Sunday afternoon football kicks off with a huge clash between Carlton and Port Adelaide from 1:40pm at the MCG! Carlton will be looking to bounce back from a shock loss to the Suns, while Port Adelaide are in desperate need of a win after starting 0-4.
Jack Tobin has got you covered with his best bets for this matchup and don’t forget to check out our AFL Tips page, where BeforeYouBet has previews and tips for every game of the 2022 AFL season.
Carlton vs Port Adelaide Preview & Betting Tips
MCG, Sunday 17th April, 1:40pm AEST
Carlton
Injuries: Patrick Cripps, David Cunningham, Josh Honey, Ed Curnow, Oscar McDonald, Mitch McGovern, Caleb Marchbank (Out)
Michael Voss has swung the axe after the Blues first loss of the season with Tom De Koning, Lachie Plowman, Lachie Fogarty, Jordan Boyd and Lachie O'Brien omitted from the side. Patrick Cripps will miss this week after injuring his hamstring against the Suns, as Luke Parks, Jack Newnes, Marc Pittonet, Corey Durdin and Matthew Cottrell come into the side.
Michael Voss will be hoping last week’s 30 point defeat to Gold Coast will serve as a wake up call after a red hot start to the season. Carlton’ midfield had been utterly dominant through the first three games, but were well and truly beaten by the Suns. Coming into last week the Blues ranked 1st for inside 50’s, 4th in clearances and 5th for scoring. Against the Suns, Carlton were minus 16 for inside 50’s, minus 16 for clearances and scored just 62 points - their lowest score of the season. The Blues averaged plus 28 contested possessions per game through the first three rounds, but lost the contested possession battle by 13 last week.
Carlton will enjoy getting back to the MCG where they are 2-0 this season and despite struggling in the midfield last week, they’ll be confident they can win the battle in the centre of the ground against a Port Adelaide midfield missing Ollie Wines. Harry McKay’s height up forward will provide the Blues with an area they can expose the Power, with McKay kicking six goals in his last three games against Port Adelaide.
Port Adelaide
Injuries: Ollie Wines, Charlie Dixon, Xavier Duursma, Orazio Fantasia, Scott Lycett, Josh Sinn, Trent Mckenzie (Out)
It’s a tough situation on the injury front for Port Adelaide with Ollie Wines (heart) and Scott Lycett (shoulder) joining an injury list featuring key players Charlie Dixon, Orazio Fantasia and Trent McKenzie. Wines’ heart issue was confirmed as atrial fibrillation, and with his timeline being indefinite is a massive concern for the Power. Port Adelaide do get back Robbie Gray and Aliir Aliir from injury, while Jeremy Finlayson earned a recall after a six goal performance in the SANFL. Ruckman Sam Hayes makes his debut replacing Scott Lycett and will have a tough matchup against the seasoned Marc Pittonet.
It’s been a horror start to 2022 for a club with premiership aspirations, as a 32 point defeat last week gave the Power an 0-4 start to the season. The 32 point margin humbled a lifeless Port Adelaide side that was held goalless in the first half for the first time in the club’s history, and only managed four goals for the game. With Brownlow Medalist Ollie Wines and ruckman Scott Lycett out of the side this week, Port Adelaide’s task of ending their losing streak becomes incredibly difficult.
Port Adelaide’s work at both ends of the ground has been a major concern this season ranking 18th for scoring and 14th for points against. Port’s key forwards in Jeremy Finlayson, Todd Marshall and Mitch Georgiades have struggled badly to start this season but could stretch a Carlton defence that is lacking in a genuine third tall defender with no McGovern or McDonald.
Match Prediction
Carlton have put together enough in the first three rounds of the season to be confident that last week was just a blip on the radar. The midfield depth Carlton possesses in George Hewett, Sam Walsh, Adam Cerra and Matthew Kennedy can not only cover the absence of Patrick Cripps, they should comfortably beat a struggling Port Adelaide midfield. With Marc Pittonet back into the side coming up against a first gamer in the ruck, the Blues should be giving their forwards plenty of opportunities.
Port Adelaide have played a slow, dour brand of football this season that will get eaten up by a Carlton side that has played an aggressive front half brand of football in 2022. Injuries to key players hasn’t helped the Power and their structure has suffered badly from it. Carlton have been one of the most potent attacking teams in the AFL this season, and the -9.5 line won’t be an issue for them.
Carlton -9.5
$1.90 (1.5 Units)
Prop Bets
George Hewett has been one of the recruits of the season, enjoying his role as a genuine midfielder after being a tagger for the majority of his career in Sydney. Hewett has averaged 29 disposals per game and ranks number one in the AFL for clearances. Hewett has hit the 25 disposal mark in every game this season and has been an incredibly reliable player for Carlton.
George Hewett 25+ Disposals, $1.50 with Ladbrokes
Sam Docherty has enjoyed an incredible start to 2022, averaging 28 disposals per game off half back for the Blues. Carlton have played a heavy possession style game in the back half of the ground, allowing Docherty to consistently rack up disposals. Docherty has enjoyed playing Port Adelaide, averaging 29 disposals across his last three games featuring 20 minute quarters against the Power.
Sam Docherty 30+ Disposals, $2.70 with Ladbrokes
After a quiet performance in Round One, Harry McKay has worked his way into the season nicely, with returns of 2, 4 and 2 goals in his last three games. McKay has six goals in his last three games against Port Adelaide and has given himself plenty of opportunities taking fourteen marks across those three games. Coming up against a Port Adelaide defence that has struggled to contain key forwards, McKay will get plenty of looks at goal on Sunday afternoon.
Harry McKay 3+ Goals, $2.02 with Ladbrokes
