amount of representative absentees will help the Roosters overcome North Queensland. Despite what some might consider to be signs of life last week, the Form Chart reckons the Roosters are still footy’s cadaver.

Tonight the Bulldogs, largely intact and fast becoming a cliché about the ratio of champions in champion teams, will fix up Penrith at ANZ Stadium.

Form* Team Last week NRL ladder position Sequence
1 Melbourne 3 4 W-W-L-W-W
2 Manly 5 9 W-W-L-W-W
3 Dragons 6 1 W-W-W-L-W
4 Cowboys 1 6 W-W-W-W-L
5 Titans 4 3 L-L-W-W-W
6 Cronulla 11 15 L-L-W-W-W
7 Bulldogs 8 2 W-L-W-L-W
8 Penrith 2 7 W-W-L-W-L
9 Warriors 14 11 L-L-W-L-W
10 Newcastle 7 8 W-L-W-L-L
11 Canberra 10 13 L-L-W-W-L
12 Brisbane 12 5 L-W-W-L-L
13 Parramatta 9 14 L-D-L-W-L
14 Rabbitohs 13 10 W-D-L-L-L
15 Tigers 16 12 L-L-L-L-W
16 Roosters 15 16 L-L-L-L-L

*Form over the past five games

Crikey’s Hot Form Tips for round 15 are:

  • Bulldogs
  • Cowboys
  • Manly
  • Tigers
  • Cronulla

Last week: 2 (Season total: 62)

Crikey’s AFL Hot Form Chart

Dean Laidley jumping before he was pushed has certainly added some spice to the second half of the AFL’s split round. More tickets are being sold than there are spare horses on the coaching merry-go-round, so the jostling for positions should be something to behold over the coming months; particularly if the good ship Port Adelaide jettisons some Choco cargo before it slides into the murky depths of lower-ladder obscurity.

On-field, Crikey‘s Hot Form Chart tells us that there are three monties for each of round 12’s remaining games. But looks, they can deceive.

Melbourne, for instance, holds some appeal against an Essendon team that has been more down than up of recent times. The Demons will notch a win some time and the Bombers’ fast-break style of play just might give them the chance to kick a winning score. Tip the Dons but put $10 on Melbourne to win by 39.5 to win $170 just in case.

The Magpies boast an imposing recent record over Sydney and have risen to lofty heights on Crikey‘s Form Chart. But something about the Swans appeals for Saturday night’s clash against their latter-day nemesis, and while Collingwood has won its past three, the list of victims read about as impressively as an Ayn Rand novel.

Oh, and Geelong’s next speed-bump on the highway to round 14’s clash with St Kilda is Fremantle. Expect due treatment.

Form* Team Last week AFL ladder position Sequence
1 Geelong 1 2 W-W-W-W-W
2 St Kilda 2 1 W-W-W-W-W
3 Adelaide 5 5 L-W-W-W-W
4 Bulldogs 3 3 W-L-W-W-W
5 Collingwood 4 7 L-L-W-W-W
6 Brisbane 8 4 W-L-W-L-W
7 Carlton 6 6 W-L-W-W-L
8 Hawthorn 7 8 W-W-L-W-L
9 Richmond 13 14 L-L-W-L-W
10 Port Adelaide 9 9 W-L-L-W-L
11 Sydney 12 10 L-W-W-L-L
12 Essendon 10 11 W-L-W-L-L
13 North Melbourne 11 12 L-W-L-L-L
14 Fremantle 14 15 W-L-L-L-L
15 West Coast 15 13 L-L-L-L-L
16 Melbourne 16 16 L-L-L-L-L

Crikey’s Hot Form Tips for round 12 (part 2) are:

  • Essendon
  • Swans
  • Geelong

Last week: 4 (Season total: 59)