AFL Round 3 will see two matches played on Saturday night, the second of which will feature Brisbane vs North Melbourne. We preview that game and run you through our best bets right here!
As always, we have you covered with a full preview and betting tips for the game and remember to head to our AFL Tips page, where you can catch our coverage of all the Round 3 action.
Brisbane vs North Melbourne Betting Tips
Gabba, Saturday 2nd April, 8pm (AEDT)
Brisbane
Injuries: Keidean Coleman (Hamstring), Eric Hipwood (Knee)
The Lions only have two players on the injury list at the moment. Youngster Keidean Coleman is sidelined with a hamstring injury for the next 3-4 weeks, while Eric Hipwood continues to rehab his knee.
The Lions fought back from four goals down for the second straight week to defeat the Bombers at Marvel Stadium last weekend. Lachie Neale was as dominant as you’ll see in modern footy, racking up over 40 touches and kicking a couple of goals. The Lions are now 2-0 on the season and have a fantastic opportunity to extend their winning run as they return home in Round 3.
You would assume that coach Chris Fagan is pretty happy with how his team is travelling at the moment by the lack of changes to his line-up. Coming in this week is veteran utility Mitch Robinson, while Jaxon Prior and Harry Sharp have both been omitted. Young defender Brandon Starcevich will also be playing his 50th AFL game.
North Melbourne
Injuries: Atu Bosenavulagi (Concussion), Ben Cunnington (Cancer), Luke Davies-Uniacke (Concussion), Matt McGuiness (Foot), Ben McKay (Concussion), Will Phillips (Glandular fever), Phoenix Spicer (Hamistring), Tarryn Thomas (Internal bruising)
It’s quite an extensive injury list the young Roos currently have. Headling the outs are Luke Davies-Uniacke, Ben McKay, Ben Cunnington and Tarryn Thomas.
North Melbourne were given the perfect opportunity to record a big morale-boosting win against the severely depleted West Coast Eagles last weekend, but they ended up managing to win by just 15 points. Still, it’s always good for a young list like the Kangaroos to get a win under their belt, particularly leading into one of the hardest trips in the AFL at the current time.
David Noble obviously wasn’t too pleased with his side’s performance last week and has opted to make four changes, only two of which were forced ones. Key midfielders Tarryn Thomas and Luke Davies-Uniacke have both been sidelined by injury, while Charlie Lazzaro and Aiden Bonar have been omitted. Coming in are Jaidyn Stephenson, Ben McKay and Eddie Ford.
Match Prediction
This certainly isn’t the sexiest fixture in Round 3 as it has the very real possibility of being an extremely one-sided affair. Like most teams in the competition, the Lions have a very good record against the Kangaroos in recent seasons, winning each of their last four meetings. In saying that, the Kangaroos have managed to keep the margin within four goals in each of those defeats and there’s a fair chance they could cover the big spread again here.
Instead, I’ll be looking to make a play on the total points going under the current line of 164.5 points, which just looks too high when you consider recent results between these teams. 165+ points haven’t been achieved in each of the last three times they’ve met and the totals from their last two meetings have been 105 and 113 respectively. All things considered, I’m happy to take the ‘unders’ for 1.5 units in this one.
Total Points Under 164.5
$1.90 (1.5 Units)
Prop Bets
The first of two Lions goalkickers I’m keen on in this fixture is Lincoln McCarthy. The small forward thrives on the Gabba deck having kicked at least two goals in six of his last seven appearances there. He kicked 2.2 at the Gabba in Round 1 and should get plenty of chances to jag a couple on Saturday night.
Lincoln McCarthy 2+ Goals ($2.20 Ladbrokes)
The other Lions goalkicker I’m keen on here is Joe Daniher. Like his mate Lincoln, Daniher loves playing at home, highlighted by the fact he’s kicked 3+ goals in five of his last six games at the Gabba. With the amount of ball expected to be coming deep inside 50, I have Daniher getting on the end of a few.
Joe Daniher 3+ Goals ($2.02 Ladbrokes)
Due to the ball most likely living in the Lions attack and North’s defence, I expect some Roos defenders to rack up quite a few touches here. Bailey Scott has made the move down back and has collected exactly 17 disposals in both games this season and I like his odds to have at least 15 again in Round 3.
Bailey Scott 15+ Disposals ($1.70 Ladbrokes)
