Boyd is followed closely at the odds by Will Chambers, Will Hopoate, Daniel Tupou and Greg Inglis with Jacob Lilyman the rank outsider at $101.00.

NRl punters are inundated with special promotions for the State of Origin but Palmerbet are leading the way by offering odds of $3.00 for a NSW win in game 1. Don’t forget NSW are at home for game 1 which should give them a huge advantage

Before that, the Titans meet the Raiders in what could be a key game for both sides. The Titans pulled out a great performance in the last round to break a worrying losing streak, and that win will have galvanised their fans, and made them believe that their side can make it into the top eight in time to be in with a shot at the Grand Final. Of course, it’s the players who need to believe, not the fans, and Canberra will be looking to learn from the Titans’ performance against the Rabbitohs, and will be looking to pull the same trick on the Gold Coast boys, re-igniting their own season in the process.

There’s also a bottom-of-the-ladder clash to relish on Sunday: the Knights and the Sharks are currently on the same lowest-in-the-league points total as the Raiders, and one of them will wake up Monday morning with the warm glow that comes with not being in the wooden spoon spot any longer. But who will it be? The odds are in favour of the Knights (they’re a $1.67 bet), but they’ve got two defeats from their last two games, where the Sharks have found some late-season form to roar back in the second half of their last two fixtures, winning both. The odds are with the Knights, but the momentum is with the Sharks: it’s a great clash in store…

And then to Monday, when the Panthers, fresh from the battle of the big cats and a win over the Tigers, look to dig their claws deeper into the top spot and to heap more hurt on a Broncos side that has already lost two on the bounce, and surely can’t afford to lose too many more without a drop out of the finals placing looming. We’ve got all the Round 18 odds ready for you if you follow the link – there’s lots to look forward to before the Panthers try to cap it all with a win!

The Tigers and the Sea Eagles were both on the wrong end of results in the last round, and they’ll both be looking to get back to winning ways on Friday night, but they’re in very different places on the ladder. Not that it makes any difference to how badly they’ll want the result when they meet, but Manly need the points to keep the pressure on at the top of the ladder, where the Panthers and the Bulldogs could pull clear if they slip up, while the Tigers are right in the mix for the finals berths. There are seven teams locked on 20 points – from the Rabbitohs in fourth spot to the Tigers in tenth – and Tigers players, coaches and fans will know that a win will press their claim for finals rugby. It’d have to be a big win to get their points tally up to where it’s competitive, but we suspect that at this stage of the season they’d take the points as a priority!

The Tigers will know that if they do pick up the points on Friday night, it puts extra pressure on their neighbours on the ladder when they run out on Saturday. Three more of the teams in that 20-points deadlock are in action: the Warriors square off against the Eels, and the Storm play the third-placed Bulldogs. Whatever happens in these three games, we’ll know a little bit more what the shape of the ladder will be, and we’ll know a little bit more which teams will be playing finals rugby. So make sure you’ve got all your NRL odds, and then just enjoy!

There’s some great mind games going on in the build up to this one, with NSW looking to secure a whitewash with a win in Game Three. What do the Queensland bosses think is the best way to motivate the Blues to come out strong and wrap up the series? Put on a half-time spectacular to celebrate the years of Maroons dominance, that’s how! We’re really not sure what sort of thinking is going on at Queensland HQ, but this is really offering up some serious column inches in the run-up to Game 3. The Blues camp (understandably enough) feels like it’s not the most respectful gesture that their hosts could make, and that any celebrations going on at half time should focus on their series win instead on the achievements (impressive though they might be) of the Maroons side they have just beaten to claim the State of Origin. We suspect that your view of it all will depend on which side you’re rooting for – we’re also pretty sure the Blues we be using all of it as fuel for one more massive effort.

Queensland go into the game as favourites at odds of $1.57, but make sure you’ve got all of the State of Origin odds you need to get you ready for the game, and make sure you’re looked at all those tempting markets as well as the futures on offer at Sportsbet right now!

So where does that leave the NRL this weekend, in a reduced round? With a mouth-watering fixture in store when the big cats of the NRL go head-to-head, that’s where. Both the Panthers and the Tigers have been on song in the past few weeks, and when they meet on Sunday it’s a clash between two top-eight sides with every chance of taking their seasons right to the finals.

Elsewhere, there’s a Monday night game that Rabbitohs fans will be hoping produces some valuable points for their side. After disappointment last week, you would expect the Rabbitohs to come out strong and looking to make amends, which is the last thing that the Titans need: a defeat on Monday night will stretch their losing streak to seven games, so they could really do with getting a result out of Round 17.

So make sure you’ve got all your odds for Round 17, and the State of Origin odds for Game Three as the Blues attempt to add lustre to their already impressive series win. And get yourself comfortable for that Panthers vs Tigers game…

And so the Blues have prepared to play the strongest Queensland side possible, with Daley claiming that with the Maroons revelling in the underdogs tag for Game Two, and with the pedigree of this Queensland side, his NSW outfit should be regarded as outsiders. He’s right about the Queensland record: with eight years of victory behind them and three players with hall of fame written all over them, this is not a group of players who should be written off. But the first game of the series showed the world that the Blues can win – all they need to do is produce another massive effort, and Game Two and the State of Origin series will be theirs!

We’ve got all the State of Origin odds ready for the big game, so take a look at them and get yourself ready for a real cracker…

And judging by the talk that’s just starting up ahead of Wednesday’s game, the NSW players are pumped and ready for the contest again. Blues enforcer Anthony Watmough is carrying a bicep injury into Game Two of the State of Origin, but that hasn’t stopped him talking the talk ahead of the game. In fact, he’s been telling anyone who’ll listen that he isn’t just not worried about the Maroons targeting that injured arm: he’s relishing the challenge, and wants them to ‘come and get it’!

That’s exactly the sort of fighting talk we’ve come to expect and love before a big State of Origin game, and they don’t come much bigger than Wednesday’s game, so get all your State of Origin Game Two odds by following the link, and wait for the big day…

The preparations for the Blues will be just as good as for Game One – they have, in fact, worked hard to keep them as identical as possible. But it’s going to be the mental preparations that are as difficult for the NSW boys as anything else. Remember that there have been eight years of Maroons dominance in the State of Origin. Remember that NSW have been here before: last year’s opening game was a win for the Blues. But they couldn’t close the series out, and to hear Greg Bird talk in interviews this week, that was the most painful experiences of the careers of more than a few of them. Going into Game Two, Blues fans will like the look of their odds – they’re a $1.65 bet. And they’ll take heart from that. But they’ll look at another factor, too: Game Two is at the ANZ Stadium, and the Blues will feel like they can make that into a fortress. We’ll see on Wednesday night…

All your State of Origin Game Two odds are waiting for you if you follow that link.

The key thing for the Blues is going to be tackling the challenge of the pressure that will be on them in Game 2, especially if they go ahead. It will be the easiest thing to do to try to defend a lead – in the series or in the game – but NSW are much better served taking the Maroons on in the way they did in Game 1. Things are looking good in the NSW camp as their preparations build for Game 2, with news that Josh Dugan will likely square off against Greg Inglis in the centres, while Game 1’s man-of-the-match Jarryd Hayne returns at full back and is the bookies’ favourite to score the first try for the Blues. It’s important that the NSW boys concentrate on their own preparations, especially with the uncertainty surrounding the Queensland selection, and the possibility that some key players might be injury affected. NSW coach Laurie Daley dismissed the injury talk as mind games in the run-up to the big game, and if he’s got that right, he’ll be working hard to make sure his squad’s focus is on how they’ll win the game, and not anything else…

All the State of Origin odds you need are at the end of that link – we’re looking forward to what could be another epic encounter!

First of all, there’s a repeat of the refund offer from Game 1 on offer – that is, if you place an outright bet on your team and they lose by 8 points of fewer, then you get your stake back! That’s a great way to back your boys with some of the risk taken out, and if Game Two is anything like that awesome first clash, then it’s set to be a close-run thing anyway. And there’s a first tryscorerer special on for you, too: if your pick for the first tryscorer doesn’t cross the whitewash first, but does score in the game, then you’ll get your stake back. There are a few guys who might be good for first tryscorer: Greg Inglis and Billy Slater if they’re fit enough to be involved, plus Darius Boyd in Maroon, and Jarryd Hayne and Daniel Tupou for the Blues.

So, with some tempting specials and a wide range of futures and markets waiting for you at Sportsbet, and all the State of Origin odds you need at the end of that link, you’re close to sorted for the big game!