Round 2 of the 2025 AFL season continues on Friday night at the home of footy where the Western Bulldogs will face Collingwood. Both clubs are coming off strong wins in Round 1, with the Bulldogs overcoming the Kangaroos, and the Magpies destroying the Power. This one should be a cracking contest, and we have you covered with a full betting preview below!
Also, Before You Bet will be providing free previews and betting tips for EVERY game in the 2025 AFL season, so make sure to head over to out our AFL Tips regularly to keep up to date with all of our free content.
Western Bulldogs vs Collingwood
Location: MCG – Melbourne
Date: Friday, 21st March
Time: 7:40pm AEDT
Odds: Western Bulldogs ($2.45) vs Collingwood ($1.55)
Line: Collingwood -13.5
Points: 170.5
Odds and lines provided with thanks to Dabble. Note that odds and lines can fluctuate throughout the week, and are correct at the time of writing.
Match Preview
The Western Bulldogs and Collingwood Magpies face off in a blockbuster Friday night clash at the MCG in Round 2. Both teams come into this one on the back of wins, with the Magpies bouncing back in a big way after a rough start to their season.
Collingwood’s Opening Round match was one to forget, suffering a 52-point loss to the Giants, but they responded in the best possible way last weekend, demolishing Port Adelaide by 91 points at the MCG. It was a dominant performance where they piled on 136 points and looked every bit the team that won the premiership in 2023. The addition of Dan Houston to their backline has already paid off, while Tim Membrey was huge up forward in just his second game for the club. The Magpies now have the chance to build on that performance against a Bulldogs side missing several key players.
The Bulldogs got the job done in their only game so far, securing a 16-point win over North Melbourne. It wasn’t the most convincing victory, but given they were missing Marcus Bontempelli, Adam Treloar, Liam Jones, Cody Weightman, and Jason Johannisen, it was a solid effort. Those five will remain sidelined, meaning the Bulldogs will again need to rely on their depth to match it with Collingwood. New recruit Matt Kennedy played an important role in the win over North, adding some grunt to the midfield, but they’ll need an even bigger effort to compete with the Magpies at the MCG.
These two sides only played once last year, and it was the Bulldogs who came out on top, winning by 18 points at Marvel Stadium. The big difference this time around is the venue, with the MCG suiting the Magpies far better than Marvel. The Bulldogs have also had a huge chunk of their best 23 wiped out, which wasn’t the case in their win last season. Collingwood, on the other hand, is close to full strength, with Tom Mitchell the only notable omission.
Sam Darcy could be a key player for the Bulldogs, having caused headaches for the Magpies' defence last time they met. He booted three goals and took seven marks in that game, and with Aaron Naughton likely to get most of Collingwood’s defensive attention, Darcy could be the one to exploit any gaps. The Bulldogs will need to be much sharper going forward than they were against North Melbourne, though, because the Magpies won’t let them off the hook.
Collingwood heads in as favourites, and given what they produced last weekend, they look well-placed to notch another win. Their midfield is firing, the forward line is clicking, and the Bulldogs' injury list could make this an uphill battle. If the Magpies bring the same pressure and intensity as they did against Port, they should be too strong and cover the -9.5 spread in the process.
Collingwood -9.5
$1.90 (2 Units)
Same Game Multi
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Collingwood to Win – As above. Happy to double down and include the Magpies to win here as well.
Joel Freijah 20+ Disposals – Loved his game last week, spending time across half back, in the middle, and even in the ruck at stages. Expecting another solid performance.
Dan McStay 2+ Goals – Had a huge outing against the Power, as did many of his teammates. Gets another look at an undermanned defence this week, and he should be taking advantage once again.
SGM Odds: $3.40 at BoomBet
