2013 ANZ Championship – Round 6

Round 6 of the ANZ Championship is highlighted by a top-of-the-table clash between the undefeated Queensland Firebirds and the 4-1 Adelaide Thunderbirds, while the vastly improved West Coast Fever host the Melbourne Vixens in a battle for fourth position on the ladder. With some intriguing match-ups in store, Ben Carbonaro returns to give us the lowdown on the upcoming set of fixtures.

Results forRound 5 tips

Round 5:  1 units bet, no winners, return of 0.00 units

2013 total:  10 units bet, 6 winners, return of 11.18 units (12% PoT)

Our 2011 introductory discussion of how netball line betting works and what to expect from this column

Once again this year, for the purposes of this weekly column, we will only recommend a bet where Ben’s opinion differs from that of bookmakers by at least 3.5 goals.

Here are Ben’s thoughts on Round 6 of the 2013 ANZ Championships:

 

Round 6 Tips (please note: all times are the local time for the home side)

 

Saturday April 27, 12:20 PM West Coast Fever v Melbourne Vixens

Fever:  3-2 (fifth on ladder), 3-0 home

Vixens:  3-1 (fourth on ladder), 1-1 away

Bookmakers’ line:  TBC

Ben says:  This game marks a new era for netball in Western Australia, with Perth now having a major venue capable of hosting sporting and entertainment events. Perth Arena now means that WA is now capable of hopefully hosting more international and big ANZ Championship netball matches in the future. Onto the game, the Fever rebounded with a dominant win over the Swifts and will be looking to keep their strong form going against a Vixens team still smarting over a nail biting one-goal loss in Adelaide last week. Vixens by 8

Recommended bet:   TBC

 

Sunday April 28, 12:10 PM Queensland Firebirds v Adelaide Thunderbirds

Firebirds:  4-0 (first on ladder), 1-0 home

Thunderbirds:  4-1 (second on ladder), 1-1 away

Bookmakers’ line:  TBC

Ben says: Queensland return to the court fresh and confident after a bye against an Adelaide side that just got over the line. The Firebirds hadn't dropped a game before the bye and are beginning to show strong signs that finals netball is a strong possibility if the likes of Jamaican import shooter Romelda Aiken and defender Laura Geitz continue to put quality on court. Firebirds by 5

Recommended bet:   TBC

 

Sunday April 28, 7:20 PM Central Pulse v Waikato/BOP Magic

Pulse:  2-3 (sixth on ladder), 2-1 home

Magic:  3-1 (third on ladder), 1-1 away

Bookmakers’ line:  TBC

Ben says: Magic looked great in their return from a bye when they outclassed a patchy Tactix team but facing a Pulse team that has again shown great strides this season will be tough. Evergreen Magic shooter Irene van Dyk had another perfect game at goal shooter last week, but it would be wrong for the Pulse to focus purely on her as the team is stacked with other Silver Ferns. The Magic shouldn't take the Pulse lightly though and expect as dominant a win as they may have against the same opposition in previous seasons. Magic by 7

Recommended bet:   TBC

 

Monday April 29, 7:40 PM Southern Steel v Northern Mystics

Steel:  1-3 (seventh on ladder), 0-1 home

Mystics:  1-4 (ninth on ladder), 0-2 away

Bookmakers’ line:  TBC

Ben says: The Steel are back after a bye, but they have won just one of their four games so far this season. Changes to the coaching staff and some internal problems in recent weeks are not what the team would have liked, but they should account for a Mystics team that are simply just too inconsistent at the moment even if they had a one-goal thrilling win last week. Steel by 3

Recommended bet:   TBC

 

Bye week:  NSW Swifts, Canterbury Tactix

Thanks to Phil Walter/Getty Images AsiaPac for use of the photo