Round 12 of the 2019 AFL Premiership Season kicks off on Friday night with Richmond hosting Geelong at the MCG. As always, we've previewed the fixture and provided our prediction and best bet. Good luck to everyone following!
Don’t forget, Richmond vs Geelong will be our focus today, but you can head to our AFL Tips Page for a bunch of content for Round 12 in the AFL including preview and tips for EVERY GAME.
AFL Round 12 Richmond vs Geelong Betting Tips
Friday 7thof June 7:50PM (AEST), MCG
Finally, we’ve got a great Friday night fixture on our hands with two of the competition’s best set to do battle in front of a packed house at the MCG. Richmond and Geelong have great history between them and have both enjoyed a successful first half of the season, which should make this a really exciting contest!
Richmond Tigers
Richmond get a chance to rectify their Friday night performance in Round 11 where they were outplayed by North Melbourne from start to finish, en route to a 37 point loss. It was a tough night for a lot of the Tigers key players, particularly Tom Lynch who was kept to just five disposals and one goal. The one shining light was the play of Dustin Martin (21 disposals, three goals), who is enjoying a purple patch at the moment.
Last weekend’s loss to the Kangaroos snapped a three-game winning streak for the Tigers, taking their season record to 7-4 and dropping them down to sixth place on the ladder. We don’t expect any huge changes in terms of game plan from the Tigers this week, although we do expect a much greater effort collectively.
Geelong Cats
Geelong seemingly continue to go from the strength to strength in their 2019 campaign. Last weekend it was the Swans who were their victims, with the Cats coming out on top by 22 points at GMHBA Stadium in Geelong. Patrick Dangerfield was back to his scintillating best with 29 touches and two goals, as was Tom Hawkins with four goals from his 14 disposals. Unfortunately for Gary Rohan, he found just four touches in his first game against his former side in the Swans.
The win over Sydney in Round 11 made it seven wins on the spin for the Cats, who have lost just one game all year (defeated by GWS in Round 4). Their 10-1 record has them two games clear at the top of the ladder at the halfway points in the season, which is no real surprise when you consider the top-end quality they have on their list. In terms of changes to personnel this weekend, we expect Gary Ablett and Rhys Stanley to come back into the side to play the Tigers.
History
Geelong have had the wood over Richmond for quite some time. In fact, they lead the head-to-head count 45-17 since 1980, such is the contrast of success achieved by each team during that period. The Tigers have had the better of the Cats in recent times however, winning each of their last three meetings, all of which have been at the MCG.
Last five meetings:
2018 R20 – Richmond (85) defeated Geelong (82)
2018 R13 – Geelong (65) lost to Richmond (83)
2017 QF – Geelong (40) lost to Richmond (91)
2017 R21 – Geelong (80) defeated Richmond (66)
2016 R21 – Richmond (78) lost to Geelong (82)
Prediction
It’s certainly a welcomed site to see a Friday night fixture between two of the AFL’s best teams. Both the Tigers and the Cats will likely be fighting it out at the business end of the season, which means this match could very well be a dress rehearsal for a finals meeting.
The Cats deservedly come into this Round 12 clash as favourites, such has been their dominant start to the season. However, the Tigers have won each of their last three meetings at the MCG and will be determined to rectify a poor performance against the Kangaroos last weekend. All things considered, we see a play on the Tigers line being the best way to go on Friday night.
Richmond Tigers +9.5
$1.90
