Friday night footy in the AFL this week is set to be an absolute blockbuster as Collingwood host Essendon from the MCG at 7.50pm! As usual, we will be bringing you a dedicated article for the Friday night fixture, but remember, you can see our full preview and betting tips for EVERY game in Round 8 of the AFL season by heading to our dedicated footy page here.
Collingwood vs Essendon Betting Tips
MCG, Friday 3rd July, 7.50pm (AEST)
Two great rivals will add another instalment to their list of big matchups this Friday night as the Magpies and Bombers do battle from the MCG at 7.50pm. With the traditional ANZAC Day clash unable to be played this season, emotions will be high for the Friday night clash, which pits 5th against 8th on the ladder.
Collingwood
The Magpies will be desperate to bounce back from a disappointing result against the Giants on Friday night footy last week. In a close battle all game, Collingwood came up two points short to move to 2-1-1 on the season and currently sit in 5th place.
In what was a much worse blow than the loss itself, Pies defender Jeremy Howe went down with a knee injury that will rule him out indefinitely. Midfieldder Adam Treloar should finally return from a calf issue this week, which is positive news for the Pies while forward Ben Reid is only a week away.
Brodie Grundy has made a mockery of the Bombers in recent history. In the last five games against Essendon, he has racked up 25.8 disposals and a whopping 35 hitouts to average 126 fantasy points, with the last four of those games all being wins for Collingwood. He has had Tom Bellchambers number in the last few matchups and should again on Friday night.
Grundy 110+ Fantasy
$1.80
Essendon
The Bombers couldn’t take advantage of their two week break in Round 4, going down to the Blues to move to 2-1 on the season. Their Round 3 matchup against Melbourne was postponed and will need to be made up at some stage, so they are still in great shape sitting in the top eight with a game in hand.
Where they are not in great shape, however, is their injury list, which is really extensive at the moment. Missing from their potential best 22 this Friday night will be Joe Daniher, Dyson Heppell, Zach Merrett, Kobe Mutch and James Stewart.
The Dons really haven’t had anyone that has stood out in their last five matchups with the Pies outside of Zach Merrett and Dyson Heppell, who will both be missing this week. In three clashes, Devon Smith has averaged 94 fantasy points on the back of just 8.7 touches per game due to his outstanding tackling pressure. With the midfield pretty depleted at the moment, we could see Smith spend more time at the stoppages and his disposal count go up. In three games this season, he has racked up 18, 17 and 15 touches.
Smith 20+ Disposals
$2.88
Prediction
Hard to look past the Pies here. They have barely put a foot wrong all season despite suffering a draw to the Tigers in Round 2 and a tough loss to the Giants in Sydney last week. Alongside Port Adelaide and Brisbane, they have the strongest looking list in the league and have great looking injury list, especially with Treloar coming back this week.
There are just too many question marks surrounding the Bombers at the moment to fancy them. How will they cope with the media storm surrounding them the last few weeks due to the COVID-19 positive test? How will they fare with their best two midfielders in Heppell and Merrett out? We expect the Pies to have a massive advantage in that area of the ground, resulting in a comfortable win.
