Super Saturday in the AFL is once again only three games strong this week due to the Monday night clash between the Dockers and Cats. Three good games to look forward to on Saturday though, headlined by a 7.40pm clash between the Power and Saints from Adelaide Oval.
You can see our full preview and tips for all three Saturday games below, or you can check out the rest of our Round 8 previews by heading to our AFL Betting Tips page.
AFL Round 8 Saturday Betting Tips
North Melbourne vs Carlton
Gabba, 1.05pm (AEST)
After winning their first two games of the season, the Roos have looked deplorable since. They have lost their last five on the trot and currently sit in second last place on the ladder. They were absolutely trounced by the Tigers on the weekend, losing by 54 points and scoring just 23 points in the process. They desperately need to bounce abck and get a decent chance against Carlton on Saturday.
The Blues lost to the Power in Round 7 on the back of a Robbie Gray goal after the siren, but actually looked really impressive, particularly their forward pressure. They sit in 11th place with a 3-4 record but already boast good wins over solid teams in the Cats, Bulldogs and Bombers. The Blues have had a pretty tough schedule to start the season, with all seven of their games coming against teams that currently have a .500 or better record.
The Roos have some serious injury concerns they are battling at the moment and could see 10+ of their best 22 out of the line-up for this Saturday’s game. The Blues start as 9.5 point favourites here and we are happy to back them at that line given their performances against the Dogs and Power over the last two weeks.
Sydney vs Hawthorn
SCG, 3.35pm (AEST)
What a perfect matchup between two teams that are struggling mightily at the moment. The Swans and Hawks will both see this game as a great opportunity to get back on the winners list after having lost seven of their last eight combined games. Such is the poor form of the Hawks at the moment that there is even talks that the great Alistair Clarkson could be on the way out. It’s times like these that Clarko has always been able to find something up his sleeve to motivate a solid Hawks performance.
We thought that performance would come last week against the Demons, instead the Hawks looked utterly dismal, getting smashed by 43 points. The Swans didn’t look much better, going down by 32 points at home to the Gold Coast Suns. The Swans at least have an excuse in a bunch of key injuries they are currently battling.
Don’t really feel like touching this game given the poor form of both sides. One thing that looks pretty clear is that it should be a pretty defensive, low scoring game. The two teams currently sit in 14th and 15th place for points scored and just two weeks ago, both had scores in the 20s. Back the under here.
Port Adelaide vs St Kilda
Adelaide Oval, 7.40pm (AEST)
The game of the day sees the Power hosting the Saints from 7.40pm at Adelaide Oval. Port Adelaide will be on the back of a miraculous win which saw Robbie Gray kick a goal after the siren to defeat Carlton by just three points. Charlie Dixon was fantastic in the game, booting three goals and getting plenty of the ball, and he’ll need to be strong against a solid Saints backline if the Power are to extend their two game win streak.
The Saints battled some horrendous umpiring and an improved Adelaide unit on Monday night football in Round 7 to come out 23 point winners at Adelaide Oval and put the horrendous loss to the Dockers from the week before in the rear view mirror. Jack Steele continues to assert his dominance in the midfield for the Saints and should get another tough job this week, likely on Travis Boak.
The result of this game will likely depend on what sort of St Kilda team shows up to play. The line opens at a pretty hefty 17.5 points in favour of the Power and it’s interesting to think what that line would have opened at if Robbie Gray had have missed that set shot. Port will be back at home in front of what will be a excited crowd, so that definitely comes in to play. Tough game to call, but we think the Power probably just cover the 17.5 line, after all, they have won their last eight games against St Kilda by an average margin of 35 points.
Port Adelaide -17.5
$1.90
