The 2023 AFL season is finally underway. Likely cellar dwellers North Melbourne and West Coast will look to open their accounts under the roof at Marvel Stadium on Saturday, so expect plenty of heat around the footy in this Round 1 clash. We bring you our preview, best bet and value Same Game Multi below!
Also, we're going to be providing previews and best bets for every game of the 2023 season, so make sure to check out our AFL Tips page regularly to stay up to date.
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AFL Round 1 Preview & Betting Tips
North Melbourne vs West Coast
Saturday 1:45pm AEDT, March 18th, Marvel Stadium
The only way is up for the Kangaroos and Eagles, after both teams performed dismally in 2022.
North Melbourne is at the beginning of a long development road and is unlikely to produce many wins this year, but it will be buoyed by the arrival of master coach Alistair Clarkson, who strikes fear in rivals after his uber-successful tenure at Hawthorn. Furthermore, the Kangaroos will roll out some more promising youth this year – Harry Sheezel looks like a generational talent who can play anywhere on the ground, while Will Phillips will likely return to the engine room early in the season after missing last year with glandular fever. Both players will take on plenty of responsibility this year, as there are few stars to do the heavy lifting. At the other end of the experience scale, Ben Cunnington will inject much-needed toughness into the midfield after recovering from testicular cancer, and Jack Ziebell will lead a revamped backline that includes ex-Fremantle big man Griffin Logue.
Looking at West Coast, it’s hard to know where they are at in their development cycle. While this team is definitely not chasing flags, the Eagles haven’t outwardly launched a rebuild as the drop-off last year was so stark. COVID and injuries ravaged the start of the 2022 campaign for West Coast and they never recovered, slumping to 17th ahead of North by percentage only. As such, it’s hard to see the Eagles breaking out of the bottom four in 2023, as Adam Simpson looks to fast track the youngsters who represent the future of such a proud club. Expect to see plenty of the likes of Reuben Ginbey, Campbell Chesser, Elijah Hewett and Oscar Allen this season. Improvement may also come from some newly fit mainstays – Elliot Yeo and Dom Sheed should resume their work in the midfield this campaign after missing much of 2022, while Nic Naitanui is due a clean run at it.
Despite lacking some quality, this matchup promises plenty of ferocity as both teams know wins will be hard to come by this year. North Melbourne have won the last two games between these two sides, both of which were close encounters. The Kangaroos are also favoured by the venue, their home Marvel Stadium. Conversely, the Eagles boast better key position players at both ends of the field, including the backline where the likes of Hurn, Barrass and McGovern should make it hard North to score heavily. Therefore, I’m going to back the Eagles in a tight one.
West Coast to Win
$1.97 (2 Units)
Same Game Multi
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West Coast H2H – For the reasons mentioned above, we’ll be taking West Coast to win this game as our first leg.
Jack Ziebell 20+ Disposals – Ziebell has been touted to play down back this season, the position in which he averaged 25 disposals per game in 2021. With Aaron Hall out of the side, there should be plenty of ball to go around.
Harry Sheezel 1+ Goals – Sheezel was a livewire throughout the preseason and he will be raring to perform well on debut in the real deal.
Same Game Multi odds - $5.75
