The following are previews with betting tips for Round 2 of the 2016 AFL season.
View and compare bookmaker odds for this round.
Friday, April 1
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Collingwood v Richmond7:50PM AEDT, MCG |
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There’s probably been enough talk about how poor Collingwood were on the weekend, but the Tigers have been incredibly fortunate; their last quarter got them out of some seriously intense scrutiny. First game of the season you can always expect some rustiness, but the Tigers will need to improve rapidly on that performance or they’ll drop some winnable games that they really can’t afford to lose.
This is one of them. The Pies, after being hyped up prior to Round 1, have, just one game into the season, been tossed onto the scrap heap. It’s possible that extenuating circumstances affected the players, so they should be given another chance to perform this weekend before any harsh judgements are made. Considering how much they’ve copped it this week, I’m thinking the Pies are a real chance to come out and topple the Tigers on Friday night. The only issue I have with this is the loss of Sidebottom and Swan. Still, I think they’ve got enough depth through the middle to cover them and surprise the Tigers, especially with the news that Maric and Deledio will miss again.
Betting tip: Collingwood to win @ $2.40 (Marathon Bet)
Saturday, April 2
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Adelaide v Port Adelaide1:45PM AEDT, Adelaide Oval |
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While the Crows lost to the Kangaroos on the weekend, they showed some really positive signs and must consider themselves a massive chance against the Power in their first showdown under Don Pyke. Port weren’t bad against the Saints, but I didn’t see anything that pointed towards them jumping back up into top four contention this year. Charlie Dixon will be a great pickup and he’ll trouble more than a few key defenders over the course of the season. He won’t stress the Crows out too much however, they’ve got one of best defenders in the game – so don’t expect big Charlie to get off the leash on Saturday. I reckon the Crows will be really keen to get a win for Don Pyke and think they’ll get over the line in an epic.
Betting tip: Adelaide to win @ $2.36 (Marathon Bet)
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Essendon v Melbourne2:10PM AEDT, MCG |
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The Dees win this game and it’ll be the first time they’ve won two games in a row at the ‘G for five years. It’s a record they’ll want to snap as soon as possible and then forget about forever. Fortunately for them, they’re almost no chance to lose. The Bombers weren’t beaten as badly as some may have expected in their 10 goal loss to the Suns, but they still weren’t all that crash hot, and it’s only going to get worse. The Dees will have a rare comfortable win and be left feeling pretty good about themselves as one of only a handful of unbeaten clubs at the conclusion of Round 2.
Betting tip: Melbourne by 40+ @ $2.05 (Palmerbet)
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Brisbane v North Melbourne4:35PM AEDT, Gabba |
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The Kangaroos have managed to get their Round 1 hoodoo under Brad Scott off their back, and will be looking to continue a good start to the season against the Lions. While the Lions played above expectations against the Eagles in Perth, the Roos shouldn’t have too many issues knocking them off. However, if Brisbane are able to bring the same effort and intensity, don’t be surprised if they hang around late into the contest and make the Roos work hard for the four points.
Betting tip: Kangaroos by 1-39 @ $2.25 (William Hill)
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St Kilda v Western Bulldogs7:25PM AEDT, Etihad Stadium |
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Will Nick Riewoldt’s 300th game be motivation enough for the Saints to cause an upset on Saturday night? If not, then nothing will be. Of course, if the Dogs play like they did last weekend, they’ll win, no matter what the Saints do. But if the Dogs are slightly off, the Saints are every chance of getting up for one of their absolute club champions. The Dogs should be on red alert, knowing how much this game will mean to the St Kilda footy club. You’d think the Dogs, being the better team, should win fairly comfortable, but as we saw when these two clubs played last year, footy is a strange game and anything can happen, even if one club is 10 goals up at the halfway mark of the contest. Still, all things being equal, you can’t tip against the Dogs on form.
Betting tip: Bulldogs by 25+ @ $1.81 (William Hill)
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Fremantle v Gold Coast7:40PM AEDT, Subiaco Oval |
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Barring the obvious exceptions when they’ve rested half their best 22, since Ross Lyon took over as coach I can’t remember Fremantle playing as poorly as they did on the weekend. As good as the Dogs were, it was genuinely surprising how badly the Dockers struggled to not only defend, but just actually win some contests and get their hands on the ball. Fyfe was clearly hampered, but they didn’t get much from their other big bodied mids either.
To be honest, I wouldn’t really want to be playing them this week. Ross will just not allow another poor performance to be an option. While the Suns seem like an improved side this year (even if that’s just due to having Gary Ablett back), a scorned Fremantle side in Perth will prove too difficult for them to deal with.
Betting tip: Fremantle by 25+ @ $1.61 (bet365)
Sunday, April 3
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GWS Giants v Geelong1:10PM AEST, StarTrack Oval |
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Stevie J will be out to impress against his old teammates, to prove to them they made a mistake in letting him go at the end of last season. To be frank, after Round 1 it doesn’t seem like the Cats made any mistakes in last year’s off-season period. But however impressive that game was, it was only one game and it’s now over and done with – Geelong must now back it up in what could prove a tricky task in Canberra against the Giants.
The Giants were hugely disappointing against the Demons at the ‘G, where they weren’t able to finish a game they should’ve won. As a relatively young side, they may still not travel all that well, but they’re going to be a challenge if you’ve got to head up to Sydney or Canberra to take them on this year. The Cats should get the job done, but expect a spirited effort from the Giants.
Betting tip: Geelong to win @ $1.50 (Marathon Bet)
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Hawthorn v West Coast3:20PM AEST, MCG |
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The Grand Final rematch is always a big game for obvious reasons, but this one has some additional points of interests that have arisen from the circumstances of the previous few weeks. Will mounting injuries take their toll on the triple-reigning premiers and force them to recover from a 0-2 start to mount their premiership defence? Can Josh Kennedy get out to a formidable lead in the Coleman medal race? And on that note, can the Hawks backline contain the best key forwards in the league following the retirement of Brian Lake? Can the Eagles play good footy on the MCG?
So many questions. The most pressing one: who wins? Well, I’m finding it really difficult to tip against the Hawks on the rebound, but considering the key players they’re missing you almost have to go with the Eagles. Not confident at all with this one, but it’ll be fascinating for sure.
Betting tip: Eagles to win @ $1.80 (Marathon Bet)
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Carlton v Sydney4:40PM AEST, Etihad Stadium |
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Brendon Bolton and his new look Blues were the talk of the town after Friday night’s loss to the Tigers. If you’d just heard all the talk and not seen the final score, you’d be excused for thinking the Blues got up. Such was the optimism that Carlton fans were given after watching their team play a totally different style of footy to most of 2015. They were ferocious at the man and at the ball, and that’s all the supporters can ask for at this stage of a rebuild. They’re not going to trouble a Sydney side filled with talent and confidence, but they can once again give their fans hope that in the not too distant future they’ll be a great side once more.
Betting tip: Sydney by 25+ @ $1.54 (Luxbet)
Best Bets of the Round
Collingwood to win @ $2.40 (Marathon Bet)
Adelaide to win @ $2.36 (Marathon Bet)