Round 18 closes in as we analyse the best bets heading into another big weekend of AFL fixtures.
It all starts on Thursday night between Fremantle and Geelong.
Fremantle vs. Geelong
July 15th 8:10pm
Fremantle will attempt to hold its spot in the eight on Thursday night when it hosts Geelong at Optus Stadium.
The Dockers smashed the Hawks down in Tasmania last week but face a Geelong side who will welcome back Joel Selwood after he missed the 26-point win over Carlton.
This is a must win game for Fremantle with a six other teams hot on its tail if it slips up in this match.
Dockers line looks the bet here.
Prediction: Fremantle by 4 points
Suggested Bet: Fremantle +9.5 at $1.89
Richmond vs. Brisbane
July 15th 7:50pm
The dominant Richmond side we have become so scared to tip against is slowly starting to dwindle away.
Brisbane strike a golden opportunity to bounce back into the winners list after a super disappointing loss to St Kilda last week.
Losing Eric Hipwood to a serious ACL injury will have dented the spirits of the Lions, but Joe Daniher knows he now has to step up.
Lions to get the job done here.
Prediction: Brisbane by 18 points
Suggested Bet: Brisbane – 13.5 at $1.90
Suggested Same Game Multi:
Leg 1: Brisbane head to head (SGM SPECIAL)
Leg 2: Total points under 149.5
Leg 3: C. Cameron 2+ goals
Leg 4: L. Neale 25+ disposals
Combined odds = $6
GWS vs. Sydney
July 17th 1:45pm
The Battle of the Bridge.
GWS hosts the high-flying Sydney Swans for brownie points in the cross-town rivalry.
Sydney produced arguably its best performance of the season with a stirring upset victory over the Western Bulldogs in Round 17.
The Giants, meanwhile, coughed up a golden opportunity to make its late run for finals after going down by a point to Gold Coast in Ballarat.
GWS has already caused pain for the Swans this season having one the first fixture in 2021, but Sydney would have learnt a lot from that clash.
Lance Franklin and his troops are in good form.
Prediction: Sydney by 14 points
Suggested Bet: Sydney -10.5 at $1.89
Gold Coast vs. Western Bulldogs
July 17th 4:35pm
The Western Bulldogs got a rare taste of defeat in 2021 after being humbled by Sydney last week and are now tasked with handling a buoyant Gold Coast Suns outfit.
The Suns conjured up a nail-biting one-point victory over GWS in the cold, windy conditions of Ballarat to relieve the pressure valve on Stuart Dew.
Doubt that win will translate to a result against Western Bulldogs who are clear class above the Giants at the moment.
Metricon Stadium will provide an advantage for the Suns given its home fans will drown out any travelling Dogs faithful.
But the class should come to the fore here.
Prediction: Western Bulldogs by 29 points.
Suggested Bets: Western Bulldogs -25.5 at $1.90
Melbourne vs. Hawthorn
July 17th 4:35pm
Melbourne looks to hold top spot when it faces Hawthorn on Saturday evening.
Christian Petracca proved why he is one of the best players in the competition with 33 disposals and three goals in a performance that guided Melbourne to victory against Port Adelaide.
Hawthorn, meanwhile, put the white flag up against Fremantle to go down by nearly 10 goals in Tasmania.
This is easy… Demons win comfortably.
Prediction: Melbourne by 75 points.
Suggested Bets: Melbourne -40.5 at $1.90
St Kilda vs. Port Adelaide
July 17th 7:25pm
It might a case of too little to late for St Kilda as it looks to win four-in-a-row.
Port Adelaide will prove one of the toughest tests in the last month for the Saints but their five-goal win over Brisbane at The Gabba last week would suggest they are up for the task.
The Power never really threatened Melbourne last week but a big response should be predicted for Ken Hinkley’s men.
Saints have had a real yo-yo of a year.
Port Adelaide are the more trustworthy team from a form point of view so that is the way to go in this game despite the form of the current form of the Saints.
Prediction: Power by 16 points.
Suggested Bets: Port Adelaide -2.5 at $1.90
North Melbourne vs. Essendon
July 18th 1:10pm
North Melbourne will attempt to throw a spanner in the works of Essendon’s push toward the top eight.
The Roos caused one of the upset results of 2021 by defeating West Coast in Perth last week and now head back home to face an Essendon team fresh off a thumping win over Adelaide.
Despite North’s new found spirit, Essendon boasts a 12-goal win over them which dates to Round 10 this season.
Both teams have been playing exciting brands of football over the last month but the Bombers should have enough weapons in this game.
Prediction: Essendon by 20 points
Suggested Bets: Essendon head to head at $1.34
Adelaide vs. West Coast
July 18th 4:40pm
Arguably the hardest game of the round to tip given how out of form these two teams are.
Adelaide played in a snooze-fest during its ugly loss to Essendon, while the Eagles underwhelming 2021 continued as it went down wooden spoon bound North Melbourne.
Adam Simpson’s men do have the runs on the board this year when looking at the ladder position of both teams.
However, the youth of Adelaide might just be up for one more hoorah despite being on tired legs.
Prediction: Adelaide by 1 point
Suggested Bets: Adelaide head to head at $2.22
