The Saints will square off against the Cats in arguably the game of Round 9 this weekend. Two teams will be aiming to maintain their position in the top eight at Marvel Stadium from 4.35pm on Saturday.
As always, we have you covered with a full preview and betting tips for the clash below, and remember to check out our AFL Tips page for full coverage of Round 9.
St Kilda vs Geelong Betting Tips
Marvel Stadium, Saturday 14th May, 4.35pm (AEST)
St Kilda
Injuries: Jack Bytel, Nick Coffield, Dan Hannebery, Jack Hayes (Out) Hunter Clark, Jack Billings, Rowan Marshall, Dan Butler (Test)
Dan Butler is battling an Achilles injury sustained in the loss to the Demons on the weekend, but the Saints could get key players Jack Billings and Hunter Clark back from injury. Check out our full AFL injury list heading into Round 9.
The Saints were rolling after six rounds, having won five on the trot and climbed as high as 4th on the ladder. They have since lost their last two games to Port Adelaide and Melbourne and face another tough test against Geelong this week.
The Cairns conditions probably cost them the win against Port Adelaide, and none can fault them for going down to the best side in the league in Melbourne. I think facing Geelong this weekend will be the first true test to see where they Saints are raelly at and whether they are a genuine top eight team.
Geelong
Injuries: Jon Ceglar (Out) Toby Conway, Jack Henry, Max Holmes, Sam Menegola, Quinton Narkle, Gary Rohan, Sam Simpson (TBC) Rhys Stanley (Test)
The Cats injury list is quite long but it doesn't contain many players that are crucial to their success. Sam Menegola, Gary Rohan and Rhys Stanley are the few notable names, but all could return in the coming weeks.
Geelong put in a dominant performance over the Giants on the weekend to move to 5-3 on the season and currently sit in 5th place. Jeremy Cameron's hot run of form continued in the win, kicking five goals to make it 24 on the season, good for 3rd place on the Coleman Medal leaderboard.
Match Prediction
The Cats start as slight favourites for the clash and rightfully so given their strong performance last week. They have a great record against the Saints, having won their last six games in a row against them by an average margin of 34.3 points.
The Saints last win against the Cats came all the way back in 2016 when they won by three points at Marvel Stadium. I think the Cats extend that winning streak to six games here, but I expect it to be a fairly close affair. The Saints have had just one of their eight games end with a margin of over 39 points this season.
Geelong 1-39
$2.20 (2 Units)
Prop Bets
Jack Steele and Brad Crouch have been in really solid accumulating form so far this season. Between them, they have played 16 games this season and have only failed to reach 25 touches on a combined 3 occassions. $1.95 is great odds for the pair to do so again.
Steele & Crouch 25+ Disposals ($1.95 at PlayUp)
Jade Gresham has been hitting the scoreboard on a regular basis this season. He has kicked nine goals through eight games but has also added a further eight behinds. $2.10 for someone who is averaging 2.1 scoring shots per game is good value.
Jade Gresham 1+ Goal ($2.10 at Bet Right)
