He might only be on the bench for his much anticipated return to the NRL but the sheer presence of Sonny Bill Williams has resulted in the Sydney Roosters being heavily backed to upset South Sydney in Thursday night's opening match of the 2013 season.
The Bunnies are favourites for the game, after reaching the preliminary final last season - their best performance since 1989 - while in contrast the Roosters finished a distant 13th with just eight wins in 2012.
However it is a new look Roosters team in 2013 - with a new coach in Trent Robinson, new skipper in veteran Anthony Minichello and some big name recruits, with former Penrith star Michael Jennings and former Warrior James Maloney also joining the Roosters for 2013 along with, of course, Williams.
Williams, a dual international with New Zealand in union and league as well as the country's heavyweight boxing champion, is returning to the NRL for the first time since leaving the Canterbury Bulldogs in 2008.
However Williams has been restricted in the build-up to the season by a pectoral muscle injury while playing rugby in Japan last season and is not expected to start, in front of what is expected to be a full house at Allianz Stadium.
But despite that, the money has just continued to come for the Roosters in the long build-up to the opening match of the season.
At sportsbet.com.au, the Roosters have firmed from their initial price of $2.55 - when opening round markets first opened on November 1 last year, to now $2.25 with the Bunnies easing from $1.55 to $1.66.
Sportsbet.com.au's Ben Hawes said the Roosters have now attracted two thirds of all money wagered on the blockbuster start to the 2013 NRL season.
However at Betfair, both sides are better odds with Souths at $1.74 and the Roosters at $2.28.
And surprisingly at Betfair it is the complete opposite scenario, as far as the betting trends are concerned.
Betfair's Daniel Bevan said the Bunnies are dominating the early betting, having attracted around 85 percent of money wagered so far.
Bevan said Souths have firmed from $1.80 to $1.74 while the Roosters have drifted from $2.22 to $2.30.
The Roosters won the corresponding clash last season - 24-20 - before the Bunnies reversed that result with a thrilling 24-22 win at Allianz Stadium in Round 19.
And another close game looks on the cards with the TAB offering $2.50 on either side winning by under 6.5 points while the Roosters are priced at $3.25 to win by more than 6.5 points and the Bunnies at $2.75 in the same market.
The line has been set at four points at sportsbet.com.au - with the Roosters firming from 1.90 to $1.88 with the four-point start while the Rabbitohs have eased from $1.90 to $1.96 conceding the four-point start.
As for margin betting, the Rabbitohs to win by 1-12 points is the favoured option at Betfair at odds of $3.10 while the Bunnies to win by 13 points or more is priced at $3.75, just ahead of a Roosters win by 1-12 points at $3.85.
And in the first try scorer market, South Sydney star Greg Inglis is the $10 equal favourite at sportsbet.com.au - alongside team-mate Nathan Merritt - with boom Roosters recruit Jennings the next highest in betting at $12.
As for overall premiership betting, ahead of the season opener, the Bunnies are on the third line of betting - behind reigning premiers Melbourne and last year's runners-up Canterbury - at odds of $8 at Eskander's Betstar and $9.60 at Betfair, while the Roosters are on the equal fourth line of betting at Betstar, with Cronulla, at $10, but at Betfair they are priced more attractively at odds of $12.50.
*Note prices subject to change.