Round 8 of the 2024 AFL season kicks off with what should be a classic showdown between the Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide Power.
The Power fell over the line last week against the Saints with injuries hitting them hard. Aliir Aliir will miss with concussion, Sam Powell-Pepper is out for the season with an ACL, while there is some doubt over the fitness of skipper Connor Rozee who has made a miraculous recover from a hamstring scare last week. They are big concerns for the Power in a crucial match against their cross-town rivals.
The Crows will fancy their chances and will be running on an emotional high after the announcement during the week that club champion Rory Sloane will be retiring. A win here will see them back in finals contention. Highly touted draft pick Daniel Curtin is set to make his debut.
Draftstars continue to offer massive prize pools with the Thursday night main being worth $60,000 along with their usual variety of alternate contests:
- AFL $60,000+ Crows vs Power
- AFL $5,000+ Crows vs Power High Roller
- AFL $3,000+ Crows vs Power Mini
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
Adelaide ($2.04) vs Port Adelaide ($1.81)
Line: Port Adelaide -2.5
Points: 174.5
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.
Additionally, we have a full Adelaide vs Port Adelaide betting preview where we provide our best bet for the match as well as a great value Same Game Multi!
Weather
Adelaide - Slightly cloudy, 21 degrees.
No issues with the weather in Adelaide this Thursday night so perfect for a Showdown!
Where to Attack?
Port Adelaide have been extremely stingy to opposition forwards in terms of fantasy scoring. In particular, key forwards have had a tough time against the backline of the Power who concede over 11 points below the league average to their opponents.
One area to exploit might be the inside mids where the Power are again tough to beat, while the Crows do concede above average fantasy stats in that position. We’ll have to see how the impact of Connor Rozee's potential injury will affect that in the Power midfield.
Game Script: Power inside mids and forwards
VALUE PLAYS
Daniel Curtin ($6,000) will be a popular value option in this one. The top ten draft pick has been biding his time in the SANFL, but gets his opportunity after a career-best 31 disposals last week. May be given a defensive role and may get the sub vest, so don't expect a huge score from the teenager, but could be a good option for some salary relief.
Willi Rioli ($6,820) is always a tempting option at a value price. Looks fantastic when he gets the ball, you’d just love him to get a bit more of it! The 4 tackles last week was a positive sign, along with a couple of goals in his score of 62, so we’d want to see at least that score again here. Has some upside on a slate that’s tricky to find good value options.
MID PRICED PLAYS
Charlie Dixon ($9,690) responded well from a week's rest with a quality 85 points last week that included 9 hitouts, 3 tackles and 4 goals. Dixon must be fully fit as the Power have opted not to include Jeremy Finlayson, despite him being available for selection after serving his suspension. Dixon will get opportunity as the backup ruckman, and if he can clunk a few marks and kick a few snags, then he's got some valuable upside to win a slate.
Jase Burgoyne ($10,810) has flown under the radar somewhat but has been excellent over the last couple of weeks with a 3-game average of 92.7. Playing in a wing role, Burgoyne has been able to pick up plenty of +3’s out of defence while his speed allows him to pick up a few tackles as well which is great for fantasy scoring. His price is still value if he can hit similar numbers again.
PREMIUM PLAYS
Zak Butters ($15,970) will have to step up to provide the run and drive needed for the Power through the midfield if there's doubt with Connor Rozee. With a 105.3 average for the season, Butters should get plenty of opportunity to link up this week and go large.
Jordan Dawson ($16,410) is the highest-priced player on this slate, but has been in ripping form in recent weeks with a 122 and 155 in his last two matches. Quite simply, the Crows will need their skipper to have another big game to be a chance in this one, so Dawson is expected to be in the thick of the action.
Suggested Draftstars Lineup
Cheat Sheet
