The Good Friday double header in the AFL kicks off at 4.20pm as North Melbourne take on the Western Bulldogs from Marvel Stadium. Andy Rosos if back with a full preview and betting tips for the clash below.
Remember to head to our AFL Tips page for betting tips on all of the games in Round 5.
North Melbourne vs Western Bulldogs Betting Tips
Marvel Stadium, Friday 15th April, 4.20pm (AEST)
North Melbourne
Injuries: Ben Cunnington, Jared Polec, Phoenix Spicer, Tarry Thomas, Cameron Zurhaar (Out) Charlie Lassaro, Will Phillips, Tom Powell (Test)
The Roos will unfortunately be missing star forward Cameron Zurhaar to health and safety protocols this week. He joins important players Ben Cunnington, Tarryn Thomas and Jared Polec on the sidelines. Some young players could return this week.
It’s been a tough season to date for the Roos. They were lucky to come up against what was essentially a VFL West Coast Eagles side otherwise they would likely be 0-4 heading into Round 5. They were more competitive in their clash against the Swans on the weekend, however, when the game was up for grabs, they failed to get the job done.
There’s no doubt that the Roos have some exciting young talent that their supporters can get excited about, but at the end of the day they just lack a bit of class in all three areas of the ground.
The move to send Jack Ziebell forward was an inspired one by David Noble as the veteran booted five goals in the loss to Sydney.
Western Bulldogs
Injuries: Josh Bruce, Sam Darcy, Jason Johannisen, Alex Keath, Toby McLean, Jordan Sweet, Laith Vandermeer (Out), Mitch Hannan (Test)
The Dogs have won the same amount of games as the Roos this season but their year so far has been a lot more disappointing in terms of expectations. There is no doubt that the Bulldogs still possess one of the best midfields in the league, but it’s their work at the bookends that has been particularly ordinary.
The loss of key defender Alex Keath was a big one, and although they could get Zaine Cordy back this week to bolster the defence, their ability to defend key forwards is a massive issue at the moment.
Inaccurate kicking has also been a catalyst for their early season form slump. In their loss to the Tigers in Round 4, the Dogs kicked 7.19 with Aaron Naughton and Marcus Bontempelli combining for six behinds.
Match Prediction
The Dogs start as 31.5 point favourites in the annual Good Friday clash, which is pretty high considering how ordinary they have looked this season. There’s no doubt that they are stronger at Marvel, where they have picked up their only win of the season so far, but are they good enough to cover this line against a Roos side that will no doubt be jacked up for their marquee fixture of the year?
The Roos were impressive on the weekend against the Swans and probably should have won that game, I really like the +31.5 on offer for them here.
Kangaroos +31.5
$2.00 (1.5 Units)
Prop Bets
The Dogs have seriously struggled against key forwards so far this season. They have allowed 3 goals to Ben Brown, 5 to Charlie Curnow, 4 to Harry McKay, 2 to Lance Franklin, 4 to Tom Lynch and 2 to Jack Riewoldt already in 2022. Back Nick Larkey to get plenty of opportunity on Friday afternoon.
Nick Larkey 3+ Goals ($3.10 at Sportsbet)
When these two teams last met, Tom Liberatore had 119 fantasy points on the back of 25 touches, two goals and five tackles. Libba is one of those players that likes to do the dirty work for the Dogs in an attempt to get them out of form slumps, so expect him to be ferocious in his tackling game on Friday. Like the odds of him to clear 90 points.
Tom Liberatore 90+ Fantasy Points ($2.15 at Ladbrokes)
