Another three games in the AFL this Sunday to wrap up Round 18. First up, we head north where the Suns will host the Power in a match that could define the finals chances of both teams. The Tigers will welcome the Giants to the MCG, before one of the more interesting matches of the round sees the Lions head west to face the Eagles fresh off the sacking of their coach Adam Simpson. Often a new coach can bring a renewed energy so it will be interesting to see if the Eagles can make a game of it against the powerhouse Lions team.
Draftstars continue to offer massive prize pools with the Sunday main contest being worth $50,000 along with their usual variety of alternate contests:
- AFL $50,000+ Sunday
- AFL $5,000+ Sunday High Roller ($150 Entry)
- AFL $3,000+ Sunday 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 have returned to Draftstars for the first time since 2018. Now with the jackpot in excess of $10,000, Draftstars have reduced the target from 1000 to 975 making it more likely to be won! Enter the contest and hit the target with your team to scoop the jackpot!
Betting Markets
Gold Coast ($1.67) vs Port Adelaide ($2.23)
Line: Gold Coast -6.5
Points: 166.5
Richmond ($3.82) vs GWS Giants ($1.27)
Line: GWS -24.5
Points: 169.5
West Coast ($4.45) vs Brisbane ($1.21)
Line: Brisbane -28.5
Points: 167.5
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Additionally, we have a full AFL Round 18 Betting Previews for all five games where we provide our best bet for the game as well as a great value Same Game Multi!
Weather
Gold Coast - Mostly sunny, 19 degrees.
Melbourne - Showers, 12 degrees.
Perth - Partly cloudy, 19 degrees.
No issues with the weather in Perth or the Gold Coast, but it’s a typically dreary day in Melbourne. It might not have too much effect on the match but just keep an eye on the radars closer to the match.
Where to Attack?
Port Adelaide continue to give up points in the ruck with Jordan Sweet currently holding the reins. Tim English had no problems racking up a 131 last week against the Power. At the time of writing, it remains to be seen if Jarrod Witts will return to the side from injury or Ned Moyle holds his spot for the Suns to take advantage of this matchup.
An alternative ruck option is Toby Nankervis who is in beast mode lately, as the Giants continue to leak points in the ruck via Kieran Briggs.
Richmond continues to concede points all over the ground, but in particular through the midfield and to the opposition defence. There are plenty of Giants seagulls who you can load up in this one.
West Coast have obviously been a rabble recently and they come up against a Brisbane team full of talent. Brisbane stacks will be a popular option, in particular their midfield and forwards.
Game script: Giants midfielders and defenders, Lions midfielders and forwards
VALUE PLAYS
Aaron Cadman ($6,000) / Joe Fonti ($6,000) are both in play at a minimum price for the Giants. Fonti was handy on debut with 17 disposals and a 56 fantasy score in a favourable role. Cadman has shown glimpses of what he’s capable of, and perhaps this is a matchup where he can finally string a full game together and kick a bag against the weak Tigers. Cadman is also available as a ruck if you don’t like any of the options there. With not a lot of great budget options on this slate, the value Giants might be the way to go.
MID PRICED PLAYS
Eric Hipwood ($10,810) is one that I normally don’t pick but I have to concede, he’s been pretty good recently. It’s good to see him attack his marks and look hungry to win the ball. He has bags of 5 and 6 goals in the last month or so, and comes up against the struggling Eagles here with the Lions big favourites. Another bag could be another big fantasy score here.
Jesse Hogan ($11,100) could be a slate breaker if he kicks a big bag this week against the Tigers. Hogan was unstoppable last week against Carlton with 5 goals, some massive marks and a fantasy score of 119. The Tigers have no big bodied defenders who can stop Hogan, so if he gets on a roll early, then watch out for him to go large.
Jarrod Berry ($12,990) / Will Ashcroft ($12,670) are both viable options if you want to pick some Lions midfielders but can’t afford to pay up for Dunkley, Zorko or Neale. Ashcroft has been good in his two games back from a serious knee injury with scores of 90 and 85. Has the potential to ton up against the Eagles here. Berry has been given tagging roles recently, so his price has actually come down with some quieter performances. It’s hard to see him worrying too much about the Eagles mids, so he might be able to get back to his early season form where he has 6 scores above 96 this season.
PREMIUM PLAYS
Lachie Whitfield ($16,080) is another who is not usually one of my picks but he looks ripe for another massive game here. Has the best match up in the league for his role across half-back against Richmond who will just give up free ball all day. Whitfield should feast, and when you look at his recent form of 123, 120, 108, 160 and 106, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t ton up big once again.
Suggested Draftstars Team
Cheat Sheets
