The best NRL futures and players bets for the 2016 season

THERE are so many NRL exotic betting options this season that punters are spoilt for choice.

Not only can punters bet on individual games, but Sportsbet.com.au also have odds for the Dally M Medal winner, top tryscorer, leading pointscorer and more betting markets.

We’ll have a look at the best chances in each category and throw in a few sneaky exotic bets, which some punters might not have noticed. With the NRL season just days away, now is the best time to get involved with these options before the odds are altered by performance.

First we’ll target the Dally M market where 2015 winner Johnathan Thurston is the $5.00 favourite to go back-to-back for the North Queensland Cowboys, but hot on his heels is the aptly-named Daly Cherry-Evans.

2016 Dally M Medal odds and best picks

Top pick: Shaun Johnson (Warriors) – $17 at Sportsbet.com.au

The time is now for New Zealand Warrior Shaun Johnson who has dazzled fans for the past few seasons with his expert play and extreme pace. The Warriors playmaker now has a team being built around him with the signings of Isaac Luke and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck ($13), which should alleviate the pressure that has been on Johnson’s shoulders.

Johnson isn’t the type to control a game like the Thurston’s and Smith’s of the NRL, but he’s electric and he is often the difference between a Warriors win or loss. That’s what the Dally M committee is looking for and he’s a good value chance at $17.

Next best: Daly Cherry-Evans (Sea Eagles) – $9.00

Daly Cherry-Evans was highly criticised last season and rightfully so, but many punters are confident he can lead the Manly Sea Eagles to a good season this year.

Cherry-Evans was under scrutiny for chopping and changing his decision about which team he will be playing for this season, but his form in the NRL is usually top notch and punters should overlook his horrendous efforts in the State of Origin series.

The Manly half might not have star performers around him, which should make him a high chance of scoring well in the Dally M voting each game.

Outside chance: Greg Inglis (Rabbitohs) – $26

G.I is the leader of the South Sydney Rabbitohs and in a season which is expected to be a rebuilding season, Inglis could shine.

The champion fullback is already a great player in his own right and he only needs his teammates to join the party for the Dally M voters to be impressed. Greg Inglis will be floating around the backline for most of the season and if he’s in his usual devastating form, taking the Rabbitohs to the playoffs could secure Inglis a high position in the voting.

He’s too good to be at $26 with CrownBet.com.au.

Top NRL tryscorer selections and market leaders

Top market chances at Sportsbet*

Semi Radradra – $8.00
James Roberts – $9.00
Curtis Rona – $13
Alex Johnston – $15
Antonio Winterstein – $15
Daniel Tupou – $17
Tom Trbojevic – $17
Valentine Holmes – $21
Joe Burgess – $21
Marika Koroibete – $23
Manu Vatuvei – $23
Kyle Feldt – $26
James Tedesco – $26

Of these selections we like Semi Radradra to continue his try-scoring skills. The big Fijian winger is tough to stop when he’s running down the sideline and with the new addition of Kieran Foran, that should give Radradra even more opportunities to wreak havoc to opposing defenses.

He has stayed relatively injury free and that’s key to winning the NRL tryscoring title.

Speedster James Roberts has been well backed into $9. The newly-acquired Brisbane Bronco has speed to burn and with the style of play the Broncos use, that should benefit the young talent. He’s our next best pick and we’re predicting he starts out slow as he learns the new system, but finishes strong towards the end of the season.

Our value pick is Valentine Holmes for the Cronulla Sharks. The Sharks had a good season last year and Holmes was one of their shining lights. He has plenty of tryscoring ability and we’re expecting the $21 to shorten as he continues to score tries throughout the season.

2016 leading pointscorer tips

Betting on the leading pointscorer option might seem a touch boring, but when the season comes down to the final conversion, you’ll be happy you placed some money on this action.

The leading contenders are all kickers and bookmakers currently have defending champion Jarrod Croker (Raiders) as the $4.50 top elect. Croker is a great goal kicker and the Raiders are a team that scores plenty of tries. That’s the key to betting this option and he looks the top chance this season.

On the second line of betting is Shaun Johnson at $5.50. The Warriors star can score tries and kick goals, but we haven’t been overly impressive with his kicking statistics and we think he’s worth risking at the short price.

James Maloney is a good value chance at $6.00 with CrownBet. The Roosters kicker is a dead-eye-dick from the sidelines and that’s where the Roosters tend to score most of their tries. Maloney has a simple motion and that’s what makes him an effective goal kicker.

We don’t mind Trent Hodkinson for a small value bet at $26. His form was off last season, but he has the class to overcome that and he should get plenty of opportunities this season. Take him as a saver.

Full leading point-scorer market:

Jarrod Croker – $4.50
Shaun Johnson – $5.50
James Maloney – $6.00
Adam Reynolds – $7.00
Johnathan Thurston – $7.00
Gareth Widdop – $10
Michael Gordon – $11
Jackson Hastings – $11
Jordan Kahu – $17
Jamie Lyon – $21
Aidan Sezer – $21
Jamie Soward – $23
Trent Hodkinson – $26
Matt Moylan – $41
Mitchell Moses – $41
Moses Mbye – $51
Corey Parker – $67
Cameron Smith – $67
Tyrone Roberts – $81
Tim Browne – $126

NRL season exotic bets

Sportsbet.com.au have opened up a couple of exotic options where punters could make some good money. The first option on the list is the total number of shut outs this season.

Sportsbet have set the line at 8.5 and we think this total will easily go under. NRL teams should not be kept scoreless and while there will be some teams posting a doughnut this season, we can’t see it happening nine times.

Total shut outs: Semi Radradra – $8.00

They are also offering a bet called “Left side lunacy” which involves both Semi Radradra and Michael Jennings. Bookmakers are predicting these two players score plenty of tries this season and even though Radradra is our pick for top tryscorer, we don’t think Jennings will contribute much in the way of scoring.

The former Panther and Roosters centre has been disappointing and he’s had plenty of troubles throughout his career. A new environment might help his chances, but he once got run down by a forward and for a noted speed freak, we can’t get that out of our minds.

Total tries: Under 29.5 at $1.90