The tough WA stayer, trained by Daniel Morton, travelled via Sydney and saluted at his first Queensland start with a narrow win in the Group 2 Hillindale Stakes (1800 metres) on May 3.

The gelded son of Scenic, he has high quality form at 2000m, posting a second placing last spring in the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes where he beat the likes of Haradasun and El Segundo.

His rivals from the Hollindale include recent Darley acquisition Spinney - only beaten a head - and Stormhill will again be among the competition in the Doomben Cup.

Scenic Shot fared badly at the draw with gate 13, but he's still expected to come in for a lot of support in the betting and he remains the one to beat.

Bart Cummings may be celebrating his 80th year, but whether he will be able to notch up a 250th Group 1 victory is the question.

His promising stayer Viewed - also a son of Scenic - enjoyed a recent Randwick win over headline-grabber Musket.

But Cummings went through the entire Sydney autumn carnival without adding to his 249 successes, and has never won the Doomben Cup.

Another favoured runner is likely to be New Zealand mare Eskimo Queen, victorious in last year's Queensland Oaks.

She was triumphant in the Coolmore Classic (1500 metres) against fillies and mares at Rosehill last month before a commendable seventh in the Doncaster Handicap, but she may not run if the track is too firm.

She will be joined by at least one of her stablemates, longshot Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Sarrera.

Peter Moody will again be represented this year, saddling up the Germano mare Reggie and consistent handicapper Emerald Jack, with both facing a tough assignment against better opposition here.

In other races, impressive three year old El Cambio - another new team member for Darley - looks set to continue on his winning ways against his own age in the Group 3 BTC Classic.

Another Group 3 event, the BTC Sprint, sees last start winner Helideck take on consistent gallopers Atapi & Mr Baritone.

And the Doomben Roses sees AJC Oaks winner Heavenly Glow look to cement champion 3yo filly status on her way to the Queensland Oaks.

Also keep an eye on Adelaide mare Zipanese in the Glenlogan Park Stakes over 1350 metres.

Unless the Cronulla Sharks can feast on a weakened Broncos outfit at Toyota Stadium, they risk being left behind.

This really is the time the Sharks need to get moving. They go into the game without a home win in 2008, and that form is simply not good enough.

Fortunately, they meet the Broncos at the right time. Brisbane has Justin Hodges, Karmichael Hunt, Peter Wallace, Ben Hannant and Sam Thaiday out for the Origin, and Darren Lockyer on the sidelines through injury.

So far this season, Cronulla has relied on its defence and being able to pick up wins away from home - they have won five of their six games away.

They are sixth on the ladder, on 12 points. But this is a huge game for them, and will probably see them reshuffle out of the eight if they lose.

The Broncos, Sea Eagles and Roosters are all level on points with the Sharks, while five more teams just two points behind.

Cronulla simply struggle to score points, with is something coach Ricky Stuart will have to work on if they are to have any chance of making the eight.

They may have the third best defence in the NRL, but their attack is the third worst - that reflects why Cronulla has picked up all of its wins by 12 or less.

Their fans, though, believe it is only a matter of time before the team clicks, and with the foundation of their great defence they look a decent proposition to pick up their first home win of the year against the Broncos.

In particular, Brett Kimmorley is a man to watch. He has run the traffic, and having missed out on an origin berth he could well be stung into producing his best form.

Meanwhile, Darius Boyd is in excellent form, averaging 108 metres gained as well as racking up nine line breaks, seven tries and four assists.

Significantly, the Broncos are ranked equal last in the competition for leaking tries from set pieces, and the likes of fullback Brett Kearney will look to exploit this weakness.

The hard and fast racing between Ford and Holden drivers is the stuff of legends, and V8 Supercars betting gives fans of the teams the chance to cash in on their heroes' success.
The championship replaced the old Super Touring Cars competition, and challenges drivers on circuits and street courses across Australia, New Zealand, and Bahrain.

The marathon 1000km event at Bathurst is the most famous race in the series, but all of the championship's 14 rounds have grown in popularity since the new competition began in 1997, and some races now draw crowds of more than 250,000 on their own.

The 2008 season, nearing its halfway point, started in February with the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide and Betfair's Supercars odds have fluctuated with the season.

Ford Performance Racing currently has the edge over second placed Team Vodafone, having taken the lion's share of the points in the Perth and Hamilton, New Zealand, legs of the competition.

With 1,593 points from the first four rounds of the 17 team competition, Ford Performance Racing have guaranteed their Supercars odds have shortened in Betfair's vibrant V8 Supercars betting market.

The team leads second placed Team Vodafone, on 1,487 points, and Toll Holden Racing Team, on 1,414 points.

The strong performance won't surprise those who enjoy a Supercars bet on the team in recent years. Ford Performance Racing finished fourth in 2007, and second in 2006.

The only team to have done better than the number one Ford team is Toll HSV Dealer Team, which has won the championship in the last two years and their success is reflected in their Supercars odds as backers and layers do business.

HSV, currently represented by drivers Rick Kelly and Paul Dumbrell, is currently fourth on the championship ladder after a poor result in the season opening Adelaide event.

Those who study drivers' skill for their V8 Supercars betting would be hard pressed to look past reigning champion Garth Tander, from Toll Holden Racing Team.

Tander again headed the leading individual points table in 2008 and took the honours in the Hamilton leg, driving his Holden Commodore VE to victory in all three races in the round. He is a regular Supercars bet for many as he looks to pick up further podium finishes throughout the season.

Second placed Kelly and the third placed Mark Winterbottom, from Ford Performance Racing, will also be offering favourable Supercars odds to take out the driver's championship for the season.

Winterbottom's race wins in Perth in May helped Ford to their first win in five years at the city's Barbagallo Raceway.

Having a V8 Supercars bet can be as thrilling as the racing itself, so check out Betfair for the changing odds during the season.

In 2007/2008 more than 750,000 fans attended stadiums in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore to watch the league's 13 teams compete for the title and enjoying an NBL bet became the norm.

Last season, when it came to NBL odds, few teams were better fancied than the Sydney Kings.

The Kings have won the title four times in the last eight years. It was easy to see why last season as they dominated the regular season matches, winning 27 of their 30 games rewarding those with NBL bets.

Wins in the semi-finals and three victories in the five-match grand final series against the Melbourne Tigers saw their NBL odds tumble as they secured the title.

But whether they even get the chance to repeat that feat depends on finances. Former captain Jason Smith took the club to the Industrial Relations Commission, and unless the Kings pay up they may be stripped of their franchise.

Although the New Zealand Breakers only finished mid-table last year, they could attract strong interest within NBL betting to finish in the top four in the coming season.

The Kiwi team has signed Australia's premier point guard CJ Bruton and New Zealand national player Dillon Boucher from the Brisbane Bullets.

The two players helped the Bullets to a third place finish last season, Bruton averaging 18.8 points and 4.5 assists per game. Bruton is a former NBA player with the Portland Trailblazers and is sure to add variety to the Breakers' attack with his ability to score from distance.

The departure of Bruton and Boucher will hurt the Bullets' chances of repeating their 2006/2007 season title win, but the Brisbane side should again attract their share of NBL bets.

They won 20 of their 30 regular season matches last season and were second only to the Kings when it came to winning at home. The Bullets scored more points than any other NBL side during the regular season and it was only a shaky defence that stopped them from making the final.

Just when they need a few breaks, they find themselves without key prop Matt Dunning, who damaged his calf in the loss to the Bulls last weekend.

That defeat in Pretoria last time out could prove to be a huge loss for the Waratahs.
It means the match against the competition's form team, the Stormers, is a must-win contest if they want to secure a home semi-final.

The simple matter is, if the Waratahs win both their remaining games, they will be sitting pretty with a home semi. But can they do it?

There is nothing compelling about the teams' head-to-head record - both have won three of the meetings in Cape Town.

In terms of defence, both sides have conceded 18 tries so far in 2008, while the Waratahs have made the most tackles in the competition with the Stormers second.

But if you were a coach whose team were still in with a shout of the top four at this stage of the season - as Rassie Erasmus is - then what you would want is the chance to knock off a rival at home. Think of the 45,000 who will pack into Newlands on Saturday, and what an effect that could have on the home side.

You would also want the luxury of being able to name an unchanged side, which is exactly what Erasmus has done.

What more incentive could the Stormers need than the chance to leapfrog the Tahs if they win their sixth straight match.

The Stormers coach has done his homework, identifying flyhalf Kurtley Beale, scrumhalf Luke Burgess, wing Lote Tuqiri and fullback Sam Norton-Knight as the dangermen for the Waratahs.
After an indifferent 2007, his team have become renowned for their defence this year and should be able to cope with what the Tahs have.

Erasmus' gameplan will be to grind out a win, and certainly not worry about opening the game up and looking for a bonus point.

Much responsibility is on the shoulders of Stormers flanker Luke Watson, who comes up against Phil Waugh, but Watson showed in out-battling the Brumbies' George Smith last week that he should be up to the task.

The Stormers to win by 16.5 points or less looks to represent value, as does the bet on the total match points being less than 38.5.

Next week's final home game pits the Waratahs against the Reds, which they should win even though it will be the equivalent of a grand final for the Queenslanders.

The Tahs have been perfect at home in 2008, so a win over the Reds should see them squeeze into the top four, though they will then have to take their chances with either a return to South Africa or against the Crusaders.

A 1200m weight-for-age contest, it has attracted a field of only eight and the favourite is going to go off very short.

First up taking out the Lightning Stakes down the famous Flemington straight, he then took out the Australia Stakes at Moonee Valley. Travelling to Sydney where the champ Takeover Target was expected to prove a real danger, Apache Cat was again too strong - saluting by nearly three lengths.

Able to sit just off the pace and stalk his rivals, Apache Cat has a withering final burst and a great will to win - as indicated by his 50% strike rate; 14 wins from 28 starts.

Whilst Saturday's contest is another Group One it does look to be a drop in class for Apache Cat, only one of his rivals - La Montagna - being an elite level win. And she is on the comeback trail from injury, her big success coming in the Stradbroke Handicap nearly two years ago.

Swick, should he win, will become legendary trainer Bart Cummings' 250th Gr.1 winner. He has not been able to match Apache Cat in the past but does appear to be one of the main dangers,

He is third up after gallant efforts behind Apache Cat and emerging superstar Weekend Hussler and at the same stage of his spring campaign he won the Salinger Stakes-Gr.2.

Swick's jockey Steven Arnold sums up his chances - "You can't run away from one horse. If Apache Cat has an off day I think Swick is in with a great chance of winning."

Talented mare Vormista is having her first run since the spring. She is yet to win at stakes level but she was a somewhat unlucky second to the flying Gold Edition in the Group One Manikato Stakes last September. Being lightly raced (the winner of four of nine) she may be the one with the most scope for improvement.

Swiss Ace will have plenty of fans even though he is yet to be tested at this sort of level. His form cannot be faulted however, the three-year-old winning nine of 11 including his last three at Listed and Gr.1 level.

Other feature events on the card include the Listed Golden Stakes for two-year-olds. This looks a particularly even race with several different form lines coming together.

There may however be strong place value with Betfair for Choose A Star who showed great natural ability when last in work. Always green, she is likely to be more mature this time in.

The Gr.2 Chairman's Handicap is a lead-up to the Brisbane Cup-Gr.1. Another open contest but Daring Fortune has been in consistent form and he drops back from weight-for-age level.

The Gr.3 Doomben Classic, a 1615m for three-year-olds, winds up the card. New Zealanders boast a great record at this carnival and Mynewbestfriend's form lines read well.

Real longshot value could side with Royale Harmony whose latest unplaced run on heavy going can be forgiven.

Form that players have shown so far in the NRL should guide punters seeking a value bet on the match.

Australia are the overwhelming favourites, and so they should be, there is not the slightest reason to back the Kiwis.

The bets that attract the most interest for this SCG clash are surely winning margin or half-time/full-time. That's because the Kangaroos seem almost unbackable favourites, based on team selection, past meetings, recent form - in fact just about everything.

The normal ANZAC test has turned into an annual Kiwi-bashing - it was 30-6 last year, and even more one-sided last October when the Kangaroos won 58-0 in what was a record defeat for New Zealand.

Australia have Brisbane's Darren Lockyer out, which is a bigger blow than one might guess from his patchy form and lack of appearances this season. He is a proven matchwinner who has the respect of his teammates.

His replacement, Cronulla's Greg Bird, does not offer the same ball skills or creativity, but will add some grunt to the defence.

However, the primary role of the Australian backline will be attack, and with it will surely come tries.

The Kiwis backline cannot match the superb skill and pace of the Australians, and there are few positives within the New Zealand camp.

Sonny Bill Williams of the Bulldogs is a match-changer, and will need to operate intelligently in this match. New coach Stephen Kearney has inside knowledge of the Storm players - but it will be another thing stopping them.

Many of the key match-ups look one-sided, particularly the Cowboys' Johnathan Thurston v Thomas Leuluai of Wigan. Thurston has not reached his best this season, playing through injuries, but should still have a big influence on the outcome.

Leuluai and his halves partner, the Bulldogs' Ben Roberts, are not the biggest of men. Bird has already come out in the media and said he and Ryan Hoffman (Storm) will be targeting the pair and trying to run over the top of them.

Cameron Smith, the accomplished professional with the Melbourne Storm, again assumes the captaincy in Lockyer's absence, and his presence should ensure good direction in attack.
It's a new dawn for New Zealand under Kearney, and expect them to go out hard but fail to match Australia, especially in the backs.

Both Roy Asotasi of the Bulldogs and the Eels' Nathan Cayless were asked by the media if they could guarantee this game wouldn't go the same way as last October's hammering. Neither of them gave convincing answers, saying only that this would be a "more competitive" game.

And if those two Kiwis stalwarts can't come out more firmly in their own side's defence, you have to wonder who is going to stick their hand in their pocket to back New Zealand.
Australia by over 12.5 points at 1.57 looks to be the value bet of the day.

Complications with his right knee forced the club captain to pull out of the Centenary Test and this round-nine clash.

Ashton Sims shifts to the second row to cover for Stagg, while Joel Clinton rejoins the starting side at prop. Justin Hodges will assume Lockyer's captaincy duties for the Mother's Day fixture.

Having the bye last week helped the Sea Eagles, as fullback Brett Stewart has been able to have further treatment on his calf muscle strain.

Stewart is available for the visit to Suncorp Stadium, but punters should not assume he will play - he will only be risked if 100 percent fit. David Williams has been named on the wing for his first game in the NRL for Manly, covering for the injured Michael Bani.
Brisbane (supported in to 8 in Betfair's Premiers market) go into the match on the back of two straight wins, having beaten Wests Tigers by 12 points in round eight.

It means they have similar recent form to Manly (13) who had close wins over the Eels and the Bulldogs in their last two games.

The Broncos showed in the win against the Tigers that they have potential match winners in different areas - Peter Wallace stepped up with an excellent performance including scoring the final try.

Each team has one player who will be backing up from the Test, so that is unlikely to be a factor.

What is more worthy of note is the Broncos' home record - they have won all their games at Suncorp this year, while the Sea Eagles have only a 33 per cent record away from home. Brisbane have also won three of the last four matches between these sides at Suncorp Stadium.

Broncos are trading at odds on in Betfair's NRL betting on the match but this is not a big stakes home banker.

Manly have reached second spot on the ladder playing some excellent football and it could be tighter than the market expects, especially with no Lockyer.

It could pay to keep an eye on any value for a Brisbane win by under 12.5 points.

The AFL have decided to bring back a bit of state versus state rivalry, even if it is "watered down".

Brisbane spearhead and captain of the Victorian Team, Jonathan Brown, is fighting to be fit after not playing against Geelong on the weekend. Coach Leigh Matthews does not want to risk his key forward to further injury by playing in the Tribute Match, but he is likely to come under pressure from Kevin Sheedy, assistant coach of Victoria, who has stated he will be disappointed if Brown does not play.

Luke Hodge was left out of the Vics' final 30 after pulling a hamstring against Collingwood on the weekend, and Gary Ablett may be a late withdrawal after pulling up sore before his team's defeat of Brisbane.

Meanwhile, the Dream Team will miss the presence of St Kilda's Nick Riewoldt, who will be out of action for up to eight weeks with a knee injury.

In what has been bad publicity for the AFL, players who have been suspended will be able to play in the match. It means West Coast's Daniel Kerr will be allowed to play, even though he will miss three games after head-butting Scott West.

West Coast Eagle Dean Cox has declared himself fit for the Dream Team, despite still recovering from a broken bone in his foot.

The Dream Team's forward line may be enough to get them over the line, with the likes of Matthew Pavlich, Lance Franklin, Cameron Mooney and Matthew Richardson all on fire in season 2008. Overall on paper, the Dream Team looks to have more depth and skill, but the added element from the Victorian side is determination. To the Vics, a loss at "their" game is the ultimate defeat.

The passion shown by the Victorian team will be a factor, and they do possess two of the men to have kicked 30 or more goals this season - in Brendan Fevola and Daniel Bradshaw - but that surely not be enough.

The Dream Team to win by under 39.5 points with Betfair looks most appealing. While the six leading goalkickers of 2008 should play, neither side looks to have a particularly strong back six, which could well see a high scoring game.

AFL Betting is available on the total number of match points, and with so much scoring potency on display, the over-185.5 points selection will find plenty of backers.

How best to approach the race? Answer: study the Flemington racecourse history books and analyse Melbourne Cup stats.

Melbourne Cup stats show that Roughies have taken out the last two runnings of the race - Efficient and Delta Blues both sent out at 16-1. Two horses prepared for the big two miler in vastly different ways.

Efficient was having his fifth run in from a spell and that seems to be about the average number of runs required to have a horse hard fit for a big run according to Melbourne Cup stats,

Most contestants follow similar lead ups on their way to Flemington Racecourse - tackling such races as the Feehan Stakes, the Caulfield Stakes, the Caulfield Cup and the Mackinnon Stakes.

You want your Cup selection to have run well in those races but always be prepared to forgive one seemingly ordinary performance.

When Irish raider Vintage Crop won on Melbourne Cup Day in 1993, many claimed that the days of the Australian or New Zealand bred winning the race were over.

But they were doomsayers - since then Media Puzzle and Delta Blues are the only visiting winners amongst a mixture of Aussie and Kiwis.

And one honourary Australian, the UK born Makybe Diva earned a unique piece of history by winning the race on three consecutive occassions. Melbourne Cup stats reveal too many horses had even won two.

Form at Flemington Racecourse is worth looking at but being such a big track most handle it pretty well.

Only one barrier - number 18 - has never been successful and in this time of drought there are not too many wet tracks.

More relevant is how the barrier relates to the racing style of the horse - barrier one for a backmaker can be a disaster if they are shuffled back without clear running.

Similarly barrier 20 makes it tough for an on-pacer, although the slowish early pace of a staying race can make it easier for those horses to get across than they would in a shorter event.

There are few quality 3200m races run here so form at the distance is not all that relevant.

Melbourne Cup Day provides a betting bonanza and it can pay to bet on outsiders in the big race, as the odds of recent winners shows - Makybe Diva was 7-1 for her first Cup, Ethereal 9-1, Brew 14-1, Rogan Josh 5-1, Jezabeel 6-1, Doriemus 13-2 and Jeune 16-1.

Don't forget to find a few roughies at Flemington racecourse - longshots often fill a placing on Melbourne Cup Day and exotic bets such as trifectas and first fours can pay extremely well.

His one shot victory over Won Joon Lee, Brandt Snedeker and Nick O'Hern gave him his 23rd career victory and $315,000 to put in the bank. Those with bets on the popular veteran in Betfair's golf betting markets were also rewarded.

Parry finished the domestic season on top of the PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit with $422,000 from his six events played.

The Order of Merit has been shared around since 2000, with no player having won more than once and the odds reflect its openness.

But the same cannot be said of the PGA Championship, the home tournament of the Australian PGA which is a traditional strong golf betting event and dates back to 1905.

Peter Lonard and Robert Allenby have dominated the event and the betting since the turn of the millennium, with Allenby winning back-to-back titles in 2000-01 and in 2005, while Lonard tied with Jarrod Moseley in 2002 and landed the bets again in 2004 and 2007.

Lonard won his latest title by three shots from David Smail - who was to finish second on the Order of Merit - after shooting a superb seven-under 65 on the final day.

The MasterCard Masters, played annually in December at Huntingdale Golf Club, has also seen multiple wins for Allenby - he donned the golden jacket in 2003 and 2005.

The trophy has gone abroad twice in the last seven years, to Colin Montgomerie in 2001 and Justin Rose in 2006.

The 2007 version went to a play off, with Aaron Baddeley beating Sweden's Daniel Chopra on the fourth extra hole to provide an exciting in-play betting climaz.

It pays to bet on home players in the Australian Open. They have kept the Stonehaven Cup in the country since Englishman Lee Westwood's victory at attractive odds in 1997.

Baddeley won at big odds as an amateur in 1999, and again after turning professional the following year.
Since then Lonard has won consecutive titles, in 2003 and 2004, while Allenby won his second title in 2005, 11 years after his first.

The other major event of the PGA Tour of Australasia, the New Zealand Open, went to England's Richard Finch.
Paul Sheehan tried his best to secure the trophy for Australia, shooting a three-under 69 to close the gap by three shots, but could only tie for second with fellow Australian Steven Bowditch as Finch won by three shots.

Golf betting is exciting and often rewarding and you can follow all the changing odds with Betfair.

A Group One handicap contested over 3200m, the Melbourne Cup often provides open betting and around 140,000 racegoers converge on Flemington to shop around for the best odds.

It is the race that every trainer, owner, breeder, jockey and strapper want to win. A Melbourne Cup victory changes lives - not just because of its massive $5.1 million stakes pool but because its winner becomes part of history, especially those who did something a bit special. Such as Makybe Diva, who was retired in the aftermath of her third straight Melbourne Cup victory in 2005 or Media Puzzle, whose jockey Damien Oliver saluted the sky in tribute to his brother Jason who had died after a fall in a trial only a few days before.

The first Melbourne Cup was contested in 1861 and won by the New South Wales visitor Archer who repeated the dose twelve months later. Legend for many years had it that he walked from Nowra to Melbourne and even though evidence has come to light that he caught the train, many still like to believe the story!

The conditions of the Melbourne Cup have never changed and not one running of it missed. During war time nearby racetracks were taken over by the army but the Cup was still conducted - its cultural significance recognised.

Legendary trainer Bart Cummings is the undisputed "Cups King." He first gained a taste of Cup glamour back in 1950, strapping his father's winner Comic Court.

One of Australia's best and most loved trainers, he has won the Melbourne Cup eleven times - his horses finishing one/two on five occasions with many bets landed.

Etienne de Mestre is the second most successful Melbourne Cup trainer, preparing five winners between 1861 and 1878 - including Archer.

In more modern times Lee Freedman has been one to follow in the Melbourne Cup betting, with three winners - Tawrrific, Subzero and Doriemus.

Such is the nature of the Melbourne Cup (there are very few quality staying races) that it is not a race dominated by those at short odds in the betting. Many analyzing the Melbourne Cup betting think it the best race to bet on all year, the pool being so big that there is often great value to be found in the odds.

The last two winners - Efficient and Delta Blues have been at odds of 16-1. Makybe Diva started favourite at her second and third Cups but still at a generous price. In any other race she would have started much shorter odds.

The barrier draw for the Melbourne Cup is an occasion looked forward to by participants. Champagne is sipped as owners are called up to select at random a miniature Melbourne Cup with a barrier number underneath. Many "oohs" by those drawing well and "arghhs" by those not so lucky.

However barriers don't seem vitally significant, number 18 the only one yet to provide a winner.

You really can't ignore Melbourne Cup betting each November with Betfair.

Replacing the two domestic competitions - the Commonwealth Bank Trophy and the National Bank Cup - is the new league which features five teams from each country and provides plenty betting interest.

No surprises that the Australian teams were the shorter odds, or indeed that the Sydney Swifts were installed as one of the favourites in the betting before the season.

In New Zealand, only one team - the Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic - remained largely intact from the previous domestic competition, with four new franchises being created.

It was a different story this side of the ditch, though, as three of the franchises remained largely the same as they had been in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy days.

One team that looked to be well placed to take advantage of the changes were the New South Wales Swifts. Under their guise as the Sydney Swifts, they had won three of the previous four league titles, and had seen their ranks boosted by merger with the Hunter Jaegers.

Elsewhere, the Melbourne Vixens saw the amalgamation of the former Phoenix and Kestrels teams. The Phoenix had had a particularly proud tradition, having won five titles since the Commonwealth Bank Trophy was formed in 1997.
Another reason to bet on Australian teams was the recent domination they had enjoyed over New Zealand in international matches.

Since the Silver Ferns beat Australia 60-55 in the Commonwealth Games gold medal game in Melbourne in 2006, Norma Plummer's squad had won 10 of the 16 match-ups, including crucially the World Championship final in Auckland last year.

There was little doubt in the netball betting that the Magic were the team to follow as far as New Zealand was concerned.

Led by Silver Ferns shooter Irene van Dyk, the Magic squad also boasts the likes of Joline Henry, Laura Langman, Maria Tutaia and Casey Williams.

The rest of the Silver Ferns talent looked to have been distributed thinly among the other franchises, with none of the current international squad having signed for the Central Pulse.

Interest in the competition was heightened by the media response - all 69 matches in the inaugural league are being televised in Australia adding to the thrill of having a bet.

To the neutral, it seemed that the Australian national team talent had been well dispersed among the franchises. The Swifts were able to boast the likes of shooters Catherine Cox (captain) and Susan Pratley, and wing defence Selina Gilsenan.

The Vixens named goal defence Julie Prendegast and shooter Sharelle McMahon, who had both appeared regularly for the national team, while the Adelaide Thurderbirds had Australian stars Mo'onia Gerrard, Natalie Medhurst and Natalie von Bertouch.

Netball betting is set for an exciting future and Betfair is the place to check out the odds.