One of the most jam-packed rounds of the 2024 AFL season is upon us, and it begins on Thursday night with the Crows and the Power doing battle in Showdown LV. As always, you can expect a fierce contest between two clubs that despite each other, and we’ve provided a full preview and best tips for the fixture below!
Also, Before You Bet will be providing free previews and betting tips for EVERY game in the 2024 AFL season, so make sure to head over to out our AFL Tips regularly to keep up to date with all of our free content.
2024 AFL Round 8 Preview & Betting Tips
Adelaide vs Port Adelaide
Thursday 7:30pm AEST, May 2nd, Adelaide Oval
After a slow start to the season with losses in their opening four fixtures, Adelaide enter Showdown LV having won last start as well as two of their past three. They had the easy kill against the Kangaroos in Hobart last Saturday and were able to cruise to a 57-point victory (138-81).
Much-maligned through the first month of the season, the Crows midfield mix has looked more dynamic in recent weeks. Jake Soligo has become an integral part of their engine room and offers elite two-way running, while Izak Rankine and Josh Rachele (combined for 17 centre bounce attendances last weekend) have also added some much-needed spark.
In exciting news for Crows fans #8 pick in the 2023 draft, Daniel Curtin has been confirmed to debut on Thursday night. He’s coming off 31 disposals in the SANFL and will likely be tasked with blanketing one of the Power’s tall forwards, while also adding some run the other way.
Meanwhile, Port Adelaide are coming off a win against the Saints in which they displayed admirable resilience. They struggled with their set shots all night, and also suffered a number of injuries that limited them to just one on the bench in the fourth quarter; however, they were able to come away with a 10-point win in front of their home fans (82-72).
With that win, the Power continued their dominance against sides expected to finish in the bottom 10, although it’s games against better opposition that will be the real testing material for this talented side moving forward.
As mentioned above, there are fresh injury concerns for the Power who now have quite the extensive list. In devastating news, Sam Powell-Pepper has ruptured his ACL and will miss the remainder of the season, while Aliir Aliir will miss on Thursday night as he enters concussion protocols. On the bright side, captain Connor Rozee passed a fitness test on his injured hamstring and looks set to play. Jeremy Finlayson has also now served his three-match ban and is available for selection.
Match prediction: It’s fixtures like these where the form guide can often get tossed to the side, and that remained true in 2023 where the Crows won both Showdowns despite finishing 10th on the ladder compared to the Power’s third-placed finish. And to show just how competitive and tough to call Showdowns have been over the years, the all-time ledger is currently tied at 27 wins apiece.
Regardless, the Power will start Showdown LV as the favourites due to their much-better start to the season; however, their form over the past couple of weeks has left a lot to be a desired, and their mounting injury list certainly further levels the playing field. On top of that, the Crows have put in three solid performances in a row and will have the opportunity to secure a potentially season-defining win on Thursday night.
All things considered, Showdowns are highly unpredictable fixtures and like most, this one looms as a genuine 50/50. This has me leaning towards taking the Crows to cover the small spread in a low-bet game.
Adelaide +7.5
$1.90 (1 Unit)
Same Game Multi
The easiest way to place your Same Game Multi is to click on the BoomBet BetShare button below! This will add our SGM selections straight into your BoomBet bet slip! You can then enter how much you wish to wager and with one click, your bet has been placed!
Izak Rankine 2+ Goals – Has kicked eight goals in his last three games and loves the big stage. Should hit the scoreboard here.
Zak Butters 25+ Disposals – The superstar has had 25+ in 6/7 games and 24 in the other game. He should get to at least 25 again here.
Jordan Dawson 25+ Disposals – After a poor start to the year, Dawson has hit his straps over the past fortnight. 31 and 27 disposals in his last two and is a proven Showdown performer.
Mitchell Hinge 20+ Disposals – The Power are the best in the league at repeat inside 50’s which means there will be plenty of disposals available for Crows defenders, and none are better than racking them up than Hinge.
SGM Odds: $5 at BoomBet
