It was an outstanding start to the AFLW season, with action everywhere across all nine games. Round 2 is headlined by a blockbuster fixture on Friday afternoon at the MCG between the Dees and the Roos!
Jack Tobin has you covered with his tips for Round 2, and be sure to check out our AFL Tips page for our AFLW previews each week.
AFLW Round 2 Betting Tips
Melbourne vs North Melbourne
Friday 5:00pm AEST, MCG
The MCG plays host to an AFLW home & away fixture for the first time on Friday afternoon as Melbourne take on North Melbourne in the biggest fixture of the weekend. The Demons are coming off an impressive win over reigning premiers Adelaide, while The Kangaroos sit atop the ladder after a 26 point win over the Suns.
Kate Hore and Tayla Harris are forming a deadly forward combination, which looks like the factor that could take the Demons over the edge to win the premiership. Melbourne’s backline has been strong for a while now, but the improvement in their forward line is what has taken them to premiership contenders in the past two seasons.
The battle of the Melbourne defence against the North Melbourne forward line will have a massive say on the result of this game. Melbourne have won three in a row against North Melbourne, and in two of those games the Dees have held the Roos to under four goals. The Dees played their Preliminary Final last season and a practice match three weeks ago at the MCG, whereas the Roos have never played on the wide expanses of the G. Melbourne will send another big statement early in the season.
Melbourne -14.5
$1.90 (2 Units)
Richmond vs Adelaide
Saturday 11:40am AEST, Punt Road
On the back of a heartbreaking defeat against Geelong, Richmond take on Adelaide to kick off Saturday afternoon football. The reigning premiers are 0-1 after an 18 point defeat to Melbourne, and will be looking to bounce back and remind the competition that they are genuine contenders.
The Crows had 72 less disposals than Melbourne and had less clearances, yet they still won the inside 50 count. If Adelaide can get their contested ball brand back, they’ll be able to dominate a young Richmond side in the middle of the ground. Richmond could only manage one goal against a stingy Geelong defence, and it's difficult to see them kicking a winning score against an experienced Crows backline that has been one of the best in the competition for a long time.
Adelaide feasted on sides outside of the top six last season, going 4-1 with an average winning margin of 37 points. Richmond were 0-4 against top six teams last season, with an average losing margin of 25 points. The Crows have simply too much experience across the field, and power in the middle of the ground. If Adelaide controls the territory battle in the way they should, this game could get ugly.
Adelaide -19.5
$1.90 (3 Units)
Essendon vs Carlton
Sunday 11:10am AEST, North Port Oval
Arch rivals Essendon and Carlton’s rivalry hits a new level as the two historic clubs face off for the first time in the AFLW. The Bombers are one from one in the AFLW after a 26 point win over Hawthorn at Marvel Stadium last week. For the third consecutive season, Carlton lost the season opener against Collingwood, after only mustering one goal after quarter time.
There will be plenty of spice in this clash given the defections of former Blues Maddy Prespakis and Georgia Gee to the Bombers, especially after Prespakis’ best on ground performance in her Essendon debut. Prespakis had 26 disposals, 14 contested possessions, 6 clearances and a goal.
Carlton were underwhelming last weekend, and over the past three seasons they’ve struggled to kick winning scores. Essendon managed 18 scoring shots against the Hawks, and with Bonnie Toogood spearheading an impressive young forward line, they’ll be too good for the Blues.
Essendon -8.5
$1.90 (1.5 Units)
More AFLW Round 2 Tips
Port Adelaide vs Western Bulldogs - Adelaide Oval, Saturday 1:40pm AEST
Port Adelaide play their first ever home game in the AFLW, as they host the Western Bulldogs. The Dogs are coming off a gritty win over the Giants and will be full of confidence taking on the Power, who gave up a four goal to none final quarter to lose by twelve points against West Coast last week. The young Port outfit ran out of legs late in the game, and the more experienced Bulldogs side should be able to run them off their legs at the Adelaide Oval.
Tip: Western Bulldogs -7.5, $1.90 with Ladbrokes
Fremantle vs Geelong - Fremantle Oval, Saturday 1:40pm AEST
Freo were smashed by a rampant Brisbane side last week, while Geelong won a thriller against Richmond with a Georgie Prespakis winner in the last 40 seconds. While the form doesn’t look great for the Dockers, Geelong played a park the bus, counter attacking brand last week that won them a game with only two goals. That won’t get the job done against a Fremantle side that has been amongst the best sides in the competition over the last few seasons. Fremantle are 2-0 against the Cats with an average winning margin of 26 points.
Tip: Fremantle -8.5, $1.90 with Ladbrokes
Collingwood vs Sydney - Victoria Park, Sunday 1:10pm AEST
The Pies were impressive on the opening night of the season, with an 18 point win over Carlton. They take on a young Sydney side that was defeated by St Kilda by 29 points in their first ever game. Collingwood are a vastly stronger side, and could put up a massive score against the Swans.
Tip: Collingwood -30.5, $1.90 with Ladbrokes
GWS vs Brisbane - Manuka Oval, Sunday 3:10pm AEST
Brisbane sent a big statement in Round 1 with a 49 point win over Fremantle, making an early bid for another tilt at a premiership. Brisbane are 5-0 against the Giants, with an average winning margin of 28 points. Brisbane simply have too many attacking weapons for GWS to contain.
Tip: Brisbane -31.5, $1.90 with Ladbrokes
Hawthorn vs St Kilda - Box Hill City Oval, Sunday 4:10pm AEST
St Kilda made an impressive start to Season 7 with a dominant 29 point win over the Swans in Sydney. Hawthorn went down to the Bombers in their first game and it could be a long year for the young Hawks. The Saints will be eager to put another expansion side to the sword, and pick up back to back wins for only the second time in the club’s history.
Tip: St Kilda -19.5, $1.90 with Ladbrokes
Gold Coast vs West Coast - Metricon Stadium, Sunday 5:10pm AEST
Round Two concludes at Metricon Stadium with the Suns hosting the Eagles. After losing the last six games of 2022 by an average margin of 37 points, it was an impressive effort for West Coast to run over the top of Port Adelaide in the final quarter last week. However it’s hard to see the Eagles putting together the footy they produced in the fourth quarter last week against an established side. Even against an expansion side, they found themselves in trouble, and the Suns have won two out of the three games played between the two sides.
Tip: Gold Coast +9.5, $1.90 with Ladbrokes
