The 2014 AFL finals are here! After 23 rounds of football, the final eight will now start their journey towards the Grand Final. The first week of the finals is really looking like there will be four tight games. Be sure to stay tuned to Before You Bet for free AFL Finals previews and betting tips!
2014 AFL Finals Preview
The 2014 AFL Finals kicks off with the Friday night blockbuster at the MCG – Hawthorn Hawks Vs. Geelong Cats. Every footy fan knows that these two teams are arch rivals and every footy fan will surely be on the edge of their seats watching this first qualifying final. The Hawks defeated the Cats just two weeks ago. They Cats were better than the Hawks in the first half of that game, but the Hawks were far better in the second half. The common consensus from that game is that the Hawks are a step above the Cats. However, if Geelong coach Chris Scott is to believed, then that game was a success for the Cats as they learnt a thing or two about the Hawks and will now take extra confidence into this final. The stakes are, of course, high. The winner of this game gets a week off and a home preliminary final. The loser will face either Essendon or Nth Melbourne in a sudden death semi-final. The last time these two met in September was last year’s preliminary final. The Hawks won by five points. This one is shaping up to be just as close. The Hawks have won five of the last six in finals against the Cats. The Hawks have also had an extra day break in the lead up to this game, while both players faced quite easy competition in the last round of the season. Geelong really need Tom Hawkins to step up if they are to win this game and the hope is that Steve Johnson is completely fit to play. Expecting Hawthorn to have the good to get it done, but the Cats will go down fighting.
The second match of Week 1 of the 2014 AFL finals is Sydney Swans Vs. Fremantle Dockers. It’s at ANZ Stadium and if history is anything to go by, this is going to be a tight contest as the average winning margin between these two teams over the last five match ups is just over two goals. The last time these two met was in Round 5 of this year. The Swans won by 17 points. That was at the SCG, which is probably more suited to the Swans style then ANZ Stadium, though the Swans have won 6 of their last 7 finals at this ground. All the talk this week has been about the out of Fremantle’s Michael Johnson. It is certainly a major out, so the Swans will be confident, especially if they can field a fit Josh Kennedy and Ben McGlynn and if they are lucky, Craig Bird. With a few other players sore, the Swans will be desperate to win this game, get a week off and secure that home final. The Dockers will be hoping to do the same, and a Perth final is arguably even more important to them a home final for Sydney. Like Friday night, we are expecting this game to be a tight one.
One of the finals with the biggest fanfare in Week 1 is certainly Saturday night’s North Melbourne Kangaroos Vs. Essendon Bombers. Both of these teams have had inconsistent years, but this is what they have been building up to and both teams have shown they are capable of playing very good football. The last time these two played was in Round 1 of this season. The Bombers came away with an easy victory. There is no chance it will be easy this time around. The Kangaroos will be happy to see that Bomber key forward Jake Carlisle is out, while key defender Dustin Fletcher’s finals experience will also be missed. The Bombers have played lots of football at the MCG, while the Kangaroos have only played here four times in the last two years. It’s only a small factor, but it is still something that needs to be considered. Overall, the Bombers style of football does match up well with the Kangaroos. Continuing the trend of the first week of the finals, we are thinking this will be another close one.
Who would have thought two weeks ago that we would be writing about this finals match up – Port Adelaide Power Vs. Richmond Tigers ?.. Richmond fans from all around the country will be making their way to Adelaide to show their support for the minority at Adelaide Oval on Sunday. There is no doubt that there will be a lot of passion flowing from Tiger fans, and hopefully that passion will seep into the games of the players. The Tigers defeated the Power in Melbourne back in Round 17 while they were on their onslaught. The finals are a different ballpark altogether though and this is on Power’s turf. Generally in the finals the eighth place team finds it hard to content with fifth and in this case, where the Power could just as easily been in the top four, we think it will just be too hard for the Tigers to pull out a win.
2014 AFL Finals Best Betting Tips
Hawthorn Under 39.5 (Margin 1-39)- $2.20 at Ladbrokes ***
Sydney Swans Under 39.5 (Margin 1-39) - $2.10 at Ladbrokes **
Essendon Under 39.5 (Margin 1-39) - $2.75 at Ladbrokes *
Port Adelaide Under 39.5 (Margin 1-39) - $2.15 at Ladbrokes *
(*The stars represent the confidence level – three stars is high confidence, two is a medium level of confidence and one is a low level. These could be considered as the “units” of the betting play for those who follow sports betting bankroll management.)
Take note: Any of the tips in this article are simply the author’s opinion, so bet at your own risk and always gamble responsibly. Also be sure to check out the Before You Bet Twitter Page for all our thoughts in the lead up to bets! Happy punting!
