The NRL season is nearly upon us and as the cricket thankfully winds down and the trials start to arc up, we all get that feeling deep down in the loins.  It is February, right now, where we start thinking starting line-ups, draws, player moves, fantasy, long-term futures betting and the countdown to round one.

That being the case Nick Tedeschi has created The Punters’ Guide to the 2011 NRL Season where each team and each player are broken down with absolute truth and absolute honesty.  The Punters’ Guide to the 2011 NRL Season is the must have guide for every rugby league fan.

Respected rugby league writer and pricing consultant Nick Tedeschi has put together this thorough guide that is a no-holds barred assessment, unique statistical evaluation and comprehensive betting appraisal all rolled into one. With the legendary Mr Rugby chiming in and much information sourced from within the gambling industry, there is no better tool for the rugby league punter no matter how seriously one takes their betting. It can even be used to win your tipping competition or fantasy league.

The Punters Guide to the 2011 NRL Season includes:

All the latest team information with complete squad listings for each club.

Detailed betting information from the 2010 season including analysis of head-to-head, line and total points betting for each club and the NRL as a whole.

The thoughts and premiership prices of Australia’s top rugby league gambler and former Punting Ace guru, Mr Rugby.

An in-depth and original statistical analysis of all 16 teams.

Detailed betting data for each and every team.

Recruitment analysis, positional and coaching assessment and draw evaluation for every club.

Predictions and betting advice for the 2011 season.

Nick says there is no guide quite like The Punters Guide to the 2011 NRL Season.  It is on sale for only $14.95 and is extraordinary value for every rugby league fan.  Go to http://www.makingthenut.com/content/punters-guide-2011-nrl-season to purchase a copy.

23 January 2011 186.2 – Paul looks at Nathan Tinkler’s offer to buy the Newcastle Knights.  He thinks that it will make the Knights stronger.  There is also a discussion about Melbourne Storm again being in the news with a fan under threat of being sued over comments posted on social media.  Shane Harmon, Communications Director for the Rugby Union World Cup in New Zealand comes on to talk about the World Cup beginning in September.  The global TV reach will be greater than 4 billion people over the six weeks of the tournament with 1.5 million attendees at the matches.  Mark Fiorenti with a big smile chats about the Socceroos making the semi finals of the Asian Cup with Harry Kewell hitting the winner against Iraq in extra time and now going on to play Uzbekistan in the semis.  He also looks at A League and Premier League results.  The Panel discusses the shrine to be built to remember Paul the oracle octopus.  Mark says FIFA should consider decalring a calamari free Friday as a tribute.  Bogus Powerbalance bracelets also come in for examination and Nick believes it says something about the intelligence of our athletes.  Nick also comments on the selection of the Australian cricket one day side for the World Cup.   He thinks the overlooking of Brad Hodge is astounding and defies logic and belief.  Paul reviews the upcoming ABL finals and how the first season has developed.  He says it is the best value for your sporting dollar that is going around at the moment.  A tweet from a listener provokes a discussion regarding Channel 10 dropping Kelli Underwood from the commentary box to the AFL boundary line for season 2011.  Nick says if she is good enough she should be in the commentary box.  The Professor feelks she may have been rushed in without serving an apprenticeship calling football at a lower level.

19 December 2010 184.1 – The show starts off with a festive intro and Daniel, Stan, the Gelding and the Professor talk about what they would like for Christmas. Daniel then discusses the blockbuster NBA trade sending Gilbert Arenas, Jason Richardson & Hedu Turkoglou to the Orlando Hornets for Vince Carter, Rashard Lewis and Mickael Pietrus. Stan is all over the poor form of the Melbourne Tigers and the Houston Rockets scouting Eric Devendorf and Luke Nevill. Daniel says the Tigers need a miracle to make the playoffs.

Nick Tedeschi comes on to talk rugby league and the retirement through the week of Eric Grothe Jnr from Parramatta Eels. Nick thinks Eric did not live up to his potential and was basically a waste of space, He believes the Eels may go after Greg Inglis as they have a very big war chest.   He sees Canterbury as being the big improvers next season.  The Wests Tigers can go one better and make the Grand Final and Melbourne Storm will bounce back.  Parramatta Eels and Cronulla will struggle in 2011.

The Gelding and the Sydney Colt talk winners and losers at Flemington and Randwick whilst Mark Fiorenti talks all things soccer with the A League and Premier League updates.

8 August 2010 166.2 –The Panel say it’s all very well to have a baseball league but where will Melbourne Aces play their home games.  No decision made on that as yet as we understand it, but hopefully not Altona as both Daniel and Trav say they won’t go to that venue.  Nick Tedeschi talks NRL and believes Canterbury Bulldogs are the bet of the weekend v Newcastle.  We catch him before he heads out to the SCG to watch the Roosters play St George and felt it would be nostalgic to see League played at the SCG again.  He says Israel Folau will defintely come back to rugby league after his flirtation with the AFL.  We get Dr Leslie’s CSA in earlier this week so we can do more stool gazing before the end of the show.  Daniel says Brett Favre can’t be @packers4 on twitter as the Professor already has that handle.  Daniel reviews the Melbourne Tigers tour of ‘the world’ and notes that they beat England but lost to the University of Pittsburgh.  Stan wonders whether the Tigers should be investing more in players than spending it on a bonding tour.  Sean Callanan joins the discussion and says Stan’s point is fair enough, but he guesses the Tigers are looking at getting advantage from sharing knowledge with other teams aound the world.  The Professor finds it funny that the Tigers are playing the “Irish All Stars”.  The Panel discusses whether there should be a Hall of Fame for the players who actually help the stars into the Hall of Fame by doing the blocks or opening the running lanes.  Sean thinks that a Brett Favre reality show on his “Decision” to comeback (or not) would be a weekly program not a one off.  The Panel gets a tweet from @BrisbaneNBL announcing an attempt to revive the Brisbane Bullets franchise.  Sean thinks sports fans would struggle to name five NBL players.  He doesn’t know when the Tigers will appear on twitter and fires in a record number of sports cliches on Collingwood’s run to the finals.

25 July 2010 164.2 – Mark Fiorenti is quizzed whether Jon Bon Jovi is a realistic number 1 ticket holder for Melbourne Heart.  The Panel has some fun with some of Bon Jovi’s songs and Gambo worries that the show is moving away from its sporting roots with the music discussion.  Mark also previews the A League season thinking Sydney, Melbourne Victory and Heart will be the teams to watch with Perth Glory being the dark horse after the signing of Robbie Fowler.  Mark talks about the aborted transfer involving Shane Smeltz due to Smeltz not liking the surroundings in China and thinks it is a bad thing for the League as Aussie players look unreliable.  The Panel talk about the proposed 15,000 seat upgrade to Eureka stadium at Ballarat and wonder whether the AFL will fixture games at the venue.  Is this an endeavour for North Ballarat to be a 19th team in the AFL?… which would then open the door for a 20th team from Tasmania.  Gambo and Daniel ponder whether South Africa and New Zealand may also field teams in the AFL in the future or be preferred to Ballarat and Tasmania.  Nick Tedeschi covers the NRL scene in Paul Dalligan’s absence.  He thinks Melbourne Storm will need to let Greg Inglis go to keep other stars and some of their second tier players.  The level of support for the Storm will depend on their on field performances.  He also discusses the Danny Green/Paul Briggs “fight” and believes it is a disgrace that it went on.  In Tour de Farce news, did Contador break race etiquette in passing Schleck when Schleck had a mechanical failure with his chain?  The Panel thinks so.  We sneak a different Dr Leslie CSA in just before the end of the show.

On tomorrow’s Sportzfan Radio you’ll hear Sean Callanan give a wrap of the two Sports Conferences he attended in Sydney and Auckland on social media, the panel will discuss the farcical “fight” in Perth during the week, the Gelding will talk about the winners and losers at Moonee Valley whilst Mark Fiorenti will be reviewing A League teams chances as the season is just around the corner.

With Dalligan away in the US for a wedding (not his own) we’ll talk NRL with Nick Tedeschi…..will we be able to avoid talking Melbourne Storm…probably not!  Plenty happening in the world of sport so make sure you’re next to your radio or computer at midday tomorrow when the Professor, Daniel Eade and Gambo present the best sports show going around.  Don’t forget to tweet discussion topics to @sportzfanradio

On Sunday’s show the Professor is back behind the Panel and will have NRL commentator Nick Tedeschi and basketball expert Daniel Eade as guests.  Aside from the normal disection of the week in sports they will be talking with US reporter Dan Butterly about Major League Baseball and the National League finally winning an All Star game, NBA free agency and an interesting video from the Mountain West women’s soccer championships of 2009.

We’ll cross to a restaurant in Chinatown to talk racing with The Gelding, who’ll discuss the winners and losers at Caulfield.  Also on the show “F” Word’s Mark Fiorenti will wrap up the recently completed World Cup and talk about whether soccer needs the introduction of a match review panel.  Paul Dalligan will discuss the revelations about the Melbourne Storm higher salary cap breaches and give his assessment of the likely finalists as the NRL season nears its conclusion.

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