Geelong and Collingwood will do the honours of playing the first Friday night match of the 2023 AFL season. It should be a belter of a match, and we bring you our preview, best bet, and Same Game Multi for it below!
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AFL Round 1 Preview & Betting Tips
Geelong vs Collingwood
Friday 7:40pm AEDT, March 17th, MCG
After playing out two absolute thrillers in 2022, Geelong and Collingwood will reignite their rivalry in Round 1 this season. The Cats broke Magpie hearts not one, but twice last campaign and will be eyeing off their fifth straight win in this matchup when they play hosts on Friday night. They won both their Round 3 and Qualifying Final matches against the Magpies by a combined 19 points, and both wins required them to overcome big fourth quarter deficits.
The six-point Qualifying Final win for Geelong helped them build momentum in the finals and ultimately go on to win the premiership. The question now is how do they back it up in 2023? The Cats will have to go about their premiership defence without Joel Selwood, and filling the void he leaves with both his leadership and on field performance is no easy task. Superstar Patrick Dangerfield has stepped up as the new captain and he was always the obvious choice to land the role despite being 32 years old.
The Cats have also added some new faces to their list and a couple of them will be lining up on Friday night. Ex-GWS midfielder Tanner Bruhn is one who has been confirmed for a Round 1 gig, while former Magpie Ollie Henry will take on his old side in his first game in the hoops.
Collingwood will be out to prove they aren’t one-season wonders after what was a fairy-tale 2022 campaign. Although they couldn’t get past the Preliminary Final which they lost in heartbreaking fashion, last season was a hugely successful season for the Magpies considering 17th placed finish in 2021.
The Magpies added a couple of pieces in the off-season that they’ll hope will propel them even higher in 2023. Former Brownlow Medallist Tom Mitchell will be one of three new signings that will play for the Magpies on Friday night, joining Bobby Hill and Dan McStay.
There’s plenty of intrigue and a lot more unknown surrounding this Friday night fixture. Will the Cats show the passion and desire to climb the mountain again in 2023? Will the Magpies be able to deal with being the hunted rather than the hunter? These questions make for a difficult betting game in my opinion. However, considering the Cats have won each of the last three games in this matchup by margins between 6-13 points, there does look to be some value in the 1-39 market that’ll I’ll be taking on for one unit.
Geelong By 1-39
$2.28 (1 Unit)
Same Game Multi
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I’m happy to settle for just three legs on this occasion considering we’re still getting great value.
Jamie Elliott 2+ Goals – Elliott loves the open spaces of the ‘G. He’s kicked 2+ goals in eight of his last nine matches at the venue and remains great value.
Tom Stewart 20+ Disposals – The ever-reliable Tom Stewart loves this matchup with the Magpies. He’s had 20+ disposals in each straight games against them and there’s no reason why that streak won’t continue.
Nick Daicos 25+ Disposals – Daicos is set for another huge year and I can’t see him getting tagged in this one. The Cats only employed a tagger four times last season and never against the Magpies. He should be good for 25 touches.
Same Game Multi odds - $5.25
