The last three matches in the first round of games in the qualifiers section of the Super League all take place on Sunday afternoon with the six sides involved looking to get their campaigns off to a fast start to put the pressure on the rest with matches immediately starting to run out in order to secure Super League rugby next season.
The three games on Sunday sees Halifax hosting Widnes, Bradford taking on Sheffield and the game of the day which sees Salford hosting Wakefield in a battle of two sides looking to preserve their Super League status.
Halifax are in for a long afternoon against Widnes I fancy but the handicap looks a large one to cover when winning is going to be the main aim for the Vikings so I’ll leave that one be while I would expect Bradford to be too good for Sheffield but again I’m not too interested in backing the Bulls to cover a two score handicap when the win is the primary objective.
The win being the primary objective is one of the reasons I like Wakefield to cover a 10pt handicap at Salford. The two sides have played twice this season already and Wakefield have stayed within double digits on both occasions.
On at least one occasion Wakefield have gone into a match with Salford in much worse shape than they are at the minute whereas Salford look in more and more disarray, off the field at least, with every passing week. Their head coaching position is becoming a bit of a farce and it wouldn’t surprise me if even the most hardened Salford fan didn’t know who was coaching them this week such is the revolving door at the AJ Bell Stadium these days.
Salford are getting results by and large at the minute but I sense Wakefield have been waiting for these seven matches for a good few months. They’ve brought a new coach in with plenty of time to assess and prepare for the matches and I would expect some of their better showings of the season in these next games – not saying a lot I accept. I wouldn’t rule out Wakefield actually winning this if they turn up properly but I certainly see them remaining within 10pts.
Back Wakefield (+10) to beat Salford for a 4/10 stake at 1.91 with Coral
