Round 20 of the 2024 AFL Season continues on Saturday night at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne when the Saints play host to the Bombers, with the game carrying significant importance for Essendon, who at one stage looked a lock to play top four, but a loss on the weekend and they will be out of the eight.
Given the current form of both teams, it should be an intriguing match and we have you covered with a full betting preview for free below.
2024 AFL Round 20 Preview & Betting Tips
St Kilda vs Essendon
Saturday 4:35pm AEST, July 27th, Marvel Stadium
You can see signs of life and improvement when it comes to St Kilda. Yes, it was West Coast last week, but the way in which they played and how slick they were with their ball use, that is the way forward for them surely vs the boring, crappy, slow lifestyle. The win against Sydney was a beauty and they are slowly getting better, with some magnet moving also helping. It was great to see Tim Membrey back to his best last week, with 23 disposals and five goals in a man of the match performance. They were narrow losers to Essendon earlier in the year and you'd have to say on current form, they are the team to beat in this match up.
Essendon are doing Essendon things. After looking a lock for top four, they are on the slippery slide and a loss here will see them out of the eight. They should have beaten Melbourne two weeks ago and should have beaten Adelaide last week, but their ruck work, notably via Sam Draper, has been very poor. But their back six also comes into question. With the Ben McKay signing, it was tipped that the back line would be much better in 2024, but when you stack up the numbers this year vs last year, it's much the same, which is really concerning. Their recent form is poor and it's hard to tip/back them with any confidence.
Match Prediction: I can't tip/back Essendon so for me, it's St Kilda to cause the upset and really pour the pressure on Essendon.
St Kilda to Win
$2.20 (1 Unit)
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St Kilda to Win: As stated above, I do like St Kilda, especially with their ball movement. I think they may have too much speed, especially in the midfield.
Zach Merrett 25+ Disposals: He was on the verge of tears last week after the loss to Adelaide. It stung and as captain, the only way out is to lead from the front, so I am tipping a big, big game from him.
SGM Odds: $2.90 at BoomBet