AFL Round 3 begins on Thursday night with an intriguing battle between the Western Bulldogs and the Brisbane Lions. We preview the matchup and bring you our best bet and value Same Game Multi!
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AFL Round 3 Preview & Betting Tips
Western Bulldogs vs Brisbane
Thursday 7:20pm AEDT, March 30th, Marvel Stadium
The AFL have nailed the fixture in the early rounds this season, particularly on Thursday nights as the two matches to date have been decided by a combined eight points! All indications are that we’re in for another treat in Round 3, with the Western Bulldogs vs Brisbane Lions clash kicking things off at Marvel Stadium.
The Bulldogs are still searching for their first win and will be looking to vastly improve from their two performances to date. They began their campaign with a 50-point loss to the Demons and backed that up with a horrible 51-point loss against the undermanned Saints last weekend.
It’s been a poor start to the season on all fronts for the Bulldogs, but perhaps the most disappointing aspect has been the inability of their midfield to win the ball around the clearance and get it moving forward. In fact, they lost the contested possession, clearance, and tackle count last weekend, which shows they simply weren’t bringing enough effort and intensity in the contest.
The Lions also had a horror start to their season when getting obliterated by the Power in Round 1, but unlike the Bulldogs, the Lions were able to bounce back with a strong showing at home against the Demons last weekend and came away 93-82 victors.
The highly-touted midfield combination of Lachie Neale, Josh Dunkley and Will Ashcroft dominated the match and combined for 84 disposals, while Joe Daniher was a big presence in the forward line with four goals. Former Bomber Conor McKenna has also made a bright start to his time at the Lions and his fitted in nicely in his role as a rebounding defender.
The Lions have earned the right to start this matchup as favourites despite being the travelling team. Their performance against the Demons last week was at a level that the Bulldogs haven’t gotten close to reaching in their two matches to date. However, you have to expect the Bulldogs to bounce back at some stage and that makes this a difficult betting game in terms of H2H and handicap markets.
However, the total points line seems low and is one market that I think we can attack here. The current line of 173.5 has been eclipsed in both of the Lions matches and in one out of two of the Bulldogs games in 2023. On top of that, the Lions were the second highest scoring team last season and the Bulldogs were the sixth highest, and their only matchup in 2022 saw the total points line go over 173.5.
Over 173.5 Points
$1.90 (2 Units)
Same Game Multi
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Jack Gunston 2+ Goals – The former Hawk struggled with his set shot kicking last week when spraying a couple out on the full, but that’s totally uncharacteristic and I expect Gunston to bounce back with a strong performance against a poor Bulldogs defence.
Jamarra Ugle-Hagan 1+ Goals – Jamarra couldn’t find the big sticks last weekend but had plenty of chances and will get plenty more this weekend. I can’t see him going goalless again.
Will Ashcroft 20+ Disposals – After a modest showing on debut, Will Ashcroft exploded in Round 2 with 31 touches and a goal. He remains great value in the disposals markets again in Round 3.
Lachie Neale 25+ Disposals – Lachie Neale loves this matchup and has recorded 25+ disposals in 11 of his last 12 matches against the Bulldogs. He’ll get there again on Thursday night.
Same Game Multi odds - $4.10
