With this year’s Challenge Cup final between Hull FC and Wigan approaching fast on the horizon, we’ve taken a look through the betting and the odds to try and pick out who could be a good bet to win this year’s Lance Todd Trophy.
With the odds put forward by competition sponsors Ladbrokes, here’s some value bets for the honour this year – as well as a couple of outsiders we think may be worth a punt.
Favourites
Hull FC: Albert Kelly (8/1)
If Hull are the ones lifting the cup high in the air on Saturday teatime, expect Albert Kelly to have played a big role. He has already shown he has a knock of producing huge moments in a Hull shirt, after all. He’s a great bet.
Wigan: Sam Tomkins (10/1)
Since his return from injury, the England international has gradually got better and better. In both attack and defence Tomkins looks to be nearing his best – if Wigan are victorious, expect Tomkins to garner a fair share of the votes this weekend: making his 10/1 price a decent one.
Value bets
Hull FC: Jamie Shaul (16/1)
Some may have felt that with the match-winning try last year, Hull fullback Jamie Shaul was worthy of a vote or two for the Lance Todd Trophy last year. Could he make more of an impact on the voting panel this time around? 16/1 certainly seems a generous price.
Wigan: John Bateman (14/1)
He’s consistently one of Wigan’s most impressive players – and that has not gone unnoticed among the media this year: the people who will be voting for the Lance Todd Trophy winner this weekend. Is John Bateman a good shout at 14/1?
Rank outsiders
Hull FC: Fetuli Talanoa (33/1)
Try-scorers do not go unnoticed in Challenge Cup finals: just ask Tom Briscoe a few years ago. If someone does grab the headlines out wide with a hat-trick – or even more – they will instantly become huge favourites to win the Lance Todd Trophy. That perhaps makes Fetuli Talanoa a decent bet, just like..
Wigan: Tom Davies (33/1)
It’s quite a fairytale story for Wigan’s Tom Davies. This weekend, he will step out at Wembley having not even been in the first-team reckoning come the start of the year. Can he cap that off with a memorable man-of-the-match effort on Saturday?
