Round 1 of the 2019 AFL season is finally upon us with all teams entering with a fresh slate and new enthusiasm for their upcoming campaigns. As usual, the first game of the season will kick off on Thursday night with a blockbuster rivalry at the MCG. Check out our preview and betting tips for the Carlton vs Richmond clash below and good luck to everyone following our tips this season!
We'll be focusing on this Thursday's game between the Blues and Tigers in this article, but if you want previews and tips for the rest of the Round 1 action, make sure you head to our AFL Tips Page.
AFL Round 1 Carlton vs Richmond Betting Tips
Thursday, 7:50pm AEDT, MCG
What a great way to start the year with two of the nation’s biggest clubs going head-to-head at the greatest sports stadium in the world, the MCG! The Blues and the Tigers enter this season with wildly different expectations, but if the last couple of years have taught us anything at all, it’s that you should always expect the unexpected.
Carltons Blues
The Blues may have finished with just two wins and the wooden spoon in their 2018 campaign, but there’s a lot excitement about the direction in which their club is headed. They’ve added key missing pieces in Mitch McGovern and Alex Fasolo and Nic Newman, while adding young gun Sam Walsh with the first pick in the draft.
It may be a bit early in their careers, but the Blues now boast a midfield with unlimited potential when you start throwing around names like Patrick Cripps, Sam Walsh, Paddy Dowell, Sam Petrevski-Seton. Throw in veterans Marc Murphy and Ed Curnow and you’ve got a decent mix they can work with going forward. Of course, you’ve also got a budding superstar up forward with Charlie Curnow, as well as the talented Harry McKay and new swingman Mitch McGovern. We’re not expecting big things from Carlton this season, but they should certainly improve on last season’s record where they went 2-20.
Richmond Tigers
The 2018 finals series didn’t end the way that most thought it would for the Tigers, as they bowed out against the Magpies in the Preliminary Final in dramatic fashion. However, they gained the signature of the biggest mover in the off-season in Tom Lynch, which will only bolster an already formidable Tigers attack. Joining Lynch at the club is Mav Weller, while Sam Lloyd and Anthony Miles are the notable departures from Punt Road.
Despite a baffling loss in the Preliminary Final to the Magpies, we expect more of the same in terms of game style for the Tigers in 2019. Their list is fairly similar with the obvious inclusion of Lynch, which means they’ve all got another year together and will continue to gel well as a unit. We expect Tom Lynch to miss the first week, so their forward set-up will likely be as it was in 2018.
History
2018 Round 1 – Richmond (17. 19. 121) defeated Carlton (15. 5. 95)
2017 Round 14 – Richmond (11. 18. 84) defeated Carlton (8. 10. 58)
2017 Round 1 – Carlton (14. 5. 89) lost to Richmond (20. 12. 132)
2016 Round 1 – Richmond (14. 8. 92) defeated Carlton (12. 11. 83)
2015 Round 14 – Richmond (10. 11. 71) defeated Carlton (5. 11. 41)
Prediction
Round 1 is usually the toughest time of the year to pick winners for most, although we’re confident with some of the value we’ve come across in the season opener on Thursday night.
Time and time again, we see the teams that have gone deep in the finals the year prior start off slow. In this exact fixture last season the Tigers defeated the Blues by 26 points, but it could’ve been a lot closer had the Blues not faded late. We expect something similar here, with the Tigers coming out a tad rusty and the young Blues starting with a lot of enthusiasm. All things considered, we like the Blues to cover a big spread first up.
Carlton Blues +35.5
$1.90
