The second Saturday night fixture sees Port Adelaide hosting the Giants at the Adelaide Oval. The Power need to keep winning to keep their slim finals hopes alive, while the Giants have been one of the most improved sides in the AFL over the last two months.
Jack Tobin has you covered with his preview for this clash, and be sure to check out our AFL Tips page for previews on every game of the AFL season.
Port Adelaide vs GWS Betting Tips
Adelaide Oval, Saturday 9th July, 7:30pm AEST
Port Adelaide
Injuries: Riley Bonner, Tom Clurey, Trent Dumont, Orazio Fantasia, Lachie Jones, Scott Lycett, Jake Pasini, Josh Sinn, Brynn Teakle
The Power will be boosted by the expected returns of Zak Butters (knee) and Xavier Duursma (quad), however Port Adelaide’s injury list is rising. Lachie Jones is set to be out for three weeks with a hamstring injury, while Scott Lycett is no certainty to play AFL this weekend after he failed to play in the SANFL last weekend.
Port Adelaide went down by eight points to Fremantle last weekend, in a game where they were left to rue missed opportunities. The Power kicked the first three goals of the game to jump out to an early lead, before the Dockers dominated the second and third quarters which saw Port trailing by 40 points. The Power kicked five goals to one in the final quarter, and it was only Robbie Gray and Todd Marshall missing sitters in front of goal that prevented them pulling off a remarkable comeback.
After dropping their first three games at the Adelaide Oval this season, Port Adelaide have won five consecutive games at the Adelaide Oval. The Giants have struggled away from home this season, going 2-5 in away games in 2022. Despite going 2-2 in the last month, Port are playing arguably their best football with wins over the Swans and Suns, and losses against the Tigers and Dockers by under two goals.
GWS
Injuries: Leek Aleer, Ryan Angwin, Jack Buckley, Finn Callaghan, Brent Daniels, Matt de Boer, Josh Fahey, Bobby Hill, James Peatling, Harry Perryman, Connor Stone
The Giants suffered no injuries against Hawthorn, with Jacob Hopper set to return after getting through unscaved at VFL level last weekend. GWS adapted well to the torrential rain that fell during their 22 point victory over the Hawks last weekend. The Giants ability to score despite the trying conditions continued to highlight the turnaround Mark McVeigh has gotten out of his side from an attacking point of view. In six of Leon Cameron’s nine games this season GWS scored 75 points or fewer, yet the Giants still managed to put up 72 points in horrendous conditions against the Hawks.
Although GWS have seen massive improvements around their attacking game, their defence is still a work in progress and will be put to the test this weekend. The Giants backline will have their hands full trying to compete with the height of Dixon, Gerogiades, Marshall and Finlayson.
The Giants will be relying on their red hot midfield of Stephen Coniglio (averaging 31 disposals in last six games), Lachie Whitfield (averaging 28 in his last four) and Tom Green (averaging 26 in his last four). If GWS are to win this game, they’re going to need to be dominant out of clearances.
Match Prediction
The Giants’ three losses under Mark McVeigh have come by margins of 14, 20 and 11 points, so there’s not much confidence in taking Port Adelaide at the line of -16.5. So Port Adelaide in the 1-39 market is the way to go in this clash. The Power have won seven of their last ten games leading into this clash, as well as their last five games at the Adelaide Oval.
The Giants have the better midfield in this clash, however Port’s depth at either end of the ground is going to be too much for the Giants to overcome. Port Adelaide’s last four wins at the Adelaide Oval have all come by under 24 points, and with both teams having strong runs of form after tough starts, this should be a close game.
Power 1-39
$2.00 (2 Units)
Prop Bets
Karl Amon continues to drive up his trade value week after week, with a great patch of form in his last seven games. Amon is averaging 25 disposals per game in his last seven outings, and has hit the 25+ disposal mark in four of his last five games. Amon had 31 disposals the last time these two sides faced off, and will be full of confidence coming into this clash.
Karl Amon 25+ Disposals, $1.78 with Ladbrokes
Stephen Coniglio has hit the 30 disposal mark in five out of six games since Mark McVeigh became the senior coach of the Giants, with a six game average of 31 disposals after being moved to a permanent midfielder. At $2.25 for 30+ disposals, Coniglio still provides outstanding value considering the form he is in.
Stephen Coniglio 30+ Disposals, $2.25 with Ladbrokes
After a quiet start to the season which drew much criticism, Todd Marshall is beginning to put together a serious season. In the first five rounds of the season he kicked just six goals and went goalless in three games. Since Round 6 Marshall has kicked 26 goals in ten games, has kicked 3+ goals in three of his last four games, and hasn’t had a goalless game. Marshall has performed well at the Adelaide Oval with four goal performances in his last two games at home, and has averaged 2.6 goals per game at the venue this season.
Todd Marshall 3+ Goals, $2.25 with Ladbrokes
