It’s another Thursday night belter to get us underway for Round 3 of the AFL premiership season.
The Lions and Magpies do battle under the roof of Marvel Stadium and our team has ticked off the best bets for the BetDeluxe.com.au game of the round
And be sure to also check out the the best bets for every other game in Round 3!
HEad to HEAD
april 1st 7:20pm
Brisbane remain in Melbourne this week after a COVID scare has rocked the state of Queensland prompting the AFL to switch this game against Collingwood to Marvel Stadium on Thursday night.
The week has been made even more sour for the Lions after an errant umpiring decision effectively robbed Chris Fagan’s men of their first win in 2021.
Alas, it was not to be, and now the Lions seek their so far elusive maiden win of this season against the Magpies who were at their best against arch-rivals Carlton last week.
The Lions face a nervous wait ahead of this week’s clash against the Magpies with ruckman Oscar McInerney pulling up with a sore leg.
Collingwood, too, have its own share of concerns heading into this Round 3 encounter as star duo Brodie Grundy and Jordan De Goey undergo COVID tests after coming down with the sniffles following the 21-point triumph over the Blues.
The 2020 fixture at the Gabba between the Lions and Magpies resulted in a scrappy 6.6.42 to 5.4.34 victory to the home side after starting the $1.38 favourites.
This, however, is a completely different set up to last season and the Pies do look to have the favours.
The Lions will have to deal with remaining in Melbourne for another week and possibly beyond due to health and safety protocols.
While Fagan’s combatants are desperate for a win, Collingwood showed the AFL competition there is still plenty of talent and fire in the belly despite a tumultuous off-season.
Prediction: Collingwood by 17 points
Suggested Bets:
Collingwood head to head at $1.82
FIRST GOAL SCORER
Eric Hipwood and Jordan De Goey
It’s been a mixed bag of lollies for both teams when it comes to nabbing the first goal of the game this season.
Brisbane went whooshka early against Sydney in Round 1 with Zac Bailey kicking the first goal, while the Magpies put aside its poor start against the Bulldogs when Jordan De Goey buried the first major against Carlton last week.
When the Lions and Magpies went head to head last year, it was Brody Mihocek who manged to kick the first goal of the game at the Gabba but he does look under the odds to do so in this game at $8.5.
Eric Hipwood looked very lively early in the one-point loss against Geelong last Friday night and did have the first shot on goal for the game.
At double figure odds, the dry deck of Marvel Stadium might just prove the difference in his ability to nail the first major in this game.
Suggested Bet:
Eric Hipwood first goal scorer at $10
Jordan De Goey first goal scorer at $10
total points scored
under 163.5
It was a very low-scoring encounter back in Round 15 of 2020 when the Lions and Magpies combined to score only 78 points for the game.
The extended quarters, fresher leg and a quick Marvel Stadium deck are sure to boost the scoring of this game.
The Lions defence has showed its vulnerability in the first two rounds this season after conceding 19.11.125 in Round 1 against Sydney but it did tighten up against Geelong.
Collingwood pose a big offensive threat as shown against Carlton last Thursday night having managed to kick 16.10.106.
Its forward line did struggle against superior Western Bulldogs outfit in a low-scoring Round 1 affair, but the form the Bulldogs have shown early this year seems to outweigh the form of the Lions.
The last full game played between the Magpies and Lions, prior to shortened quarters last year, was back in April 2019 and the game garnered 184 points.
That might be the form line to look towards given it was over 20-minute quarters and played early in the season – a similar situation to what we face here.
Suggested Bet: Total points scored over 172.5 points at $1.90
