An interesting weekend in the AFL last week saw Richmond reamin on top of the ladder after a dominant win over the Crows in the Grand Final rematch while chasers Collingwood, West Coast and Port Adelaide all secured wins also. Adelaide will be back in action this Thursday night as they face off against Geelong at Adelaide Oval in the Thursday night opener of Round 17. We take a look at the game and give our betting tips below.
AFL Round 17 Adelaide vs Geelong Betting Tips
The two sides in question last met in the preliminary final of the 2017 season at Adelaide Oval. The Crows were victorious that night, claiming a 61 point win to send them into the Grand Final where they would eventually lose to the Tigers. It’s been an inconsistent year to say the least for the Crows, and poor results could be attributed to the long list of injuries they are still dealing with.
The Crows could get some key players back for this Thursday night’s clash in Eddie Betts and Cam Ellis-Yolmen, but will likely be without Daniel Talia and Tom Lynch, who both suffered injuries in the Round 16 clash against the Tigers. The two are just more names on the lengthy Crows injury list that already includes Brad Crouch, Mitch McGovern, Brodie Smith, Richard Douglas and David Mckay.
It will be the second Thursday night clash in a row for the Cats, who were fantastic in Round 16, travelling to Sydney and earning a 12-point win over the Swans at the SCG. The Cats moved into 7th place with the win and bounced back from a disappointing loss to the Western Bulldogs the week before.
While he only kicked two goals in the win, Tom Hawkins was fantastic for the Cats on Thursday night, taking six marks and tallying seven total shots on goal as he provided the Cats with a long key target in attack all night. He should be a handful for the Crows this weekend, especially if Talia does end up missing with the injured foot.
The Cats injury front is looking pretty good at the moment. Esava Ratugolea remains on the sidelines with an injured ankle but provided Harry Taylor passes a fitness test through the week, the Cats should nearly be at full strength for the clash.
History
2017 Prelim Final – Adelaide (21.10.136) dft. Geelong (10.15.75)
2017 Round 18 – Adelaide (13.13.91) dft. Geelong (10.10.70)
2017 Round 11 – Geelong (13.18.96) dft. Adelaide (10.14.74)
2016 Round 18 – Geelong (12.13.85) dft. Adelaide (7.13.55)
2016 Round 8 – Adelaide (11.6.72) lt. Geelong (13.20.98)
Played: 42
Geelong: 23
Adelaide: 19
Interestingly, the home team has won the last four games played between these two teams, but the away team in Geelong start as slight 2.5 point favourites for Thursday night. The last three matches in a row have all cleared the 158.5 total point mark currently set for Thursday’s game.
The Crows have the difficult task of facing the best two defences in the AFL two weekends in a row in the Tigers and the Cats. Geelong have allowed the fewest points of any team so far in 2017 and the Crows offence has really struggled of late, averaging just 63 points over their last seven games.
Cats defence best in the league
Adelaide total points UNDER 80.5
$1.70
