Is it in the genes, a sixth sense, or is there something in the water supply to a certain street in Warrawong? An incredible against-the-odds victory has played out, with 11-year-old Chloe Lawrence winning the Mercury Footy Tipping Comp a year after her seven-year-old brother, Daniel Moro, accomplished the same feat.The pair now boast matching oversized cheques for $3000 and have left thousands of experienced adult tipsters and bona fide footy experts in their wake.
Log in to Mercury Footy Tips to see where you were placed SLIDESHOW: Dragons march into the finals Full coverage of The St George Illawarra DragonsTheir success has stumped their mother, Amy Taylor."It blows me away," Mrs Taylor said. "(Husband) John (Moro) will study and study the teams and the kids normally just go, 'eeny meeny miny mo'."Finishing with 141 points, Chloe's victory was so convincing she would have easily beaten Sydney Morning Herald tipsters Phil Gould, Roy Masters and Greg Prichard.A wrecked plasma television in the family garage bears testimony to the level of devotion in the home.The machine became useless after Daniel played one of his "best-of" DVDs so many times the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles logo was burnt into its screen.Chloe hasn't escaped the football fever and keeps up a fanatic's schedule of game-watching, however her tipping success might better be attributed to her cool head and apparent lack of longstanding loyalty.A Manly supporter today, her wardrobe reveals the extent to which she tips with her head, not her heart."She's got shirts for the Roosters, Titans, Cowboys, Bulldogs, Dragons and Manly," Mrs Taylor said."She chops and changes all the time." Despite the kaleidoscope of allegiances, according to Chloe there is method to her choices.She avoids the Roosters and the Sharks and otherwise opts for teams based largely on home ground advantage and sidelined stars."I say, 'Who's out? Who's not playing? Who's at home?"' Chloe said. "I don't like the Roosters. If Manly or Storm are at home I'll pick them because I like them."Chloe plans to spend some of her winnings on her first mobile phone and will also donate a portion of the money to the Cancer Council in memory of her grandfather, who succumbed to cancer in recent years.The remainder will be placed in a savings account. For the record, Chloe predicts a Sea Eagles versus Dragons grand final, with the latter to win by about six points.Daniel finished this year's competition in 11th place, and topped the Mercury's panel of experts. Mrs Taylor finished in 10th in 2008, but both she and Mr Moro dropped out of contention this year, in 382nd and in 95th place respectively.
