The ones to be feared
HAIL Jerry, the Huddersfield Giants star who has taken the Rugby League World Cup by storm – and in doing so Jermaine McGillvary has been busy emptying the pockets of Betfred boss Fred Done!
The England winger is the toast of at least 400 of the bookie’s most knowledgeable customers on both sides of the Pennines, who have been cashing in on him scoring tries in each match Down Under.
His tally going into tomorrow’s final against odds-on favourites Australia is standing at seven.
Betfred Super League ace Jerry, 29, was 6/1 to score first in England’s ultimately nervy semi-final triumph over Tonga – and the fivers and tenners are already being splashed on him doing it again at Brisbane in the final.
He’s 9/1 to get England off to a flying start with the opener in our first World Cup final AUSTRALIA full-back Billy Slater has identified his old Melbourne teammate Gareth Widdop as England’s main threat in the World Cup final - as well as heaping praise on Jermaine McGillvary.
The wheel has turned full circle for Halifax-born Widdop, who started his career in the Melbourne juniors as a full-back but switched to stand-off because of the presence of Slater in the number one jersey.
Widdop, who moved on to St George Illawarra four years ago, made such a success of the switch that he was named Dally M standoff in 2017 but has found himself back in his old full-back role for his country and has played a key role in England’s run to the final.
“Gareth is just a natural footy player,” Slater said. “He can play anywhere really. As long as he has got the ball in his hands, he is going to be a danger to the opposition.
“He’d always had this sort of potential. We all know what Gareth Widdop is capable of.”
Slater has also been impressed by England wingers McGillvary and Ryan Hall, and reckons the final could be finely-balanced.
“They have got just as much chance as us,” he said. “It all comes down to the 80 minutes on Saturday night. Whoever performs the best and plays the best rugby league will win the World Cup.
“They have put themselves in a pretty handy position. Both wingers have really impressed me, especially after our first encounter down in Melbourne.
“McGillvary and Hall are so hard to handle, they are big, strong lads so we are going to have to make sure our kick chase is the best it’s been all tour and handle them with a lot of numbers and be quite physical because that is how they run the ball.”