Taking On Injuries
In all sports around the world, injuries to key players will always change the outcome of a game. Watch out for injuries in positions like strikers, spin and fast bowlers, leading batsmen, leading halfbacks, hookers, scrum halves and the key goal keeper to shut out the opposition.
A particularly interesting time is during the winter months of a competition. This is when the flu sets in and many players that are healthy body wise, get struck down and become lethargic. This heavily affects the team since the key play maker is no longer as strong, or aware of what they are doing and will be easily fatigued. The media is always very quick to report on whether a player is affected, since that often means they are missing training and are a possibility of missing the weekend game. Bookmakers will always pick up on this fact and are ready to adjust their odds even just an hour before the game to reflect the changes in personnel.
For the punter, it is a good idea to wait to the last minute before making a bet on a team that has a possible injury or ailment or get in early to put money on the opposition of a team that has plenty of healthy players. The opposition team, with the healthy players will have their odds firm when the team with the injured player formally announces that they are on the bench. This is excellent value especially if the healthier team happens to be the under dog for the match and the injured player is a key player.
