AFL Round 4 continues on Friday night with another pair of Victorian clubs set to do battle, as Geelong host Melbourne at GMHBA Stadium. With only one win between them in 2025 so far, you can expect both clubs to be doing everything they can to secure the four points. As always, we bring you a full betting preview for the clash below!
Also, Before You Bet will be providing free previews and betting tips for EVERY game in the 2025 AFL season, so make sure to head over to out our AFL Tips regularly to keep up to date with all of our free content.
Geelong vs Melbourne
Location: GMHBA Stadium – Geelong
Date: Friday, 4th April
Time: 7:30pm AEDT
Odds: Geelong ($1.22) vs Melbourne ($4.25)
Line: Geelong -31.5
Points: 170.5
Odds and lines provided with thanks to Dabble. Note that odds and lines can fluctuate throughout the week, and are correct at the time of writing.
Match Preview
Geelong takes on Melbourne at GMHBA Stadium on Friday night in what’s shaping up as a must-win game for both sides. The Cats have had a mixed start to the season, sitting 1-2 after three rounds. They smashed Fremantle by 78 points at home in Round 1 but have since lost two close games—going down by seven points to St Kilda and nine points to Brisbane. Despite the losses, they’ve been competitive and will be keen to make the most of their home-ground advantage. Tom Stewart was a late out last week but should be back, which will give their defence a big boost.
It’s been a nightmare start for Melbourne, who are winless and sitting second last on the ladder. Their first game wasn’t too bad, losing by just three points to the Giants, but their last two performances have been awful. They got thrashed by North Melbourne by 59 points and then copped another belting from Gold Coast, losing by 58. Their defence has been all over the place, and they’re struggling with their ball movement, which has led to them conceding the fifth-most points off turnovers. They’ll also be missing young gun Xavier Lindsay for another week or two, while Judd McVee is still sidelined. They desperately need a response, but there’s no guarantee they’ll find it against a strong Cats side.
Geelong has won two of their last three against Melbourne, and usually, these matchups have been tight. But based on what we’ve seen so far this season, this one could be different. A big issue for Melbourne has been their work around stoppages—they’re conceding the most points per game from stoppages (47.3), while the Cats are one of the top-ranked teams in this area. If Geelong gets on top in the midfield, they’ll control field position and put Melbourne’s shaky defence under serious pressure.
The Demons also have big problems defending turnovers, and that’s a bad sign against a team like Geelong, who know how to punish mistakes, especially at GMHBA Stadium. If Melbourne don’t tighten up their defensive structure, it could get ugly quickly. They need to show something defensively and find a way to slow the Cats down, but given how poor they’ve been in the last two weeks, it’s hard to see them fixing all their issues in time for this one. Playing at home, with better form and clear strengths in key areas, Geelong should be too strong.
Geelong -27.5
$1.91 (2.5 Units)
Same Game Multi
Throughout the 2025 AFL season we’ll be putting together a fun same game multi for every match at BoomBet using their BetShare feature.
To follow our multi, just click on the BoomBet BetShare button below and our same game multi selections will be added straight into your bet slip on BoomBet. You can then enter how much you wish to wager, and with a single click, your bet has been placed!
Geelong H2H – As above. I think they simply just get the job done here.
Jeremy Cameron 3+ Goals – Kicked 4 in his first game at the Cattery this season and should get plenty of looks against the Demons who are quite vulnerable right now.
Max Holmes 25+ Disposals – The Suns midfielders had a field day against the Demons last weekend and I expect the same again for the Cats here. Holmes had 29 last week and should have a big game.
SGM Odds: $3.25 at BoomBet
