In what looks to be the most one-sided match on paper in AFL Round 16, the Cats will host the Kangaroos at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday night. Here, we preview the clash and bring you our best bets!
As always, we have you covered with a full preview and betting tips for the game and remember to head to our AFL Tips page, where you can catch our coverage of all the Round 16 action.
Geelong vs North Melbourne Betting Tips
GMHBA Stadium, Saturday 2nd July 7:25pm (AEST)
Geelong
Injuries: Jon Ceglar (Foot), Brandan Parfitt (Hand), Sam Simpson (Concussion), Tom Stewart (Suspension)
Patrick Dangerfield and Gary Rohan are both off the injury list and back into the seniors, but unfortunately Tom Stewart will replace them on the sidelines for the next four weeks.
The Cats had a shaky first half of the season but have hit their straps over the last five or six weeks and now loom as a legitimate premiership contender. Last weekend’s gutsy three-point win over the Tigers cemented their spot in the top four for the time being and moves them within just one win of the Demons in first. It remains to be seen how their defence will hold up without Tom Stewart who will miss the next month due to suspension, all though they probably won’t miss him too much this weekend.
North Melbourne
Injuries: Miller Bergman (Shoulder), Charlie Comben (Leg), Ben Cunnington (Illness), Jason Horne-Francis (Suspension), Will Phillips (Illness), Jared Polec (Foot), Bailey Scott (Hip), Jack Ziebell (Face)
Injuries are one of many reasons why the Kangaroos are having such a terrible season. They lack depth when they have everyone on the park, so missing five or six of their better players certainly doesn’t help.
The Kangaroos are in historically bad form at the moment and have lost each of their last 10 matches by at least 40 points. They faced a fellow rebuilding team in the Crows last weekend but still managed to go down by 57 points despite being the home side. They aren’t a lot of positives to report on at North Melbourne at the moment and it’ll be interesting to see how they finish the season.
Match Prediction
These teams met back in Round 6 and it was all one-way traffic with the Cats running out 10-goal winners in Tasmania (121-61). The Cats were coming off a tough loss to the Hawks the week prior and would’ve been desperate to make amends with a strong performance against North. This time around however, the Cats are coming off an emotion-sapping three-point win over the Tigers and may just lack a little bit of motivation knowing they have an easy kill on their hands. With that in mind, I’ll be taking the Kangaroos to cover the massive spread for just the one unit.
North Melbourne +66.5 (1 UNIT)
$1.90
Prop Bets
Jack Henry was the hero last weekend for the Cats when he kicked the match-winner late in the fourth quarter. He played the full match up forward after a long layoff and managed to finish with 2.1 to his name. He looks to be fantastic value to jag at least one this weekend providing he isn't sent down back to cover the absence of Tom Stewart.
Jack Henry Anytime Goal Kicker ($2.65 OKEBET)
Tyson Stengle has been in incredible form for the Cats this season and only seems to be getting better. He’s kicked at least three goals in seven of his last 10 matches and should get plenty of looks at goal against North.
Tyson Stengle 3+ Goals ($2.15 Ladbrokes)
Tom Atkins was trusted with key minutes in the midfield against the Tigers and ended up being one of the Cats’ most influential players. He’s now collected 20+ disposals in three straight games and should have no trouble finding plenty of the ball on Saturday night.
Tom Atkins 20+ Disposals ($1.68 Ladbrokes)
