The Carlton bandwagon rolls into Sydney this weekend, with the Blues facing the GWS Giants on Saturday at GIANTS Stadium.
Coming off a convincing win over the reigning premiers, Carlton will be the hot favourites for this clash as they build towards a drought-breaking finals appearance.
We bring you our preview, best bet and value Same Game Multi below!
Also, we're going to be providing previews and best bets for every game of the 2023 season, so make sure to check out our AFL Tips page regularly to stay up to date.
AFL Round 3 Preview & Betting Tips
GWS Giants vs Carlton
Saturday 4:35pm AEDT, April 1st, GIANTS Stadium
The battered and bruised Giants will face their biggest challenge of the season so far on Saturday when they host Carlton.
Coming off a gutsy win against the Crows, a depleted GWS fell back to earth last Sunday, losing to West Coast by 19 points. The Giants looked a far worse side without prime ball movers Josh Kelly, Lachie Whitfield and Harry Perryman, so plenty of fingers will be crossed that Kelly and Whitfield return after missing with concussion. Reinforcements will be required, as Jacob Wehr will miss the next few weeks with a broken scapula and exciting youngster Finn Callaghan looked worse for wear after a shoulder knock. Despite ill fortune on the injury front, the Giants still have some healthy talent – Toby Greene has kicked eight goals in the first two rounds and Jesse Hogan is also performing to his capability as a key forward. Furthermore, Stephen Coniglio seems to be thriving in a full-time midfield role, and it looks like Tom Green has finally arrived as the elite onballer many knew he would likely be. Nevertheless, this week’s matchup against Carlton will be a tough test for GWS, who are still working out their style under new coach Adam Kingsley.
On the other hand, Carlton have certainly found their mojo under Michael Voss, coming out of two tough opening fixtures with six premiership points. Last week’s win over the Cats was one of Carlton’s best in recent years, with the Blues leading at every change on the way to an eight-point victory. Charlie Curnow was the star with five goals – expect to see him among the contenders for the Coleman Medal at the end of the campaign. Aside from big Charlie, even contributions characterised Carlton’s performance, including solid showings by first year players Ollie Hollands and Lachie Cowan. The former has proven to be a more than serviceable Sam Walsh replacement so far, a testament to his talent. That man Walsh is still a few weeks off a return, but contested bull George Hewett is a strong chance to line-up this weekend, which will add even more quality to an already deep midfield. It’s easy to see why Blues fans are already dreaming of September… if the stars stay on the park then they should qualify in a canter.
The Giants may boast the home ground advantage for this contest, but that is about the only advantage they have. Carlton’s 22 is far superior, and their midfield should be able to provide silver service to the likes of Curnow and McKay down forward. The Blues won both the encounters between these sides last year by an average of 33 points, so it’s not outlandish to say that they should better that this time around with some extra maturity and a healthier list.
Carlton -9.5
$1.90 (3 Units)
Same Game Multi
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Toby Greene and Charlie Curnow 2+ Goals – Greene and Curnow have been two of the form forwards of the competition in the first two rounds, kicking eight goals apiece. In the two matches played between these teams last season, both players kicked 2+ goals on each occasion, with the pair combining for 11 goals in total.
Carlton H2H – Despite the gulf in class and form between these two teams, the Blues still present great value in the H2H market. Given that I am backing the line as my main tip, it makes sense to boost our SGM with a Carlton win as one of the legs.
Same Game Multi odds - $2.80
