Essendon and West Coast will kick off the AFL action on Saturday afternoon in an important match for the Dons who are slipping out of the finals race and need a percentage-boosting victory here. Essendon are one of six teams all on 9 wins, each occupying spots 9-14 on the ladder, with the Blues and Bulldogs on 10 wins sitting in 7th and 8th. It is shaping to be one of the most exciting races for top 8 spots in recent memory concluding the last four weeks of the AFL regular season.
Don’t forget to head to our AFL tips page for all your AFL betting needs as we bring you our preview, best bet and Same Game Multi for the Bombers vs Eagles clash below!
AFL Round 21 Preview & Betting Tips
Essendon vs West Coast
Saturday 1:45pm AEST, August 5th, Marvel Stadium
A spectacular fall from grace for Essendon, losing 4 of their last 5 games, has them currently sitting at 13th on the ladder. Staring at the possibility of a home final squarely in the face just 4 weeks ago, it is now do or die for the Bombers, as well as hoping other results go their way. Poor attacking performances in Rounds 17 and 18 were somewhat reversed last week against the Swans as the Dons managed to score over 50 points for the first time in 3 games, despite losing the match (99-101). If Essendon are any chance of playing finals footy in 2023 they will need to tighten up their first half defence having only won 1 of their last 6 first halves going back to their bye in Round 14.
The Eagles on the other hand managed to stop the hemorrhaging last week with a last gasp effort by premiership player Elliot Yeo sealing the win over bottom-of-the-table rivals North Melbourne (72-67). It broke the 16-game losing streak for the men from the west and with the scrutiny being leveled at the team, and organisation, the joy reverberated just that little bit extra around Optus Stadium.
Despite the West Coast win last week, the bookies are relentless and it is expected that the Eagles will return to their losing ways with the handicap being set at 50.5. If Essendon are to scrape into the 8 they will need to dominate from the outset and work on getting their percentage way up. Our computer modeling has the Bombers scoring 130, and covering the large handicap, completely blowing West Coast out of Marvel Stadium.
These teams met in Round 11 earlier this year with the Bombers taking the win by exactly 50 points. We are predicting that they again look to apply scoreboard pressure early in a similar game plan that saw them take a commanding 37-point half-time lead in their last win against the Crows in Round 17.
Kyle Langford is averaging a tick over 2 goals per game this year and kicked 3 in the Round 11 clash. We are backing him to repeat that effort and kick 3 or more goals in this game in our Same Game Multi.
Essendon -50.5 (1 unit)
$1.91
Same Game Multi
The easiest way to place your Same Game Multi is to click on the BoomBet BetShare button below! This will add our SGM selections straight into your BoomBet bet slip! You can then enter how much you wish to wager and with one click, your bet has been placed!
Kyle Langford 3+ Goals - Langford is having a career best season averaging 2.1 goals per game. He has kicked 3 or more goals in 7 games this season including in 3 of his last 5 games.
Essendon -48.5 - Essendon need to boost their percentage if they are any hope of sneaking into the 8. They will need to score big and West Coast have little to stop the fast ball. Our computer modeling has them covering this number.
West Coast over 60.5 points - As above, we can also foresee there being some turnovers and quick returns for the Eagles who are buoyed by their performance last week. Essendon have conceded over 62 points in all but two of their games this season.
SGM Odds: $6.25 at BoomBet
