AFL Round 5 continues on Saturday with three games on the schedule. Here, we preview the match between Adelaide and Richmond and provide our best spread and player prop betting tips!
As always, we have you covered with a full preview and betting tips for the game and remember to head to our AFL Tips page, where you can catch our coverage of all the Round 5 action.
Adelaide vs Richmond Betting Tips
Adelaide Oval, Saturday 15th April, 4:35pm (AEDT)
Adelaide
Injuries: Mitch Hinge (Hip), Andrew McPherson (Hamstring), Paul Seedsman (Concussion), Zach Taylor (Thumb)
Mitch Hinge has made a bright start to the season but unfortunately picked up a hip injury last weekend and was subbed out. He joins Paul Seedsman, Andrew McPherson and Zach Taylor as those forced to the sidelines due to injury.
Adelaide put up a great fight against the Bombers last weekend but couldn’t quite get over the hump as they went down by four points. Tex Walker made a very strong return to AFL football after a lengthy spell, chiming in with 18 disposals and four goals. Josh Rachele was also sensational with 19 touches and three goals as he continues his stellar debut season.
Despite their best efforts, the Crows enter Round 5 with a 1-3 record. They’ve been a lot better than that record indicates, with only one of their four games being decided by more than a single kick. Still, the Crows are 12th on the ladder and need to win this weekend to stay in touch with the top eight.
Richmond
Injuries: Josh Caddy (Soreness), Dylan Grimes (Hamstring), Dustin Martin (Personal), Nick Vlastuin (Hamstring)
The Tigers have had a better run with injuries so far this campaign compared to previous seasons. Missing from their best 22 due to injury are Josh Caddy, Dylan Grimes and Nick Vlastuin, while superstar Dustin Martin continues to take leave due to personal reasons.
Richmond bounced back brilliantly from their embarrassing performance against the Saints to defeat last year’s runner-up in the Western Bulldogs. The Tigers trailed by five points at quarter time, but piled on the goals in the next three quarters to destroy the Dogs by 38 points. Shai Bolton was best on ground with 20 touches and two goals, while Tom Lynch returned to form with four majors of his own.
The Tigers have had an inconsistent start to the season, trading losses with wins in their first four rounds. Last weekend’s win was easily their best four-quarter performance of the season and will be a blueprint for how they want to play going forward. Whether they can string back-to-back wins together remains to be seen.
Match Prediction
The Tigers have obviously been the stronger team in this matchup for a few years now, such was the dominance of their dynasty. However, the Crows have still managed to win two of their last three matches against the Tigers at Adelaide Oval despite being in a rebuilding state. I believe they’ve been getting better with every match this year and actually think they’re the more consistent team of the two at the moment. With that said, I’m happy to be on them to cause a small upset for one unit here.
Adelaide Crows H2H (1 UNIT)
$2.19
Prop Bets
First year player Josh Rachele has burst onto the season for the Crows, immediately becoming their best half forward and most consistent goal threat. He’s kicked 10 goals from four games and remains good value to kick at least two on Saturday night.
Josh Rachele 2+ Goals ($1.75 Ladbrokes)
Daniel Rioli has made the seamless transition from a forward to a defender and continues to rack up disposals in that rebounding role. Rioli has had 20+ disposals in each of his last three games and there’s no reason why that streak won’t extend to four.
Daniel Rioli 20+ Disposals ($1.82 Ladbrokes)
Jayden Short has benefitted from the retirement of Bachar Houli, becoming their main go-to guy for kick-ins and rebound 50s. He’s collected 30+ disposals in each of his last three matches and I think he’s good value to do it again this weekend.
Jayden Short 30+ Disposals ($1.87 Ladbrokes)
