The Swans travel south to take on the Magpies for Friday night footy as the quirky 2024 AFL schedule will see four teams having played two games for the season by this point before ten others have even set foot on the field!
The Swans secured a strong win last week, but the Magpies were pumped by the Giants, so they’ll be keen to bounce back to avoid a dreaded 0-2 start in their AFL premiership defence.
Draftstars continue to offer massive prize pools with the Friday night Main Event being worth $75,000 along with their usual variety of alternate contests:
* AFL $75,000+ Magpies vs Swans
* AFL $10,000+ Magpies vs Swans High Roller ($150 Entry)
* AFL $2,000+ Magpies vs Swans Fiver
* AFL $3,000+ Magpies vs Swans Mini ($2 Entry)
The AFL Star contest is back for 2024 and Draftstars are offering the biggest prize pool in Australian DFS history with a $1 million guaranteed final with $250,000 top prize! There are qualifiers and satellites running for every AFL match, while there will also be a sprinkling of qualifiers across other sports such as NRL and NBA.
Meanwhile the 1000 AFL Target contests are set to return to Draftstars for the first time since 2018. Enter the contest and hit the 1000-point barrier with your team to scoop the jackpot!
Betting Markets
Collingwood ($1.54) vs Sydney ($2.50) - Odds thanks to PlayUp
Total Points: 163.5
Line: Collingwood -10.5
If you’re looking to bet on the AFL this season, then you can bet with PlayUp by using the same account that you have at Draftstars. PlayUp are Australian owned and offer an strong range of AFL betting markets and offers, including Same Game Multis.
If you're looking for some help with your AFL betting, then check out our match preview on the link below where we provide our best bet for the game as well as a great value Same Game Multi!
- Collingwood vs Sydney Betting Preview
Weather
Melbourne - Partly cloudy, 26 degrees.
It should be a glorious evening for footy in Melbourne and the G will be packed for a classic Friday night clash without any worries about the weather.
Where to Attack?
While we don’t have a lot of data from 2024 to work with, Collingwood and Sydney were both two of the tougher teams to score fantasy points against last season.
One area that Sydney did have issues last season was in the Ruck, but they have patched that with the recruiting of Brodie Grundy who was superb last week in his Swans debut. The Ruck contest against Darcy Cameron looms as an important one for this contest.
In terms of game styles, the Swans may look to control the ball through the backline before bringing into the corridor to attack, while the Pies typically move the ball forwards as quickly as possible.
Game script: Swans defenders
VALUE PLAYS
Robbie Fox ($6,850) - Fox has been a solid fantasy scorer in the backline in the past, but has been swung forward this season. This would typically reduce the consistency of scoring, but while he only kicked one goal last week, he was able to apply pressure inside the forward 50 by laying 6 tackles which gives a great baseline for his fantasy scoring in the forward or defender position.
Will Hoskin-Elliott ($8,920) - WHE has enjoyed a shift into half-back this season where cheap ball is much easier to find. He’s capable of a good 100-point ceiling so at a bargain price, he’s worth the investment.
MID PRICED PLAYS
Matt Roberts ($9,510) - One of the most popular recent inclusions in most AFL Supercoach teams is Matt Roberts after a fantasy-friendly role across half-back in the opening match. His price has jumped a little from last week on Draftstars but he still looks like a good pick before his price heads higher in the coming weeks.
Nick Blakey ($11,510) - Blakey was far too cheap on Draftstars last week under $10k and pumped out a strong 99. He’s the favourite distributor of the Swans and his run and dash is vital. He also loves a cheeky kick-in for some extra scoring. Correlate him with other Swans defenders.
PREMIUM PLAYS
Josh Daicos ($14,080) - There are plenty of great premium players on this slate. Most of them you’ll have to pay top dollar for, so one who appears better priced is Josh Daicos. While Nick has been all the talk, Josh has quietly elevated his game to become an elite AFL Fantasy scorer. A very nice 111 last week and should get plenty of ball again here as the Pies link through the brothers in the midfield.
Brodie Grundy ($14,660) - While both rucks in this match had excellent games last week, if Brodie Grundy can score 118 against Max Gawn, then he can score it against anyone. His price didn’t move much so he looks a great play again this week.
Suggested Draftstars Team
Cheat Sheet
AFL Fantasy Data - Collingwood vs Sydney Downloadable File (.xlsx)
