The 2021 AFL season kicks off this Thursday night with the annual season opener between Richmond and Carlton! We previewed our top contenders in our AFL Season Preview & Betting Tips a few days ago and today we are back to give our best player prop betting tips for the 2021 season!
Check out our season preview and betting tips for all of the important player awards including the Brownlow, Coleman, Rising Star and some other player props below.
2021 AFL Player Awards & Props
Brownlow Medal
Brisbane star midfielder Lachie Neale took out his first Brownlow Medal last season and will start as the favourite for the medal this year as well at $5.00. Some of the other top contenders are the likes of Patrick Cripps, at Fyfe, Dustin Martin, Marcus Bontempelli and Patrick Dangerfield. It’s no coincidence that all of the aforementioned players are midfielders, in fact, not since Scott Wynd all the way back in 1992 has a non-midfielder won the award.
Make no mistake; a midfielder will win the award once again this season, it’s just a matter of predicting which one will take the crown. Since the year 2000, 24 Brownlow Medals have been awarded and just three of them have been won by players from teams who finished in the bottom half of the ladder that year. It’s a safe bet that the winner this season will come from a competing team, so the likes of Lachie Neale, Dustin Martin and Marcus Bontempelli have to be highly considered given their teams should be fighting for top four places this season.
Bontempelli might have a little too much competition for votes in the Western Bulldogs midfield these days while Dustin Martin has tended to save his best for the finals over the last few seasons. That leaves Neale as the strongest candidate once again in our eyes. At $5.00, there’s still a decent amount of value for the Lions ball magnet to go back to back.
Value: Tim Kelly ($34.00)
Lachie Neale Brownlow
$5.00
Coleman Medal
Tom Hawkins took out his first Coleman Medal last season but it will likely be tough for him to go back to back as he now has healthy competition for goals in the Geelong forward line with the addition of Jeremy Cameron to the line-up. The Cats now have the past two Coleman Medal winners in their midst but we think this year’s winner comes from elsewhere.
Charlie Dixon booted 32 goals last season to finish second in the Coleman Medaland will be the focal point of the Power forward line once again this season. With the retirement of Justin Westhoff, he’ll have one less tall to compete with for service. The Power kicked the 3rd most goals of any team last season and Dixon should be at the centre of that attacking play-style this year.
Value: Ben Brown ($26.00)
Charlie Dixon Coleman
$9.00
Rising Star
With star Gold Coast midfielder Matt Rowell still eligible for the Rising Star, it’s hard to look anywhere else for this year’s winner. He is an overwhelming favourite at just $1.30 to win so rather than outline all the reasons why he will win, we thought we’d give you a few value picks who could conceivably cause an upset.
Don’t mind the look of GWS midfielder Tom Green. The youngster played six games in his rookie season last year and averaged 15.2 touches per game. He should take a step up this year and will no doubt get more of a role in the GWS midfield with the likes of Jye Caldwell and Jackson Hately moving clubs.
Tom Green Rising Star
$9.00
All Australian Quick Picks
Harris Andrews has asserted himself as the competition’s premier defender over the past few seasons, making the All-Australian team in both 2019 and 2020. Barring injury, he is almost a certainty to make the team again this season. Not only does he have the skillset but he now has the pedigree of an elite defender.
Toby Greene has been one of the most talented players in the league for the better part of half a decade now but injuries have riddled his career. He made the All-Australian team in the last season he played over 20 games and he will have an increased role in the GWS forward line this season with the departure of Jeremy Cameron. Back him to be an AA forward this year.
Jack Steele has taken the mantle of St. Kilda captain and while we think that would add extra pressure to a range of players in the AFL, for Steele, we think that will only make him hungrier to perform for his team. He made All-Australian for the first time last season and is great value to do so again as the lynchpin of the Saints midfield.
