The Western Bulldogs will face Adelaide in the first of the Saturday triple header in Round 6 of the AFL. The clash will take place in Ballarat from 1.45pm and we have you covered with a full preview and betting tips below.
Remember to check out our AFL Tips page for the experts betting picks on every game across the Round 6 weekend.
Western Bulldogs vs Adelaide Betting Tips
Mars Stadium, Saturday 23rd April, 1.45pm (AEST)
Western Bulldogs
Injuries: Josh Bruce, Sam Darcy, Jason Johannisen, Alex Keath, Toby McLean, Laith Vandermeer (Out) Mitch Hannan, Riley Garcia, Jordan Sweet (Test)
The Dogs are still battling some key injuries, the most important of which is Alex Keath. The key defender will miss another 3-5 weeks with a hamstring injury, leaving the Dogs pretty exposed in defence. They could get Mitch Hannan and Jordan Sweet back this week.
The Bulldogs were treated to a bit of a tune-up game in Round 5 as they faced the Kangaroos on Good Friday from Marvel Stadium. They shot out to a massive 45 point lead after the first quarter and never looked back, eventually winning the game by 68 points to move to 2-3 on the season.
With the Dogs midfield as stacked as it is, skipper Marcus Bontempelli seems to have a new home up forward. The dynamic star spent the majority of his time in attack, kicking three goals in the win and taking nine marks. With Bruce, Keath and Darcy out of the line-up at the moment and Jamara Ugle-Hagen still very much a work in progress, the Dogs are desperate for talls at either end of the ground at the moment, so Bontempelli becoming a permanent forward seems a logical move.
Adelaide
Injuries: Rory Sloane, Mitch Hinge, Paul Seedsman, Zac Taylor (Out)
The Crows were dealt a massive blow on the weekend as skipper Rory Sloane went down with an ACL injury. You have to wonder now whether the veteran has played his last game for the Crows, as a lifetime of service to the club could warrant the Crows trading him to a contender to make one last push at a premiership.
The loss of Sloane is a massive one, but apart from him and Paul Seedsman, the Crows are actually looking really healthy at the moment, and they were impressive in the win over the Tigers on the weekend. Young guns Shane McAdam and Josh Rachele are an electric factory in the forward line while Taylor Walker has returned to the line-up in form, kicking bags of 4 and 5 in his two games.
The Crows certainly can’t be underestimated here. They are 2-3 on the season so far but outside of their wins over Richmond and Port Adelaide, they have put up some really spirited performances, losing to the Bombers by just four points and the Dockers by just one.
Match Prediction
The Western Bulldogs start as 22.5 point favourites here, which is probably where I would have set the line if this game was at Marvel. However, I think the cold and windy Ballarat conditions actually favour the Crows a little more. They are used to playing in the open air and the Western Bulldogs fast paced and high skill game style isn’t super conducive to Ballarat type of conditions.
I think the Dogs get over the line in this one, but I think it’ll be a closer game than the bookies suggest. Back the Dogs to win by 1-39 points.
Bulldogs 1-39
$2.10 (2 Units)
Prop Bets
It looks as though we might have one more week to pick up some value on Marcus Bontempelli goal markets before the bookies accept the fact that he will be playing forward. I really like the odds of him to kick 2+ this weekend. He booted 1 in each of his first four games before kicking three on the weekend.
Marcus Bontempelli 2+ Goals ($1.80 at Ladbrokes)
Ben Keays has averaged over 31 disposals through five games so far this season and will now be asked to do even more in the midfield after the injury to Rory Sloane. Has cleared the 30 disposal mark in three of his five games this season and currently sits fourth amongst leading disposals in the AFL.
Ben Keays 30+ Disposals ($1.92 at Ladbrokes)
