Punters get behind Magpies

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Punters get behind Magpies

By TBT on Mon, 09/08.2010

Pies favourites for flag with club legend and bookies, by Jon Pierik at Real Footy

COLLINGWOOD captain Nick Maxwell says there is a ''real steel'' about the surging Magpies as their stunning 22-point win over Geelong prompted a club legend to brand them premiership favourites.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 07: Dale Thomas of the Magpies dives for the ball during the round 19 AFL match between the Geelong Cats and the Collingwood Magpies at Melbourne Cricket Ground on August 7, 2010 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mark Dadswell/Getty Images)

...Tony Shaw, who captained the Magpies to their last flag, in 1990, had no hesitation yesterday in declaring on 3AW: ''They are definite premiership favourites but one of the greatest teams I have ever seen will learn a lot from last night.''

Bookmakers also make the Pies favourites, with their odds of claiming a first flag since 1990 slashed from $3.50 to $2.85 at Centrebet and from $3.50 to $3 at TAB Sportsbet. They started the season at $11.

''They have demanded to be favourites with the way they have played,'' TAB Sportsbet's Gary Davies said. ''They are always well backed. But they are a losing result for us.''

The Cats have drifted from $3 favourites to $3.50.

In other news, an incident involving Hawthorn's Luke Hodge and Sydney's Adam Goodes will also be scrutinised. Hodge, one of the favourites for the Brownlow Medal, appeared to hit Goodes high off the ball in the second term at the SCG on Saturday.

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