Marvel Stadium will play host to an intriguing battle between the Blues and Suns on Saturday afternoon to open up the four-game slate. Check out our best bet and same game multi courtesy of PuntingInDanger below.
Remember to check out our AFL Round 21 Tips page for our thoughts on all nine games across the weekend!
AFL Carlton vs Gold Coast Betting Tips
Marvel Stadium, Saturday 7th August, 1.45pm (AEST)
Two bottom eight teams will square off in a game of super importance for the Blues. Win and their season stays alive, lose and they can call time on a disappointing 2021 season.
Match Preview
The Blues kept a faint glimmer of their season alive on Friday night with an impressive win over the Saints. They have won three of their last five games, but would be inside the top eight if it wasn’t for the disappointing loss to the Kangaroos in Round 19. They have a winnable game this week against the Suns before two really tough matchups against the Power and Giants. They will likely need to go 3-0 to make the eight, which would be a monumental effort given their schedule.
One thing that is certainly not in their favour at the moment is their injury list. While they got Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay back for the game against the Saints, they are still without a long list of players including Betts, Casboult, Docherty, Gibbons, Marchbank, Pittonet, Setterfield and Zac Williams. There is also a chance that Charlie Curnow could be managed this week as to not overdo his workload too quickly. On a positive note, Mitch McGovern could finally return to the line-up from a hamstring injury.
After two incredibly impressive wins over the Tigers and Giants in Rounds 16 and 17, the Suns have gone on to lose their last three in a row, the most recent of which a 98-point smacking at the hands of the Dees on the weekend. Just when we thought that Stuart Dew might be safe, his head is seemingly back on the chopping block and AFL headquarters would be salivating at the prospect of the newest free agent Alistair Clarkson heading north.
The Blues start as 25.5-point favourites at Marvel Stadium, which seems about right given the Suns absolutely dismal performance on the weekend. The additions of Curnow and McKay really seemed to give some structure and stability to the Blues line-up and if they come out and play like they did against the Saints, they should win this one pretty comfortably.
However, 25.5 points is a pretty hefty line for a team that has been as inconsistent as Carlton this season. I think they win but I like the unders more here. Gold Coast put up just 30 points in the loss to the Dees on the weekend and in the last five games between these two teams, an average of just 127.8 points have been scored.
Under 167.5 (1 Unit)
$1.90
Same Game Multi
I do think the Blues win this one, so I’m happy to have them H2H at $1.22 as the anchor leg of the same game multi. The 2nd leg will be Matt Rowell to have at least 15 touches. He has started to ramp up his output in the last few weeks, averaging 16.3 over his last three games after a slow start when returning from injury. The final leg will be big Harry McKay to kick 3+ goals. The Coleman Medal leader looked like he hadn't missed a beat when he returned from injury against the Saints on the weekend, booting five goals in the win. The Blues will no doubt continue to hunt McKay going forward in an attempt to lock up the Coleman for the big man.
Blues H2H
Rowell 15+ Disp.
McKay 3+ Goals
CAR vs GC Same Game Multi
$2.50
