With plenty of mid-week footy action taking place in Round 6 of the AFL season, there is just a four game slate this Saturday, the 27th of April, headlined by a couple of interstate derbies. We are here to preview all four games of the day and give our betting tips below!
Saturday is our main focus today but remember, you can check out all of the Round 6 AFL content including previews, tips and more by heading to our AFL Tips Page!
AFL Round 6 Saturday Betting Tips
Gold Coast Suns vs Brisbane Lions (1.45pm AEST)
The Suns and Lions will meet in the first of the two Queensland derbies for the 2019 season on Saturday from Metricon Stadium. Both sides will be coming off disappointing losses in Round 5 as the Suns went down to the Crows by 73 points and the Lions lost to Collingwood in the round opener by 62 points.
Both sides had surprising starts to the season by winning five of their six combined games in the first three rounds but they were brought back to earth in Round 5. This game should serve as a genuine barometer to where both teams stand moving forward.
While Brisbane looked genuinely competitive with some of the top sides in the competition, we think the Suns surprising start to the season was helped in large by the schedule. They faced St Kilda, Fremantle, Western Bulldogs and Carlton in the first four rounds, four sides that no one predicted to be finals contenders in 2019. The Lions have shown more so far this season and we are happy to back them at the line.
St Kilda Saints vs Adelaide Crows (4.35pm AEST)
The Saints have been without doubt the surprise packet of the 2019 AFL season so far. Through their opening five games, they currently sit equal first on the top of the ladder with four wins and just one loss which was a tough five point loss to the Dockers in Perth. We’ll get a great idea of how serious the Saints are over their next four weeks with games against Adelaide, GWS, West Coast and Collingwood.
The Crows got their season back on track on Sunday as they downed the Gold Coast Suns at home to move to 2-3 through their opening five games. Back to back losses to the Cats and the Roos had Adelaide reeling but they’ll be confident they can get back to 3-3 with a win over the Saints. Eddie Betts was fantastic in his 300th game on the weekend, booting six goals to help the Crows secure the win.
If you had have told us at the start of the season that the Saints would be 1.5 point favourites heading into their Round 6 clash against the Crows we would have thought you were delusional, but that’s the way it has panned out. St Kilda have shown unmatched aggression and tackling pressure through the opening rounds, which is something that Adelaide really haven’t had to deal with yet. The one time they did face a team with similar pressure was when they were defeated by the Roos. It’s surprising to say but we think the Saints should have the Crows measure here, especially at Marvel Stadium.
Sydney Swans vs Greater Western Sydney Giants (7.25pm AEST)
The second of the interstate derbies kicks off at 7.25pm (AEST) and sees the Swans hosting the Giants at the SCG. After making the finals for nine straight seasons, the Sydney Swans look destined to miss this year after starting the 2019 season with a 1-4 record through their opening five games. A marginal win over a lacklustre Carlton side in Round 3 has been backed up by two average performances to the Demons and Swans, both 22 point losses.
The Giants will be extremely disappointed with their performance in Round 5. After capturing their first ever win in Geelong in Round 4, the Giants were outclassed by the Dockers at home on the weekend, going down by 24 points after being pre game favourites by upwards of 30. Stephen Coniglio was the shining light for the Giants in the loss, racking up 37 touches and 1 goal to continue his hot start to the season.
The Swans started the 2017 season with six losses in a row before bouncing back to make the finals, however, their form was largely due to injuries and we are not sure if this squad boasts the depth and experience to flick the switch as they did two years ago. They have been competitive in all four of their losses, with 26 points being their largest losing margin. We think this stays relatively close but the Giants get the chocolates.
Fremantle Dockers vs Western Bulldogs (6.10pm AEST)
The Dockers will be up and about after a fantastic win away from home against the Giants on the weekend. Skipper Nat Fyfe returned to the side after missing a week with concussion and had a fantastic game, racking up 31 touches, 18 of them contested to help the Dockers capture their third win of the season. They currently sit third on the AFL ladder, behind only St Kilda and Geelong.
The Western Bulldogs had one of those Bulldogs games on the weekend, where their game style that is based around slick ball movement just wasn’t working for them. They were smashed by the Blues around the contest and particularly down back as Carlton piled on 100 points for the first time since 2016.
The Dockers have looked good at Optus Stadium so far this season, winning both of their games over the Kangaroos and Saints respectively. They start as 14.5 point favourites here which we actually think is a little high. The Dockers last four games have been decided by an average margin of just over 11 points and they were marginal 5 point winners over the Saints in their last home game. Back the Dogs to bounce back here and win, or keep this one close at least.
