Getting our ducks in a row for the weekend
November 20th, 2009 by Kevin EganAs we look out our collective windows and wave at our neighbours rowing past, happily adapting to the nation’s new status as the next Atlantis, it may seem to many people as if it’s slightly pointless to get involved in betting on any of the weekend’s games. Such has been the level of rainfall that unless fixtures get moved to neutral venues on continental Europe, the strong likelihood is that most of the ties arranged for this weekend will fall by the wayside. Every one of the ties are taking place in either the west, south or midlands, with no action going ahead in the east or north-east, which has escaped the worst of the conditions.
Austin Stack Park in Tralee is one venue which has traditionally held up reasonably well in the face of adverse weather conditions, but unless the predicted rain for tomorrow fails to materialise, even that match could come under pressure. Having said all that, if the games do take place, then there may be a little bit of value in the goals markets that have been priced up.
Assuming that any games which do go ahead do so in very inclement conditions, it’s reasonably safe to say that there is unlikely to be any high scoring encounters. That said, wet and mucky conditions lead to considerably less points being scored, but the number of goals is not always affected in the same way. While the slower movement of the ball can take a toll in that it becomes much more difficult to hit teams on the break and create match ups with corner forwards going one on one with their markers, while heavy ground tends to suit the backsman anyway, different chances can come about from players making mistakes, struggling to catch or control high deliveries. The number of good goals scored is likely to be quite low, but that doesn’t always equate to a drop in the number of goals of any type.
With regard to using this information, the game that stands out by a mile is the meeting of Portlaoise and Clara, and the 10/11 available about more than 1.5 goals in this encounter. Portlaoise’s scoring statistics this season have been phenomenal and their attack is functioning exceptionally well, but equally a lot of Clara’s strength lies in their full forward line and they too could cause problems. Clara’s most recent win over Rathvilly broke a five game streak in which they scored at least one goal in every game, and while Portlaoise are an exceptional team, they are by no means exceptional at keeping out good goalscorers.
This is a game where both sides are more than likely going to get in for at least one goal, and at 10/11, the statistics definitely favour getting behind two or more goals in this match. A 2pt bet is recommended.
Now all we need is to finally get around to putting a roof over this country. It’s the infrastructure project that we’ve all been waiting for.
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Tags: Atlantis, Clara, Goals, Portlaoise
Categories: Gaelic Football
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