Super Saturday in the AFL boasts a fanastic four game slate kicking off at 1pm and culminating in what should be a monster clash between Brisbane and Port Adelaide from the Gabba at 7.40pm!
As usual, we have you covered with a full preview and betting tips for all four games across Saturday, and you can also check out the rest of our Round 5 tips by heading to our AFL Tips page.
AFL Round 5 Saturday Betting Tips
West Coast vs Sydney
Metricon Stadium, 1.45pm (AEST)
The Eagles will look to bounce back from a disappointing loss to the Power last weekend. Port Adelaide kicked out to a three goal lead in the first quarter and never looked back, going on to win by 48. Standout players were few and far between for the Eagles, although Andrew Gaff had a passable game with 27 disposals.
The Swans were thoroughly outplayed by the Bulldogs on Thursday night, going down by 28 points as they move to 2-2 on the season and sit in 11th place on the ladder. Tom Papley was great, booting four goals in the loss. The emotion of the loss on the Thursday night took a backseat to the loss of Swans ruckman Sam Naismith for the season, after the big man ruptured his ACL. With Callum Sinclair also out through injury, six gamer Hayden McLean looks likely to start in the ruck against Nic Naitanui.
One of the tougher games of the round to predict, the Eagles start as early favourites but with neither team boasting a home field advantage, we are going to side with the Swans here. There is no doubt a massive deficit at the ruck position but the Eagles have looked well and truly off the pace this season and the Swans seem to playing with more urgency despite a loss to the Dogs last week. Sydney have won their last three games against West Coast by an average margin of 29.6 points.
Geelong vs Gold Coast
GMHBA Stadium, 4.35pm (AEST)
The Suns will look to continue their extraordinary start to the season when they travel to Geelong on Saturday afternoon to take on the Cats. After losing their Round 1 matchup to the Power, the Suns have gone on to win every game since the season resumed, moving to 3-1 and currently sitting in n 2nd place on the ladder. Rookie Matt Rowell continued his purple patch on the weekend, racking up 20 touches and booting two goals in the Suns 13 point win over Fremantle.
The Cats bounced back from a disappointing 2 point loss to the Cats in Round 3 by defeating the Demons in another close game. Sam Menegola was great for the Cats, racking up 25 touches while Patrick Dangerfield had 22 touches and a goal. The win didn’t come without it’s setbacks, however, as defender Tom Stewart suffered a fractured collarbone and Tom Atkins bruised ribs, both will likely miss this weekend.
The Cats might be hindered by some injuries here, but they still look the more potent side despite the recent run of success by the Suns. The Suns three wins have come against the Eagles, Dockers and Crows, who sit 16th, 17th and 18th on the ladder respectively. Travelling to Geelong will be their first real test since the AFL resumed and we think a small reality check could be in store. Gold Coast have never won in Geelong in five attempts and we don’t think that changes this weekend.
Western Bulldogs vs North Melbourne
Marvel Stadium, 7.40pm (AEST)
The Roos were sitting pretty after two games with a 2-0 record but have since lost their last two games to Sydney and Hawthorn and will be looking to get back on the winners list against the Dogs on Saturday night. They have averaged just 57 points per game across their last two, and will likely need to be more attacking if they want to match it with the Dogs, who play a more free-flowing style.
The Dogs bounced back from a loss to St Kilda with back to back wins over the Giants and Sydney in the last two rounds. They have looked like a completely different team in the wins, with their midfield controlling both games and their defence holding their opponents to just 36 points per game. The Dogs injuries are stacking up, with forward Aaron Naughton joining star midfielder Josh Dunkley on the long term injury list.
Another tough game to call here but we are leaning towards the Dogs despite their injuries. They have looked the better of the two teams across the last two rounds and have looked particularly good in defence, which should improve even more this week with the return of Easton Wood. The Roos have had their scoring troubles this season so we think the Dogs take this one in a low soring game.
Western Bulldogs -5.5
$1.90
Brisbane vs Port Adelaide
Gabba, 7.40pm (AEST)
A monster clash between 1st and 4th on the ladder headlines Super Saturday as the Lions host the Power from 7.40pm. The Power has been outstanding so far this season, racking up a 4-0 record with wins over Gold Coast, Adelaide, Fremantle and West Coast. They’ll complete the full slate of Western and Northern opponents this weekend as they face the Lions. The Lions are without doubt the strongest of those five opponents and this weekend should act as a great measuring stick for both teams.
The Power have a fantastic injury list at the moment, with Ryan Burton set to come back this week giving them a near full strength team. The Lions will unfortunately be without skipper Dayne Zorko for this weekend’s clash but will get ruckman Stefan Martin back from a hamstring injury.
The bookies have this as a dead even clash at the moment and we are also struggling to pick a winner. Either way, we think it will be a pretty close game, with both teams holding leads at times throughout the game. We think the ‘Any Other Result’ in the wire to wire market is a good bet here.
W2W - Any Other Result
$2.00
