Geelong will look to cap off another terrific home and away season with a win at home against the lowly Eagles on Saturday. Jake Smit takes you through his best bets for the match!
Remember, Before You Bet will be previewing every game of the 2022 AFL season, so be sure to check out our AFL Tips page for regular updates.
Geelong vs West Coast Betting Tips
GMHBA Stadium, Saturday 20th August, 4:35pm (AEST)
Geelong
Injuries: Jeremy Cameron, Jon Ceglar, Mitch Duncan, Flynn Kroeger, Shannon Neale, Rhys Stanley, Cooper Stephens, Cooper Whyte
Geelong have had great luck with injuries all season but now have a couple to worry about as we approach the finals. Jeremy Cameron has tweaked his hamstring and will miss Round 23 and potentially the first final, while Mitch Duncan and Rhys Stanley will also miss this weekend for different niggles.
The Cats made light work of the lacklustre Suns last weekend when defeating them by 10 goals in the Gold Coast. Jeremy Cameron kicked three goals to take his season tally to 59, although it looks like he’ll just miss out on the Coleman Medal due to his fresh injury. The Cats have now won 12 matches on the spin and have kicked 100+ points in four of their last seven matches. They remain two games clear at the top of the ladder and have surged into premiership favouritism as a result.
West Coast
Injuries: Oscar Allen, Campbell Chesser, Tom Cole, Luke Edwards, Callum Jamieson, Jamaine Jones, Tom Joyce, Jeremy McGovern, Nic Naitanui, Jack Petruccelle, Dom Sheed, Connor West, Elliot Yeo
West Coast have had one of the worst runs with injury you’ll see and that’s a big reason for their dramatic downfall this campaign. Key players missing again this weekend include Jeremy McGovern, Oscar Allen, Dom Sheed, Elliot Yeo and Nic Naitanui.
The Eagles remained competitive in the first half of their Western Derby last weekend but couldn’t sustain their high level and intensity in the second half. They eventually went down by four goals in what was their seventh straight loss. It’s been a nightmare season from the Eagles right from the word go and they’ll certainly be looking forward to wrapping it all up this weekend. They’re currently second last on the ladder and only percentage ahead of the Kangaroos.
Match Prediction
It remains to be seen what type of approach the Cats will take into the final match of the season already knowing that they already have top spot sewn up. Regardless of their effort and intensity, they’ll chalk up another four points against the Eagles and the only question that remains is by how much.
The line has been set at a whopping 65.5 points and that’s fair enough considering the monumental gap between these teams this season. However, anything can happen in a dead rubber like this, so I’ll be avoiding that market. Instead, I like the looks of the overs in the total points in this one, which looks to be too low in my opinion. Intensity levels won’t be high at the Cattery, and we’ve seen time and time again this year that the Cats are capable of some really big scores.
Over 167.5 Points
$1.88 (1.5 Units)
Prop Bets
Sam Menegola has only managed six full matches this season but has been in good touch when he’s been out there. He’s kicked at least one goal in four of his matches and will get a couple of looks against the poor Eagles defence this weekend.
Sam Menegola Anytime Goal Scorer ($1.80 at Ladbrokes)
Tyson Stengle has had an outstanding first season at the Cattery and is in contention for an All-Australian guernsey. He’s kicked 3+ goals on nine separate occasions this season and should be able to cash in against the Eagles.
Tyson Stengle 3+ goals ($2.65 at Ladbrokes)
The Eagles are going to get a big score kicked against them this weekend and that will result in plenty of kick-ins for Shannon Hurn. He’s had 25+ touches in five of his last six matches and I expect him to get to that number again here.
Shannon Hurn 25+ Disposals ($1.92 at Ladbrokes)
