There is AFL games on every day at the moment but fortunately we still have a full three game slate to look forward to on Saturday, which gets underway at 2.35pm! As usual, we have a preview and betting tips for all three games of the day below.
We will be posting a new article EVERY DAY during footy mania, so make sure you regularly check our AFL Betting Tips page for tips on the games of the day.
AFL Round 9 Saturday Betting Tips
North Melbourne vs Adelaide
Metricon Stadium, 2.35pm (AEST)
What a great opportunity for two teams that desperately need a win in 2020. The bottom two teams on the ladder in North Melbourne and Adelaide will face off in the opening game of the day on Saturday with the Roos on a six game losing streak and the Crows on eight losses in a row.
Adelaide has actually looked semi-competitive over the last two games, taking the Saints to the last quarter in Round 7 and the Bombers to the dying seconds in Round 8. The Roos went down by just 7 points to an impressive Carlton side on the weekend just a week after they were thrashed by the Tigers.
It’s really tough to decide which team comes into this game with better form. The Crows are arguably playing better football at the moment despite being winless in 2020 and the Roos have been absolutely ravaged by injuries. Can’t decide on the winner of this one so we are staying away. Like the look of young Crow midfielder Ben Keays though, who has racked up 20+ touches in his last two games in an expanded midfield role.
Keayes 20+ Disposals
$1.91
St Kilda vs Sydney
Gabba, 5.10pm (AEST)
Are the Saints the real deal? Their performance on Saturday against the Power certainly suggests that they might be. If not for a horrendous loss to the Dockers in a game where they were, at one point, leading by 37 points, then the Saints would be one of the most dominant teams since the return of the AFL season, and at this juncture, their host of off-season moves seem to be paying dividends.
Dan Butler, Paddy Ryder, Zak Jones, Dougal Howard and Brad Hill have all had big impacts for the Saints and the continued development of some young stars in the likes of Rowan Marshal, Hunter Clarke, Nick Coffield, Jack Steele and Max King make the Saints must watch TV at the moment.
Despite a win against the Hawks on the weekend, injuries might just be too much for the Swans at the moment. Lance Franklin is still a while away from returning while key players in Josh Kennedy, Isaac Heeney, Sam Naismith, George Hewett, Ben Ronke and Dane Rampe will all miss this week. Tough to like the Swans amongst the carnage of their injury list and tough to dislike the brand of footy the Saints are playing at the moment.
West Coast vs Geelong
Optus Stadium, 8.10pm (AEST)
This game has the feeling of a season defining game for both clubs on Saturday night. The Eagles are on the back of a monster win against Collingwood and look like the team what won the Grand Final two years ago while the Cats currently sit in third place on the ladder and will have some stars returning to the line-up for this clash.
Josh Kennedy booted seven goals as the Eagles put up a monster 111 points against the Pies. They also had five of the top seven disposal winners on the ground as they controlled the midfield battle from start to finish. The midfield quartet of Tim Kelly, Luke Shuey, Elliot Yeo and Andrew Gaff is one that can only be matched by a few teams, one of them might be Geelong.
Joel Selwood should come back into the side for the Cats this week to combine with the likes of Patrick Dangerfield, Mitch Duncan, Cam Guthrie and Sam Menegola, who is having a standout season for Geelong. Star forward Tom Hawkins will be on the sidelines through a suspension though. It’s tough to see the Cats having enough avenues to goal with Hawkins on the sidelines, especially with how many points the Eagles are putting up at the moment.
