At last, the 2023 AFL season is finally getting underway this Thursday night. We return to the traditional Richmond vs Carlton battle to kick off the season, and this year’s edition should be a cracker. We bring you our preview, best bet and value Same Game Multi for the season-opener below!
Also, we're going to be providing previews and best bets for every game of the 2023 season, so make sure to check out our AFL Tips page regularly to stay up to date.
And if you’re looking to have a bet on the AFL this season, why not bet with BoomBet? They offer fantastic markets and competitive odds, plus you can now easily copy all of our betting tips straight into your bet slip using the BoomBet BetShare feature. Check out the details at the bottom of the page!
AFL Round 1 Preview & Betting Tips
Richmond vs Carlton
Thursday 7:20pm AEDT, March 16th, MCG
After beginning last season with a Grand Final rematch, the AFL have returned to the traditional Richmond vs Carlton opener for 2023. Both teams will be expecting to play finals this year, which sets up a mouth-watering battle to get the season’s proceedings underway.
Richmond have featured in the finals in eight of the last 10 seasons, including in 2022 when they scraped into the finals but made an early exit on the back of a controversial 104-106 defeat against Brisbane.
In an attempt to climb back up the ladder, the Tigers revamped their engine room in the off-season by adding former GWS midfielders Tim Taranto and Jacob Hopper to the squad. Both men have impressed in the preseason and are expected to be thrown straight into the first centre bounce in Round 1.
Other improvement for the Tigers is expected to come from the return of a fully fit Dustin Martin. The 3x Norm Smith Medallist will likely spend the bulk of his time playing in the forward line while pinch-hitting in the midfield. He, alongside Shai Bolton, will cause nightmares for opposition defences this season.
Meanwhile, Carlton are aiming to make a return to September action for the first time since 2013. They came devastatingly close to breaking their nine-year finals drought last campaign, but lost each of their last four games, including a truly heartbreaking one-point defeat against Collingwood in Round 23.
The Blues have been on the improve for a number of seasons now and the feeling is that they’re finally ready to make a big leap. Unfortunately, the task has been made a lot more difficult on the back of recent injuries to superstar Sam Walsh and wingman Zac Williams. The former is set to miss an extended period with a back injury, while the latter is out for the season after succumbing to an ACL tear.
On a positive note, reigning Coleman Medallist Charlie Curnow has had another full preseason under his belt and is ready to attack the season in full swing. Curnow forms part of a Carlton spine that rivals the best in the competition. The Likes of Curnow, Harry McKay, Patrick Cripps, and Jacob Weitering will be crucial to their success this season.
The Blues will be hoping they can repeat the result of last season’s Round 1 win over the Tigers, which is the only time they’ve tasted success in this matchup since their elimination final win way back in 2013 – they’ve lost 12 of their last 13 games against the Tigers.
However, without Walsh in the midfield I struggle to see an area of the ground they can get on top of against this new-look Tigers outfit that, at least on paper, look ready to compete for a premiership in 2023.
Richmond -5.5
$1.90 (1.5 Units)
Same Game Multi
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We’re going with a 4-leg Same Game Multi to kick things off.
Richmond H2H – For the reasons mentioned above, we’ll be taking Richmond to win this game as our first leg.
Tim Taranto 25+ Disposals – has reached this mark in 9 of his last 10 games at the ‘G and is set for plenty of time in the midfield in his new colours.
Sam Docherty 25+ Disposals – finished 2022 with 7 straight games of 25+ disposals and might even venture into the midfield according to some sources.
Dustin Martin 2+ Goals – is expected to spend the bulk of his time forward and should be good for at least 2 goals.
Same Game Multi odds - $5! Click the button below to jump on.
