PAX1A · Sports
PAX1A's Weekly Sport Babble
Vol. 1 — the first babble
By PAX1A · Friday, 14 August 2026
Here comes the first of what will hopefully be a lot of babbling every Thursday — to get your upcoming sports weekend planned, sorted, and a bet or three booked in.
Watching sport for decades, I have seen the highs, the lows, and the complete garbage. Will all of these bets win? Probably. Should you bet on them? Absolutely — but enjoy yourself and don't go overboard. The weekend is for fun, so treat it like that. Get stuck in!
THURSDAY
NZ NPC Rugby · Thu 0710 UTC
Harbour v Wellington
Harbour are just trash. Pure trash. They barely get up half the time; the rest of the time they're at the pub. One of the most unreliable and inconsistent teams in the country — their feeder clubs are tiny, with a few dozen players at each if you're lucky. Wellington have good depth in their squad, and it's finally time they clicked. Harbour can just go back to the pub.
NRL · Thu 0950 UTC
Panthers v Roosters
THIS is a big match. The Cats are hanging on to top spot, but they got a hiding at the hands of the Wahs last week. The Chooks are on a surge in the second half of the season, and this week will be no different. Also my pick for the minor premiership.
FRIDAY
NFL Preseason · Fri 0000 UTC
Cards v Raiders
Preseason NFL — where they try out the whole roster. The D usually dies off later in the game and you get some high scores. This will be no different.
NRL · Fri 0800 UTC
Dolphins v Manly
The Fins are another one of those teams that should be right up there at the sharp end of the season with September footy. At 1.34 against a Manly side going through a rebuild after losing DCE, this is an easy multi filler. The winger always gets over.
SATURDAY
International Rugby · Sat 0515 UTC
Japan v Australia
Japan made themselves a nuisance last weekend against Aussie, nearly taking the win. Aussie have a new coach, and that always takes a few weeks to get into the groove of things — plus Australian Rugby Union is a dying breed right now. It has never been the same since John Eales kicked the winning goal against the All Blacks in 2000 to win the Bledisloe Cup. Japan will hassle Aussie again all game — I expect a 10–12 point game with the Japanese forward pack doing the grunt work.
Multi These Together
PAX1A's Weekend Multi
- Wellington to win1.91
- Roosters to win2.22
- NFL Over 41.5 pts1.83
- Dolphins to win1.34
- Japan +17.51.95
Total odds
20.22
$1 wins $20.22
Odds shown at time of publication.
Fine print
All picks and odds are opinion at the time of publication and change constantly. First Class Gamba is not a betting operator and does not accept wagers. Bets are placed on Cooked. 18+ only. Gambling involves risk — if it stops being fun, take a break.