Round 12 in the AFL marks the start of the bye rounds and as a result there are just six games over the weekend. Sydney will face off against West Coast in the lone game on Sunday, kicking off from 3.20pm at the SCG.
We have a full preview and betting tips for the game between the Swans and the Eagles below.
AFL Round 12 Sydney vs West Coast Betting Tips
The old rivalry between the Swans and Eagles will be reignited this weekend at the SCG. The Eagles are looking to win their sixth game in a row while the Swans will be hoping to snap a two game losing streak.
Sydney Swans
After a slow start to the season which saw them win just one of their first seven games, the Swans bounced back to win two games in a row against the Bombers and Kangaroos in Rounds 8 and 9. They have, however, gone on to lose their last two on the trot, both close losses to the Magpies at the SCG and the Cats in Geelong.
The Swans have been somewhat unlucky to not have captured a few more wins so far this season. Just one of their eight losses has come by more than 26 points and in all but three games, they have held their opponents to under 90 points.
Finding a reliable avenue to goal has been the Swans main concern. They have scored 90+ on just one occasion this year and have scored under 80 in nine of their 11 games. The Swans will likely be without Josh Kennedy, Harry Cunningham, Kieren Jack and Zak Jones for Sunday, but thankfully have the bye in Round 13, which should give the injured players time to recover.
West Coast Eagles
The Eagles have won their last five games on the trot and have stormed into the top four. They currently have an 8-3 record and sit behind Collingwood and GWS on percentage alone. West Coast captured a monster 61 point win over the Bulldogs in Round 11 as Jack Darling booted six goals.
The dynamic forward line of the Eagles seems to finally be firing on all cylinders after the slow start to the season. Jack Darling, Josh Kennedy, Liam Ryan, Jake Waterman and Jamie Cripps combined for 17 of the Eagles 21 goals on Sunday while Andrew Gaff was dominant once again in the midfield, racking up 36 touches.
The big news at West Coast this weekend surrounds the potential return of star ruckman Nic Naitanui. The Eagles have the bye in Round 13 so it’s more likely we see Nic Nat after the break, but coach Adam Simpson did hint at a possible return this weekend. Eagles skipper Shannon Hurn will be out for the clash after suffering a hamstring strain against the Bulldogs.
Prediction
The Eagles start as just 6.5-point favourites here, which seems a little low on first glance considering they are 8-3 and the Swans are 3-8 on the season. The Swans have been pretty awful at home this season, losing games to the Crows, Demons, Giants all by 22+ points.
West Coast have hit some great form over the last month and regardless of the loss of their skipper in Hurn, we think they cover the smallish line.
