Teams have relocated to hubs in Queensland and Sydney but Round 6 action will go ahead in the AFL. Super Saturday boasts a great four game slate, headlined by a big matchup between the Bombers and Roos from 7.40pm!
As usual, we have a full preview and betting tips for all four games of the day, but remember, you can head to our AFL Betting Tips page for previews for every game in Round 6.
AFL Round 6 Saturday Betting Tips
Fremantle vs St Kilda
Metricon Stadium, 12.35pm (AEST)
The Saints recorded their second straight win against Carlton on Thursday night and are looking like one of the form sides in the competition at the moment. They had a big trade perios, getting in some quality depth and it seems to be paying dividends at the moment as they currently sit 3-2 with games against Fremantle and Adelaide to come. Ruckman Rowan Marshall was dominant in the win over the Blues, while Jack Steele shut Patrick Cripps out of the game and racked up 23 disposals himself.
The Dockers won their first game of the season in Round 5 as they downed the Crows in what can only be described as an ugly game. The Dockers put up just 54 points in the 20 point win and while none of their players set the world on fire, both David Mundy and Andrew Brayshaw looked solid through the middle of the ground. Nat Fyfe will come back into the Dockers side after recovering from a hamstring injury, as will Blake Acres, Brennan Cox and Travis Colyer.
The Saints will make just one change, bringing in Zak Jones for the injured Dan Hannebery. The Saints started as 16.5 point favourites but that has drifted into just 12.5 points at the moment. We think they will win the game, we prefer the margin though. The Saints are the best first quarter team in the competition but even when they kick away to an early lead, they have shown a tendency to take the foot off the gas. Back the 1-39 margin here.
West Coast vs Adelaide
The Gabba, 3.05pm (AEST)
Adelaide just can’t catch a break at the moment. Despite having a bunch of players who were in their Grand Final team in 2017 still on their list, they look like a shell of their former selves. They have started the season 0-5 and lost to the Dockers by 20 points last week, putting up just 34 points in the game. Their skills were embarrassing, recording a 29% shooting accuracy and a cavalcade of errors around the ground.
West Coast looked to have found their groove last weekend after shakey start to the season. They faced off against the Swans and were big winners as Oscar Allen, Jamie Cripps, Jack Darlind and Jake Waterman combined for nine goals between them. The only negative to come out of the game was skipper Luke Shuey going down with a hamstring injury.
Shuey will miss this week but apart from him, the West Coast injury list looks pretty solid at the moment. They start as massive 30.5 point favourites here but it’s hard not to like them even at that line. The Crows have already lost three of their five games by more than that margin, and if not for some poor play on the part of Fremantle as well last week, they would have again. Back the Eagles to cover.
Melbourne vs Gold Coast
GIANTS Stadium, 6.05pm (AEST)
The Demons have started the season with just a 1-3 record, with their only win coming back in two against Carlton. They still have a game in hand after their Round 3 matchup with Essendon was postponed, but they’ll need to get into gear soon if they want to make any waves in the 2020 season. The sum of the Melbourne parts feels as though it should be achieving more results, but they just haven’t been able to put it together since being dubbed premiership contenders at the start of last season.
The Suns currently sit in 6th place on the ladder with a 3-2 record and will be keen to get back on the winners list after a disappointing trip to Geelong last week. Not only did Gold Coast suffer a 37 point defeat at the hands of the Cats, but they also lost their young star midfielder in Matt Rowell, who went down with a shoulder injury in the first quarter. Rowell will miss an indefinite period, but other than him, the Suns injury list actually looks pretty solid at the moment.
Tough game to call here. On paper, you have to side with the Demons but on form the scales shift marginally in the Suns favour. The Demons start as 5.5 point favourites here and we are going to go in that direction. Melbourne have had a tough run of it over the last two weeks, facing Geelong before being on the wrong end of a Tigers showcase, back them to bounce back against a weaker opponent and get their season back on track.
Essendon vs North Melbourne
Metricon Stadium, 7.40pm (AEST)
The Bombers will square off against the Kangaroos in the final game of Super Saturday, getting underway at 7.40pm from Metricon Stadium. Essendon will be riding high after a brilliant win over Collingwood in Round 5 and could move into the top four with a win here. They currently sit in 5th place on the ladder with a 3-1 record but still have a game in hand, and seem to be the forgetten form team at the moment.
North Melbourne got their season off on the right foot with a brilliant comeback win over the Saints back in March, but since then they have done diddly squat. A win over GWS in Round 2 has been followed by three straight losses to Sydney, Hawthorn and the Western Bulldogs, all three games coming at Marvel Stadium.
The Roos will be back on the road this week as they travel to the Queensland hub and in their current form, we can’t see them putting enough scoreboard pressure on the Bombers to stay relevant here. They have scored an average of just 50 points over the last three games and were punished by the Doggies, who play a similar style to Essendon, in Round 5.
