Nbl All Star Game (wednesday 12th)

[australian_punter]

Stars set to shine in All-Star game Mon, 10 Dec 2007 9:47 PM Jonathan Healy, Sportal Chris Anstey Twenty of the best players in the HUMMER Championship NBL will be on court as the Aussie All-Stars take on the World All-Stars at the State Netball and Hockey Centre in Melbourne. And what a mouth-watering clash it promises to be, with world class players from both sides going head-to-head, showcasing the immense talent we have in this competition. Chris Anstey will start in the middle for the Aussie team and he will battle it out against team-mate Martin Muursepp from the World team in an intriguing match-up, while Cairns Taipans rookie Nathan Jawai will attempt to provide the Aussie team a strong presence inside the key. In Anstey and Jawai, the Aussie team looks to have an edge in the big man department, but the World line-up boasts an imposing guard rotation of Ebi Ere, Kirk Penney, Darnell Hinson, Cortez Groves, Kavossy Franklin and Corey Williams. Five of these six players have the capabilities of hitting the outside shot, and this is where the World team will try to impose their advantage. South Dragons swingman and reigning rookie of the year Joe Ingles could well get the unenviable task of guarding Ere, while veteran Brisbane Bullets guard CJ Bruton might be asked to keep Williams quiet. Hinson, Groves and Franklin will all start on the bench for the World team, so Aussie back-ups David Barlow, James Harvey and Stephen Black will all need to be ready when Brian Goorjian brings them on. As well as being in charge of the Aussie All-Star team, Goorjian is also coach of the Boomers side, and the All-Star game will provide the veteran coach an excellent chance to get a first hand look at some of the players that are vying for a spot on the Olympic team in 2008. Barlow, Harvey, Ingles and Black are all in contention to board the plane to Beijing next year as part of the Boomers squad, and the trio will surely be keen to perform in front of the national coach. Everyone on the Aussie All-Star team will be trying their guts out in this match just to make sure Goorjian knows what they are capable of, and the World team would be well advised to take note of this. Defence tends to go missing for large proportions of matches like this one but with Olympic spots up for grabs, the Aussie team may just bring a bit more hustle and bustle to the defensive end of the court than their opponents. Generally, trying to pick a winner here is a pretty arduous task, but in what promises to be an entertaining and high-scoring affair, the Aussie All-Stars might be able to get over the line and win some bragging rights in the locker room after the match. Tip: Aussie All-Stars by seven JONATHON HEALY, SPORTAL

[australian_punter]

Re: Nbl All Star Game (wednesday 12th) MATCH ODDS: Line: -4.5 AUSSIE ALL STARS: $1.50/WORLD ALL STARS: $2.50 Over 267.5/Under 267.5 $1.90 Margin: Aus 1-10/Aus 11+ $2.75 World 1-10 $ 3.75/World 11+ $7.00