Round 19 in the AFL season is set to be a cracker, with the Richmond Tigers and Fremantle Dockers kicking off proceedings on Friday night from Marvel Stadium. As always, we have you covered with a full preview and betting tips for the clash below.
Remember to head to our AFL Tips page for all of the Round 19 tips in the lead up to the weekend.
Richmond vs Fremantle Betting Tips
Marvel Stadium, Friday 22nd July, 7.50pm (AEST)
Richmond
Injuries: Dustin Martin, Tom Lynch, Kane Lambert (Out) Josh Gibcus, Jack Ross, I can Soldo, Sydney Stack (Test)
The Tigers will still be without key duo Dustin Martin and Tom Lynch, but could get ruckman Ivan Soldo back into the line-up after he missed a week with a thumb injury. Josh Gibcus was subbed out of their Round 18 clash with a shoulder issue, but could still take place in the game on Friday night.
The Tigers had a golden opportunity to cement a place in the top eight for the 2nd straight week in Round 18 but failed to capitalise. With the likes of St Kilda, Gold Coast, Carlton and Port Adelaide all suffering losses, the Tigers just needed to get over the line against the bottom of the ladder Kangaroos.
Richmond were dismal in the early parts of the game to allow the Kangaroos to kick away to a whopping eight goal lead. While they fought back and even managed to take the lead in the last quarter, they weren’t able to secure the win, losing their 2nd straight game and now holding on to a spot in the top eight by percentage alone.
Many thought that their run home was the easiest of any of the top eight contenders, but they have already lost two of the really winnable games and now face the Dockers, Lions and Power away in three tough games in a row.
Fremantle
Injuries: Joe Amiss, Sam Switowski, Joel Hamling (Out) Alex Pearce (Test)
The Dockers will be without Hamling and Switowski for at least one more week, but could get talented defender Alex Pearce back this week after seemingly recovering from a calf injury.
Fremantle had a really impressive win over the Saints at Marvel two weeks ago but failed to back it up in Round 18 as they went down to the Swans on their home turf. After leading for the majority of the game, the Dockers allowed five goals in the final quarter to squander a lead.
They still sit in the top four on the ladder, but are just four points clear of 7th place and have a tough run including games against the Tigers, Demons and Bulldogs across the next three weeks.
Match Prediction
Tough game to call here between two clearly talented sides that look a touch out of form at the moment. The bookies have this one as a complete pick’em with both sides starting at around $1.90 in the head to head markets. Im going to stay away from that and lean towards the overs here instead. The Dockers put up 111 points on the Saints in their last trip to Marvel, while the Tigers are in the bottom 6 in the league for points allowed per game this season, allowing an average of 90+ points in their last four games.
Over 166.5
$1.88 (1.5 Units)
Prop Bets
Tigers forward Noah Cumberland has been hitting the scoreboard on a regular occurrence since coming back into the side in Round 17. In those two games he has booted five goals and looks to be one of the main target men for the Tigers in the absence of Tom Lynch.
Cumberland 2+ Goals ($2.30 at Ladbrokes)
If I have to lean either direction here, I’m probably leaning slightly towards the Dockers. It’s no secret that the Tigers don’t like playing at Marvel very much. They have lost their last four games there by an average of 21.5 points. On the contrary, the Dockers have won three of their last four at Marvel.
Dockers 1-39 ($2.45 at Ladbrokes)
