Daily tips for June 2

NRL for June 2

Gold Coast Titans v North Queensland Cowboys, Skilled Park, Sunday, June 2, 3pm

The Cowboys are in big trouble. They have lost three in a row for the second time this season and have just four wins to go with seven losses. Plus, they are without State of Origin stars Johnathan Thurston, James Tamou, Matt Scott and Brent Tate, and injured pair Matt Bowen and Gavin Cooper. The Titans have been hurt by Origin as well, with Nate Myles, Ashley Harrison and Greg Bird all unavailable, but at least they get Dave Taylor back from injury to help plug the hole in the forwards.

Titans centre Jamal Idris is starting to make the sort of impact a man of his size is meant to make. Idris has scored four tries this season – all in his past five games. All five of his line-breaks have also come in his past five games. And of his 24 offloads, 15 have come in his past five games. The big fellow is going to take some stopping.

If the Titans can control the ball reasonably well, they are going to make life hard for the Cowboys, because even with all of the players out the Titans still have several potential match-winners in their side. The Cowboys are outnumbered in that area, and need to be more disciplined than at any previous stage of this season if they hope to win. – Preview with thanks to NRL.com

Suggested bet: Titans -9.5 (two units @ $1.91) WIN, game total -38.5 (one unit @ $1.91) LOSE (31-12)

Racing for June 2

Horse racing: Ballarat (Vic), Murwillumbah (NSW), Wagga (NSW – abandoned), Toowoomba (Qld), Kalgoorlie (WA), Hamilton (Vic), Launceston (Tas). Harness racing: Hobart (Tas), Cranbourne (Vic). Greyhound racing: Healesville (Vic), Mt Gambier (SA), Sandown Park (Vic), Sale (Vic), Strathalbyn (SA), Wagga (NSW), Albion Park (Qld).

Many punters steer away from the heavy tracks as there is often little exposed form on genuine wet tracks but there’s often value galore if you can find a ‘duck’ that loves a heavy (9), as the runners will face at Ballarat today. One such runner comes up in the fourth, the Sunbury Lions Football Netball Club Maiden Plate over 2300 metres.

Michelle Payne takes the ride aboard the locally trained #4 Dashdan. Unusually for a maiden, this horse has won over the jumps on a heavy track and took out a steeple trail at Warrnambool on May 24 over 2400m. This 5yo gelding certainly represents a pick out of left-field, but we’re getting decent value at $13.

Suggested bet: Ballarat R4 #4 Dashdan E/W (0.5x2) LOSE (U/P)

Other tips

Ballarat R6 #1 Canadian Major (E/W) 2nd ($1.80)

Ballarat R7 #4 Centauraine (E/W 1x4) 3rd ($1.60)

Ballarat R8 #18 Al Maisan (E/W) LOSE (U/P)

Hamilton R2 #2 Six Beat (win) 1st ($2.60)

Murwillumbah R7 #7 Don’t Get Me Rong (E/W) 1st ($2.80/$1.40)

Toowoomba R8 #5 Somnambulist (win) LOSE (U/P)

Harness racing tip: Cranbourne R8 #6 Rule Like A King (win)

Greyhound racing tip: Sale R9 #7 Proven Will (win)

AFL (R10) for June 2

Melbourne v Hawthorn, MCG, Sunday, June 2, 3.20pm

Here’s one of the more remarkable stats of recent history – Melbourne managed just 25 inside 50s in their 90-point loss against Freo last week. The Hawks tallied 28 during the third quarter of their win over Gold Coast last week. A Melbourne FC board meeting is scheduled for Monday night, so there’s every chance this will be Mark Neeld’s final game in charge and there’s nothing to suggest he’ll have a winning send-off.

This is another big line, but it’s the final game before the bye for the Hawks and with Michael Osborne, David Hale, Grant Birchall and Shane Savage all available, this could get very ugly. Melbourne have displayed a ‘bounce back’ ability after they’ve been smashed but we just can’t see it happening this time around. The heavy rain in recent days shouldn’t have too great an impact – the MCG drains remarkably well and this is the first game here for the weekend. That said, we’re leaning to the ‘under’ game total.

Suggested bets: Game total -206.5 (three units @ $1.91) WIN, Hawthorn -88.5 (one unit @ $1.91) WIN (48-143)

Nth Melbourne v St Kilda, Etihad Stadium, Sunday, June 2, 4.40pm

North made it four losses by less than a goal when pipped at the line by Adelaide last week, but St Kilda lost in similar circumstances to lowly Footscray so it might come down to a battle of club psychologists in this one! Despite their inability to get the job done, North (3-6) still have to be considered an outside chance of making the eight while just one game behind at 2-7, the Saints look gone for 2013. It’s a big milestone day for North as Brent Harvey celebrates his 350th and despite the loss of Jack Ziebell (again) to suspension, the Roos should be able to outgun the Saints in a high scoring affair.

Suggested bet: Game total +196.5 WIN, St Kilda +26.5 LOSE (133-65)

MLB for June 2

Arizona Diamondbacks (30-24) @ Chicago Cubs (23-30), Wrigley Field, Chicago IL, Sunday, June 2, 9.15am

Enjoying their longest winning streak in nearly two years, the Cubs try to hand the Arizona Diamondbacks a 10th loss in 11 games at Wrigley Field here. Cubs pitcher Jeff Samardzija (3-6, 2.85 ERA) was at his best last Tuesday, throwing a two-hitter while striking out eight and walking two in a 7-0 road win over the White Sox. The right-hander ranks second in the NL with 9.91 strikeouts per nine innings and is among the league leaders with a .196 opponents’ batting average.

The Cubs have hit .294 with 18 homers in taking nine of 10 from the Diamondbacks (30-24) at Wrigley, including four straight by a 22-5 margin. Alfonso Soriano is batting .400 with 17 homers and 37 RBIs during his last 29 games against Arizona, and he’s 6 for 11 with three home runs off Arizona’s scheduled starter Ian Kennedy (2-3, 4.70). Kennedy is 1-0 with a 3.50 ERA over his last three starts. He’s gone 2-2 in six match-ups versus Chicago while compiling a 6.94 ERA, his second-highest mark against any NL opponent.

Suggested bet: Cubs WIN (1.5 units @ $1.71) LOSE, game total +9 (2.5 units @ $1.91) WIN (12-4)

Other tips

Rays @ Indians WIN WIN (0-5)

Mariners @ Twins +8.5 WIN (4-5)

Tigers @ Orioles +9 WIN (10-3)

Dodgers @ Rockies WIN WIN (6-7)

White Sox @ Athletics -8 WIN (3-4)

Mets @ Marlins WIN WIN (1-8)

Royals @ Rangers -9 WIN (4-1)

Red Sox WIN @ Yankees WIN (11-1)

Astros @ Angels -1.5 LOSE (2-0)

Reds WIN @ Pirates WIN (2-0)

NHL playoffs for June 2

Eastern Conference finals, game 1: Boston Bruins @ Pittsburgh Penguins, CONSOL Energy Center, Pittsburgh, PA, Sunday, June 2, 10.10am

The big question – how will the Bruins turn the tables on a Pittsburgh team that defeated them in all three games this season? Granted the Pittsburgh victories were all by one goal but in two of the three games played, Tomas Vokoun was in net and starred in both outings. In the other game, Marc-Andre Fleury managed 16 saves on just 18 shots. While the Pens still got the 3-2 victory, Fleury was certainly not the brick wall that Voukon proved to be against Boston. Vokoun is now ‘the man’ between the pipes for Pittsburgh.

It's a phenomenon unique to goaltenders this time of year. For all the talk about the importance of playoff experience, the guys in the back of the net can sometimes seem immune to the pressure. In 16 winters, Vokoun never played on a team that made it past the opening round of the post-season until Pittsburgh ousted the Islanders three weeks ago. He was hardly overcome by the stage in the second round against Ottawa, allowing just 11 goals in five games. Look for him, and the Pens, to start this series in winning fashion.

Suggested bets: Penguins WIN (three units @ $1.57) LOSE, game total -5.5 (one unit @ $1.91) WIN (3-0)

Other tips

WCF1: Kings WIN LOSE @ Blackhawks -5.5 WIN (1-2)

NBA playoffs for June 2

Eastern Conference finals, game 6: Miami Heat @ Indiana Pacers, Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN, Sunday, June 2, 10.30am (Heat lead 3-2)

The books are still showing the Heat as a 2.5-point favourite, but we think the Pacers are good things here. A third straight Eastern Conference title is now just one win away for the reigning champions, though if the way this series has gone so far is an accurate indicator, that win will hardly come easily.

The teams have alternated wins and losses through the first five games, and if that trend holds, then it's the Pacers' turn to prevail here and send the series back to Miami for a winner-goes-to-the-finals Game 7 on Tuesday. The Pacers saw their season end a year ago on their home floor, at Miami's hand, in Game 6 of a second-round series. So Indiana's biggest source of motivation on Saturday may be the desire to avoid the indignity of watching Miami advance in Indianapolis for a second straight season.

Chris Andersen, the back-up big man who is 15 for 15 from the floor in the series and has made his last 18 shots overall, was suspended on Saturday for shoving Tyler Hansbrough twice in the second quarter, then not backing away quick enough for a referee who stepped in. It’s a big loss – so far this series the Pacers have had a massive advantage in the paint and Andersen’s absence will just make it easier for the Pacers to the find the basket.

Suggested bet: Pacers +2.5 (two units @ $1.91) WIN, game total +183 (one unit @ $1.91) LOSE (77-91)

* Prices with thanks to Centrebet, correct at time of publication