Super Saturday in the AFL is set to be another cracker in Round 3 with four big games on the schedule. The action gets underway at 1.45pm with the Kangaroos taking on the Swans and continues throughout the afternoon and evening!
As usual, we have a full preview and betting tips for the Saturday slate below. Remember, you can check out the rest of our Round 3 tips by heading to our dedicated AFL page here.
AFL Round 3 Saturday Betting Tips
North Melbourne vs Sydney
Marvel Stadium, 1.45pm (AEST)
The Roos have been the surprise packet of the season through the opening two rounds of play. They have recorded solid wins against the Saints and Giants and currently find themselves in second place on the ladder. They’ll face the Swans at Marvel Stadium on Saturday afternoon as they look to move to 3-0.
The Roos have been able to win their opening games despite a pretty long injury list, one which will rule a bunch of best 22 players in the likes of Nick Larkey, Ben Jacobs, Majak Daw, Kayne Turner and Ed Vickers Willis out this week. The Swans are battling their own injury problems, as key forwards Sam Reid and Lance Franklin remain on the sidelines.
The Swans have played in two absolute nail biters to open the season, a three point win over Adelaide in Round 1 before going down to the Bombers by just six points in Round 2. Both the Swans and Roos play a pretty defensive brand so we think this could be another close one.
Either Team by Under 19.5
$1.90
Collingwood vs St Kilda
MCG, 4.35pm (AEST)
The Saints recorded a fantastic win over the Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium in Round 2. In fact, if not for a fourth quarter meltdown in against the Kangaroos in the opening round, St Kilda have arguably been one of the more impressive sides in the competition so far. They will get a real test come Saturday though, when they face premiership contenders in the Magpies away from home.
The Pies played in a weird 36-36 draw against the Tigers in Round 2, one that was extremely defensive considering the quality of both sides. The Saints like to play a more free-flowing style of football, which should result in a higher scoring match. The injury list for the Saints looks fantastic, with only skipper Jarryn Geary set to miss from their best 22. Mason Cox should return for the Pies this week while Adam Treloar is the big question mark.
Tough match to call here. Collingwood’s performance last Thursday night doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence, but you have to think they will come out with a difference game plan against the Saints. The line is currently 13.5 and while we think the Pies will win, we are not sure they’ll cover that, back the margin instead.
Geelong vs Carlton
GMHBA Stadium, 7.40pm (AEST)
If there’s one thing that we can take away from the Cats two games so far this season, it’s that they are a completely different side when playing at GMHBA Stadium in Geelong. After being trounced by the Giants in Sydney in Round 1, the Cat hosted another good side in Hawthorn on Friday night in Round 2. They defeated the Hawks by 61 points to move to 1-1 and will be back down in Geelong this weekend against the Blues.
The Blues are 0-2 after losses to Richmond and Melbourne and they are battling some serious injuries. Key players Charlie Curnow and Nic Newman have been ruled out for the season while Matthew Kreuzer, Caleb Marchbank, Zac Fisher and Paddy Dow will all miss this weekend.
The line currently sits at 27.5 points in favour of the Cat at home. If this was in Melbourne we might fancy the Blues to keep this a little closer, but down in Geelong, we can envision the Cats absolutely steam-rolling here. They defeated a much better side by a lot more than 27 points last weekend, and we expect them to do the same here.
Brisbane Lions vs West Coast
Gabba, 7.40pm (AEST)
When we look at West Coast’s list we see arguably the most talented collection of players in the entire league, and yet, they lost to last years wooden spooners by 44 points in Round 2 in what can only be described as a stunning game of football. The Suns dominated their counterparts from start to finish and the Eagles will be desperate to bounce back here as they play their second straight game in the Queensland compound.
Brisbane were solid in their return to football, downing the Dockers at home by 12 points as star forward Charlie Cameron booted four goals and Lachie Neale racked up 29 touches and two goals. They have a strong looking injury list, with only Stefan Martin missing from their best 22 this week.
We have no confidence after watching West Coast last week, but another seven days to help them acclimatise to being up north might be just what they needed. Tough game to call either way, regardless, two free flowing teams playing in perfect Brisbane weather, we love the over on total points. All four of the games that these two teams have been involved in this year have cleared the 135.5 total point mark.
