Another weekend in the AFL, another fantastic five game slate to look forward to on Saturday! This Saturday’s slate is headlined by a tasty little clash between the Magpies and Saints at the MCG from 1.45pm!
We preview all five games on the Round 9 Saturday slate and give our betting tips below!
AFL Round 9 Saturday Betting Tips
Collingwood Magpies vs St Kilda Saints (MCG, 1.45pm AEST)
The Saints fought gallantly in their Round 7 loss to West Coast at Marvel Stadium, going down by just 18 points. Seb Ross was the pick of the bunch for the midfielders, racking up 31 touches while Josh Bruce returned to form with a career best seven contested marks. The Saints now drop to 4-4 on the season and sit 12th on the ladder, having lost their last three games in a row.
The Pies faced off against the Blues in Round 8 and got the job done the hard way. After trailing for the majority of the game, the Pies fought back in the last quarter to win by 19 points and move four points clear into second place on the ladder. Collingwood have now won their last five games in a row and will fancy themselves to continue the run of form as their schedule gets significantly easier over the next month or so.
The Pies were 28 point winners over the Saints at Marvel Stadium last year as Jordan De Goey booted six goals. The line for Saturday opens at 27.5 points in the Pies favour but after a less than convincing performance against the Blues on the weekend, we are leaning towards the Saints with the handicap.
Brisbane Lions vs Adelaide Crows (Gabba, 2.10pm AEST)
After a slow start to the season, the Crows have won their last four on the trot and currently sit in third place on the ladder with a 5-3 record. They had a fantastic win over the Power in Showdown 46 on Saturday night, defeating their rivals by 20 points as Tom Lynch booted three goals.
Brisbane will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing loss to the Western Bulldogs on Saturday. They too have a 5-3 record through eight games and have one of the better looking injury lists in the league at the moment. Only Marcus Adams and Brandon Starcevich will be ruled out for the clash against the Crows.
The Lions have been fantastic up North this season, winning three of their four games at the Gabba. They were, however, decimated by 62 points at the hands of the Magpies on home soil back in Round 5. They start as 3.5 point favourites here which we think is a little favourable considering the Crows form at the moment. Back the Crows to win this one.
Geelong Cats vs Western Bulldogs (GMHBA, 4.35pm AEST)
The Cats made is four wins in a row on the weekend as they downed the Kangaroos by 24 points at Marvel Stadium. Gary Ablett was fantastic in the win, picking up 16 touches and four goals while star midfielder Tim Kelly had 36 disposals and two goals. The Cats are now four points clear at the top of the AFL ladder with a 7-1 record.
To say the Dogs season has been inconsistent so far this year would be an understatement. They captured a great win over the Lions on the weekend to make it two in a row after beating the Tigers the week before. However, wins in Round 1, 2, 7 and 8 sandwiched four straight losses, two of which to bottom eight sides in the Suns and Blues.
The Cats will be back at GMHBA Stadium this weekend, where they have lost just one game in over a season. They decimated the Eagles by 58 points in their last game there which makes the 30.5 point line seem a little low here given the Dogs don’t travel away from Marvel Stadium very well.
Essendon Bombers vs Fremantle Dockers (Marvel, 7.25pm AEST)
Both the Bombers and the Dockers will be looking to bounce back from losses in Round 8 when they face off at Marvel Stadium from 7.25pm. Essendon were unlucky not to get the win on Friday night as they went down to the Swans by just five points after some controversial umpiring decisions. Orazio Fantasia was fantastic in the win, booting four goals while Zach Merrett had another impressive game in the midfield.
The Dockers were favoured against the Tigers at home on Sunday afternoon but couldn’t deal with the relentless Richmond pressure throughout the game. Despite a 33 disposal, 3 goal game to skipper Nat Fyfe, the Dockers went down by 25 points at home, dropping them to eighth on the ladder with a 4-4 record.
The Dockers have been graced in part by the schedule so far this season. Three of their four wins have come over the Roos, Saints and Dogs all at Optus Oval and while they did beat the giants in Canberra in Round 5, they have really struggled, especially on the road in their other games. They scored just 24 points in Adelaide in Round 7 and we think they struggle to put a competitive score on the board this weekend.
Total score UNDER 165.5
$1.88
North Melbourne Kangaroos vs Sydney Swans (Blundstone, 7.25pm AEST)
It wasn’t pretty, but the Swans captured their second win of the season in Round 8, downing the Bombers by five points in a thrilling contest. Luke Parker was fantastic in the win, picking up 33 touches while rookie Nick Blakey had a standout game with 17 touches and a goal. The Swans are 16th on the AFL ladder with a 2-6 record.
North Melbourne secured a dominant 58 point win over the Blues in Round 7 but couldn’t back it up at Marvel Stadium against the Cats. Ben Brown was at his best, botting five goals but the Roos ultimately went down by 24 points. The Roos have an extensive injury list at the moment including key players in Scott Thompson, Bailey Scott, Ben Jacobs and Majak Daw.
In our eyes, this is the toughest game of the weekend to call. Two teams that come into the game with a lot of unknown surrounding them and even more inconsistent form. We aren’t touching this one with a ten foot pole.
No bet
