Clive Churchill Medal 2021 betting tips, prediction & odds

Broncos v Souths round 1 2022 betting tips

Welcome to our Clive Churchill Medal betting tips, prediction and odds update for the NRL grand final at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, on Sunday, October 3.

The NRL showpiece match between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and Penrith Panthers is in some danger of being shifted to Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville because of emerging cases of Covid-19 in Brisbane.

But that should not affect who wins the game and indeed the Clive Churchill Medal, which is awarded to the player judged to be man of the match in the NRL grand final.

The Clive Churchill Medal was first presented in 1986 when Parramatta halfback Peter Sterling took the honour, and of course it was named after a former rugby league great who played for and coached South Sydney.

Penrith superstar Nathan Cleary is hot favourite this year at around $4 with most Australian online bookmakers but we will look at some recent winners and some general rules for betting on this award, then give our free value tips for this year’s big match.

Recent Clive Churchill Medal winners by position

2011 Glenn Stewart (Manly Sea Eagles) Lock
2012 Cooper Cronk (Melbourne Storm), Halfback
2013 Daly Cherry-Evans (Manly Sea Eagles) Halfback
2014 Sam Burgess (South Sydney Rabbitohs) Lock
2015 Johnathan Thurston (North Queensland Cowboys) Halfback
2016 Luke Lewis (Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks) Second-rower
2017 Billy Slater (Melbourne Storm) Fullback
2018 Luke Keary (Sydney Roosters) Five-eighth
2019 Jack Wighton (Canberra Raiders) Five-eighth
2020 Ryan Papenhuyzen (Melbourne Storm) Fullback

The first rule you should keep in mind when selecting who will win the medal is that it is nearly always awarded to a player from the winning side.

In the 35 years since Sterling’s win in 1986, the medal has been awarded to a player on the losing side only four times, though it has happened twice in the past 10 years for Daly Cherry-Evans in 2013 and Canberra’s Jack Wighton in 2019.

The previous two winners from beaten sides were Canberra’s Bradley Clyde in 1991 and St George’s Brad Mackay in 1993.

The second rule that jumps out at us is that the winner is most likely to be wearing a No.7, No.1 or No.13 jersey.

Here is the breakdown of all the modern winners by position: halfback 10 times; fullback 6 times; lock 6 times; five-eighth 4 times; second row 4 times; prop 3 times; hooker 2 times.

The playmakers have dominated in the past decade leaving the likes of Nathan Cleary, Penrith No.6 Jarome Luai and Souths’ halves Adam Reynolds and Cody Walker firmly in the frame.

Continue reading for our free Clive Churchill Medal tips, including best bet and other value chances.

Clive Churchill Medal tips – Souths v Penrith GF 2021

The Clive Churchill Medal acknowledges the man of the match in the NRL grand final. Here are our value Clive Churchill Medal tips for the NRL grand final between South Sydney and Penrith Panthers.

Cameron Murray at $12

We see this a low-scoring, forwards-based battle and the Souths lock is in outstanding form. He has become one of the best forwards in the game and was simply awesome against Manly last weekend. Murray is paying $12 to win the Clive Churchill Medal with Unibet Australia and is the sort if inspirational player who can pop up to make a game-saving tackle or crash over for a crucial try. Great value, especially if you think Souths will win.

Isaah Yeo at $12

Just as with Murray, if the Panthers are going to win, you just know Yeo, a Blues teammate of Murray’s, will be in the thick of the action. Cleary is the obvious choice but at $4 there is not too much value to be had there especially when he has been a little curtailed by a dodgy shoulder. So Yeo it is, as another inspirational lock.

By hooker or by crook

If as expected it is a tough battle up front with little separating the sides, the respective hookers Apisai Koroisau (Panthers) and Damien Cook (Souths) will also be to the fore. They are both around the $12 mark and both will get through a power of work. They are also both capable of the game-changing dart from dummy-half for a try or to set one up. Cook and Koroisau are available at around $13 but you might find better by comparing odds at AU betting sites.

Clive Churchill Medal odds 2021

$4 Nathan Cleary (Panthers)
$7 Cody Walker (Rabbitohs)
$12 Cameron Murray (Rabbitohs), Damien Cook (Rabbitohs), Isaah Yeo (Panthers)
$13 Adam Reynolds (Rabbitohs), Apisai Koroisau (Panthers), Jarome Luai (Panthers)
$26+ All other players

Check out all the latest odds at TopSport!

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