Round 5 in the AFL was originally slated to kick off with Richmond taking on the Eagles up North, however, due to new COVID-19 restrictions, Victorian teams have been barred from travelling interstate.
Due to that, Carlton will host St Kilda from Marvel Stadium on Thursday night in what should be an interesting clash between two in-form teams.
Carlton vs St Kilda Betting Tips
Both teams are coming off solid wins in Round 4 and will look to back it up on Thursday night from 7.40pm. They will both, however, be on the back of just a four day break as their Round 4 games were played on Saturday.
Carlton
After a shaky start to the season that included losses to Richmond and Melbourne, the Blues have bounced back to win their last two on the trot, a two point win over Geelong and a one point win over Essendon. In fact, their three games since the resumption of the AFL season have had a combined margin of just four points, after their loss to the Demons came by just one.
The Blues had a few players who were likely to make a return from injury in Jack Silvagni and Harry McKay, however, given the shortened week, they’ll likely be without them for another round.
The return of defender Sam Docherty from injury has been a massive boost for the Blues. He is averaging 26 touches a game through the first four rounds and was one of the best players for the Blues in their win over Essendon. Back him to get a lot of the ball once again on Thursday night.
Docherty 25+ Disposals
$1.91
St Kilda
The Saints had a fantastic win over the Tigers on Saturday afternoon to move to 2-2 on the season and into the top eight. They’ll look to continue a dominant run over Carlton that has seen them win five of their last six meetings. Ruckman Rowan Marshall was dominant in the win over the Tigers, racking up 15 touches, 2 goals and 26 hitouts and he will need to be big again this week against back up ruckman Marc Pittonet.
The Saints have a really strong looking injury list at the moment, with Jimmy Webster set to return while the only Jarryn Geary and Luke Dunstan will be missing from their potential best 22.
Jack Steele will get the tough job on Patrick Cripps again on Thursday night, a job he has relished in the past. The Saints midfielder has averaged 27.5 touches per game over his career against the Blues, well up on his career average of 20.8. He has also averaged a monster 10.25 tackles per game against the Blues compared to his career average of 6.9. One of the few players in the league that can match it with Cripps on pure strength around the ball, expect him to do well this week.
Steele Over 82.5 Fantasy
$1.88
Prediction
The Saints start as 5.5-point favourites here and I think you have to respect them at that line. The Blues have been great since the season resumed but have got over the line in a couple of thrillers in the last two weeks, which will no doubt take its toll.
The Saints have won five of the last six against the Blues by an average margin of 39.8 points. They are fantastic at Marvel Stadium, winning their last two games there against the Bulldogs and Tigers by an average margin of 32.5. Back them to cover the line here.
