The Bombers will square off against the Western Bulldogs on Friday night footy in Round 7, and it is shaping up to be a great clash. The two teams will meet at Metricon Stadium from 7.50pm and as usual, we have you covered with a full preview and betting tips for the marquee fixture.
Remember, you can check out the rest of our AFL Round 7 tips by heading to our dedicated AFL Betting Tips page.
AFL Essendon vs Western Bulldogs Betting Tips
Metricon Stadium, Friday July 17th, 7.50pm (AEST)
The Bombers and Dogs have played in some high scoring clashes over the past few years under the roof at Marvel Stadium. Ball movement and scoring could flow freely once again on Friday night as the two teams meet in perfect conditions on the Gold Coast.
Essenndon
The Bombers have won two games on the trot and are one of the sneaky form teams in the competition. They currentl sit in 4th place on the ladder but are one of just two teams in the league alongside Port Adelaide, to have only lost one game. They’ll need to make up their formerly postponed game against Melbourne at some stage throughout the year, so they currently sit in a really strong position.
Their first two wins came against mediocre oppoennts in Sydney and Fremantle, but since then they have had some great performances including a Round 5 win over Collingwood on Friday night footy. They also defeated the Kangaroos in Round 6, all without a bunch of key players in Dyson Heppell, Patrick Ambrose, Aaron Francis, Jake Stringer and Kobe Mutch.
With some key midfielders out at the moment, Andrew McGrath really looks to have taken the next step in his development, spending more time in the midfield and racking up big numbers. He has racked up 20+ disposals in every game except one so far this season, and his odds to do so again will be a great anchor for your same game multi.
McGrath 20+ Disposals
$1.50
Western Bulldogs
After a disappointing loss to the Saints in Round 2, the Dogs looked to be absolutely flying, winning three straight games over the Giants, Swans and Roos by an average margin of 33 points. They put out a truly dismal performance on the weekend, however, going down to the Blues by 52 points in wet weather.
The Dogs have to have perfect conditions to exploit their game plan to the best of their ability, which revolves heavily around precision kicks inside forward 50. They have taken more marks inside 50 than any other club and should be able to get back to the way they like to play in better conditions on Friday night.
Bailey Dale was electric the last time the two sides met, taking four marks and booting three goals as the Dogs racked up a mammoth 104 point win. After going goalless in the first two games of the season, Dale has booted one in each of the Doggies last four games. Should find the scoreboard again here.
Prediction
Struggling to pick a winner here. These two teams are very evenly matched and we actually think the Dogs are in better form than their performance on the weekend will have you think. Happy to stay away from the H2H market and look towards the total points market this week instead.
The last six games between these two teams have resulted in an average of 181.5 points. Take away 20% for the shortened quarters and you’re still left with a whopping total of 145.2 over their last six games. Well and truly above the 127.5 the bookies have this line set at.
