Another bye round in the AFL this weekend means there is just six games on the card and the action kicks off once again on Thursday night! PuntingInDanger and fans had a bit of a tough round last week, hitting on just 2 of 6 bets, we’ll look to bounce back this weekend as we take a look at all of the Round 14 action below.
AFL Round 14 Betting Tips
West Coast vs Essendon (Thursday 8.10pm AEST)
See our full preview and tips for the Thursday night clash between West Coast and Essendon here
Port Adelaide vs Melbourne (Friday 7.50pm AEST)
Massive Friday night clash between the Power and the Demons in Adelaide continues Round 14 this week. Port Adelaide have looked fantastic over the past couple of games, downing the Tigers by 14 points in Round 12 before smashing the Bulldogs by 57 points at home last weekend. They’ll be confident of pushing for a top four spot with a win this week as their schedule becomes considerably easier after this game with matches against the Blues, Saints and Dockers over the next three weeks.
After looking like the best team in the league for a six game winning streak that saw them win by an average margin of over 60 points, the Demons came crashing back to earth in the Queens Birthday clash against Collingwood in Round 12. They were beaten by 42 points and while they scored a respectable 91 points themselves, the Magpies scored at will as they racked up 133 points.
Really tough game to call here. Port Adelaide are firing on all cylinders, but the Demons offence is capable of putting up big numbers on any given night. Melbourne are the highest scoring team in the competition so far this season while Port Adelaide sit 7th on that list. I expect this one to be a high scorer in good Adelaide conditions on Friday night.
Total Points Over 167.5
$1.88
Hawthorn vs Gold Coast (Saturday 1.45pm AEST)
The Hawks were fantastic last weekend against the Crows, winning by 56 points at the MCG as Tom Mitchell had another great game, racking up 40 disposals while James Sicily added another string to his bow, going forward and booting three goals while collecting 24 touches. The Hawks are now 7-5 on the season and sit just outside the eight on percentage alone. A win this weekend will surely see them put some pressure on the top eight.
Gold Coast will be bitterly disappointed with their loss on the weekend. After leading by 31 points at the start of the final quarter, the Suns looked destined for their 4th win of the season, however, they went scoreless in the final term as the Saints piled on 5.3 to mount a miraculous comeback. The Suns injury list is extensive and there’s not much relief in sight as Matt Rosa, Kade Kolodjashnij, Aaron Hall, Michael Barlow, Steven May and Pearce Hanley all remain on the sidelines for the Suns.
Gold Coast will be super disheartened by the loss at home last weekend and the trip down to Tasmania should be a tough one this weekend. The Hawks play great down in Launceston but start as 50-point favourites for this clash. They were 35-point winners over the Saints in Tasmania early in the season and beat Port Adelaide in a close match a few weeks ago. Taking the 56 point win over the Crows into account last weekend, we think the Hawks cover down in Tassie on Saturday.
Brisbane vs Greater Western Sydney (Saturday 4.35pm AEST)
The bye might have come at the wrong time for the Giants, who seemed to have turned their season around after two massive wins over the Crows and Suns. The two wins sent them to 6-5 on the season and can put some real pressure on the top eight with a win in Brisbane on Saturday afternoon. The injury list is still a concern for the Giants, with Rory Lobb now set to miss up to 4 weeks with a back injury while Brett Deledio, Toby Greene and Tom Scully remain on the sidelines.
Brisbane also had the bye last weekend and are still hunting their second win of the season after going down to the Bombers by 22 points at home in Round 12. They have been super competitive in a bunch of their games and the 1-12 record on the season doesn’t justify how good they have been in my opinion. An 18-point loss to the Swans and a 7-point loss to the Magpies earlier in the season highlighted the competitiveness that they have shown, and I expect them to put up a decent fight against an undermanned GWS side on the weekend.
Nine of the Lions 12 losses so far this season have come by the margin of 1-39 points. Most of those close losses and their only win of the season so far have come at home, so they should come close this weekend.
Greater Western Sydney 1-39
$2.05
Western Bulldogs vs North Melbourne (Saturday 7.25pm AEST)
Great clash at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night sees the Western Bulldogs hosting North Melbourne. The Dogs are coming off a big 57 point loss to the Power and will be keen to get back to Etihad where they have looked their best this season so far. However, the Dogs are in the midst of an injury crisis at the moment and it would be easier to list the players that are healthy than the ones that are injured. Jack Macrae is set to miss 3-4 weeks with a hamstring injury while Marcus Bontempelli will have to prove fitness before this weekend’s clash.
In complete contrast, North Melbourne have arguably one of the best-looking injury lists in the league and will be coming of their bye week which will make them feel even fresher. Jed Anderson and Jarrad Waite should return from injury this weekend, making the Roos near full strength for the clash. They will be desperate to keep winning as they currently sit inside the top eight on percentage alone.
The Roos start as 31.5 favourites here and with the Bulldogs injury list at the moment it’s hard to see them remaining competitive. Etihad is where the Bulldogs play their best but it’s also been where the Roos have dominated this year. Perfect conditions bring Ben Brown and Jarrad Waite into the game and with no Dale Morris and an underdone Marcus Adams for the Dogs, I struggle to find a way in which the Dogs stop the Roos from scoring heavily here.
North Melb Total Points Over 100.5
$1.88
Collingwood vs Carlton (Sunday 3.20pm AEST)
The MCG hosts a massive clash between Collingwood and Carlton to finish off Round 14 on Sunday afternoon. The Pies will be up and about after their massive Queens Birthday clash win over the Demons and should eb feeling fresh after their bye round last weekend. The Pies are another week away from getting some key players back from injury, but should have enough in the tank to beat a Carlton side that was woeful last weekend.
The Blues scored just seven behinds in the first half of their game against the Dockers at Etihad Stadium in Round 13 and although the final margin was just 57 points, it seemed like a 100 point margin with how the Blues played.
The Pies start as 46.5-point favourites here and given the demolition job they performed on the Demons just a few weeks ago, I think that seems a little low. Early forecast suggest pretty good conditions on Sunday so I see no reason why the Maggies cant cover this line comfortably.
