Our best bet for Friday's NRL Preliminary Final between the Dolphins and Sydney Roosters is the Dolphins to Win / Tabuai-Fidow to Score / Nawaqanitawase to Score Same Game Multi at $7.75, with the Dolphins on an eight-match win streak and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow scoring three tries in his last two games.
The first of this weekend's Preliminary Finals takes place at Suncorp Stadium, with the in-form Dolphins hosting the Roosters on Friday night.
Dolphins vs Sydney Roosters
The Dolphins are the form team of the NRL right now, having won eight matches on the bounce to book their place in the season's final four.
They'll be well rested after beating the Warriors a fortnight ago, 26-16 in Auckland, and getting last weekend off as a result.
Sydney, on the other hand, have come the long way to this match, losing their Qualifying Final to Penrith, their fourth straight loss, before thrashing the Sharks 46-10 last week.
Leg 1 - Dolphins to Win
All signs point towards the home side winning here.
The Dolphins prevailed in both of the regular-season meetings between these two teams, winning 48-10 in June then 26-12 less than a month ago.
They're full of confidence thanks to a red-hot backline and an eight-match win streak, and will have a packed Suncorp cheering them on.
Against a Roosters side that have won just once in their last five matches, it's hard to see the Dolphins stumbling.
Leg 2 - Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow to Score
Look back over this column's tips on the Dolphins' matches and you'll see Tabuai-Fidow has been a regular performer.
The Dolphins' fullback has three tries in his last two games and 14 for the season, plus a try in each Origin match.
He's elusive, opportunistic and loves a big game. Matches like this are where he plays his best.
Leg 3 - Mark Nawaqanitawase to Score
The same can be said for Nawaqanitawase. The Roosters' winger almost single-handedly beat the Panthers a fortnight ago, snaffling some incredible intercepts and always threatening down the edge.
He'll know the same kind of magic is required if Sydney are to pull off an upset, and is likely to rise to the challenge.
Nawaqanitawase has been prolific at getting to the tryline this season, dotting down 18 times in 21 matches, including twice last week.
Same Game Multi
Dolphins to Win / Tabuai-Fidow to Score / Nawaqanitawase to Score = $7.75
Value Bet
The Dolphins love a beatdown. 11 of their 17 wins in the regular season came by 13+, including both times they played the Roosters this year.
Yes, this is finals footy, so there's a tendency for things to tighten up. That said, the Dolphins still scored 26 points in their opening win against the Warriors.
There's certainly a world where they put the Roosters to the sword here.
