Round 3 of the AFL season concludes on Sunday with only two games, after the Essendon vs Melbourne match has been postponed due to a Covid-19 scare. The action now gets underway at 3.05pm, with the Suns taking on the Crows before the Dockers tackle the Power. Here's our free preview and betting tips for Sunday's action..
AFL Round 3 Sunday Betting Tips
Gold Coast vs Adelaide
Metricon Stadium, 3.05pm (AEST)
The Suns were fantastic in Round 2 as they upset the Eagles by 44 points at Metricon Stadium. Was it a flash in the pan or have the Suns drastically improved since their season started with a 47 point loss to the Power back in Round 1 in March? No.1 draft pick Matt Rowell was dominant in the win over the Eagles, racking up 26 touches and kicking 2 goals to score a monster 171 SuperCoach points.
Adelaide fell to 0-2 on the season as they were absolutely trounced by their cross-town rivals in the Power by 75 points in the Showdown. To make matters worse, star midfielder Rory Sloane went down with a thigh injury in the game and could miss this weekend against the Suns.
It’s probably been a long time since the Suns started as favourites in a game of football, but they are currently favoured by 2.5 points here. Really tough game to call either way. You’d have to think the Crows still have a little more talent on paper but they were woeful last week. We think this one will be a close game going in either direction.
Either Team by Under 19.5
$1.83
Essendon vs Melbourne
POSTPONED
The Bombers are one of just three undefeated sides in the AFL alongside the Power and Kangaroos. They’ve had to fight a little bit harder for their wins, however, after defeating both of their opponents in the Dockers and Swans by just six points apiece.
The Demons lead by as many as 42 points in their Round 2 clash against the Blues but a 2nd half lapse almost cost them the game. They ended up winning by just one point and will take a 1-1 record into Round 3 after losing their opening game of the season to the Eagles.
Another tough game to call. The Bombers start as slight favourites and we are going to side with them here They’ve played quality opponents in both of their games so far and came out on top in both, we have no reason to believe they cant get past the Demons, who have looked second rate at times through two games.
Fremantle vs Port Adelaide
Metricon Stadium, 8.10pm (AEST)
The final game of the round sees the Dockers and Power doing battle at Metricon Stadium from 8.10pm. It will be the second game of the day at Metricon Stadium following the earlier clash between the Suns and Crows, but we doubt that will have any effect on turf conditions in the state of the art Stadium. Fremantle are coming off a disappointing loss to Brisbane in Round 2 and will be further hurt by an injury to No.1 ruckman Sean Darcy.
The Power are rolling at the moment having won both of their games very comfortably and currently sit atop the ladder with a whopping 290.6%. Their injury list looks really solid, and they will likely be bolstered by the return of Ryan Burton this weekend.
One thing to keep in mind when assessing the Power’s start to the season, however, is the quality of opponent. We expect both the Suns and the Crows to be somewhere near the bottom of the ladder at seasons end, and while the Dockers aren’t a top tier team, they’ll certainly put up more of a fight. We like the Power to win this one by 1-39.
