The annual King's Birthday clash is set for this Monday between Melbourne and Collingwood at the MCG. Always one of the marquee matches of the season, this year will be no different with Collingwood sitting on top of the ladder, while Melbourne will be desparate to bounce back after an embarrassing performance last week. The Demons had won three of their last four games before last week and were heading back towards the top eight. A win here could defined their season, while Collingwood will be looking to hold off challengers for the minor premiership.
As always, this is all about the daily fantasy and this massive King's Birthday game draws another massive $50,000 prize pool at Draftstars in their main contest, as well as qualifiers for the $1 million AFL Star contest. In addition, there are a variety of alternate contests:
AFL $50,000+ Demons vs Magpies at Draftstars
AFL $5,000+ Demons vs Magpies High Roller ($150 Entry) at Draftstars
AFL $3,000+ Demons vs Magpies Mini ($2 Entry) at Draftstars
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AFL Daily Fantasy Lineup Tips: Round 13 Melbourne vs Collingwood
AFL Demons vs Magpies: Where to Attack?
It is no shock that when you have the top team in the league in the match there are going to be fewer opportunities to attack from a fantasy scoring perspective. Specifically, the Magpies have been very stingy all season across forwards (second fewest points to key forwards), midfielders (second fewest to inside midfielders) and, surprisingly, the designated kickers.
On the flip side, Melbourne have continued the trend of past season, giving up one of the highest scores in the league to designed kickers and attacking half backs. This isn’t typically the area of the ground the Magpies get their possessions, but Melbourne will do their best to turn it into an uncontested game. In addition, Melbourne have been getting ripped apart through the midfield giving up the second most points in the league to inside midfielders this season.
Game Script – Collingwood backs, inside midfielders and forwards
AFL Demons vs Magpies: Our Value Fantasy Picks
Will Hoskin-Elliott ($6,940) / Bobby Hill ($7,950)
On a slate that will be hard to work through value plays to get to the premiums, I love looking to these two Collingwood forward options. The Magpies are just under 4 goal favourites in this matchup and there is every chance that the gap is much bigger than that in their favour given what we saw last week. But considering the potential wet weather conditions, and the Demons key backs, I will be looking to smaller forwards. Hoskin-Elliott plays more on the outside and could take advantage of the fact that Melbourne have been giving up plenty of uncontested marks over the ground and he has shown consistent ability to hit the 60+ point mark when playing a full game.
Meanwhile, Bobby Hill will be well suited in the wet as he can tackle and play the ground ball well. This is more speculative, but he did show upside of 86 points a few weeks back and we all saw what he did in the Magpies premiership win. Stack up Collingwood forwards and start from here.
Isaac Quaynor ($8,370)… the Magpies game style doesn’t typically rely on possession football across the backline. But this is one of the top matchups in the league for that area of possession. Quaynor has been much more involved in that play in recent weeks with scores of 99 points and 74 points the last two weeks. On a slate where it is hard to find value I will be stacking up Magpies backs and utilising a value option here if I can. An alternate at the same price point would be Jeremy Howe ($8,160).
AFL Demons vs Magpies: Our Mid-Priced Fantasy Picks
Dan Houston ($11,610) has yet to see his possession numbers match what he was getting at Port Adelaide, however there have been signs in recent weeks. One of the biggest issues has been sharing the kick ins, however this week they have near the best matchup in the league for designated kickers and attacking half backs, so whichever area Houston is playing, he should be well suited. I am tipping a breakout fantasy scoring game this week.
AFL Demons vs Magpies: Our Premium Fantasy Picks
Nick Daicos ($16,520)… big game at the MCG, you just can't go wrong here. Demons haven’t really been going out with a hard tag and their inside midfield has been leaking as many points as anyone this season. Throw in the additional aspect of the Magpies likely blowing this game out and the opportunity for a fill up of uncontested possessions in the fourth quarter, I'm happy to just lock this play in and move on.
Max Gawn ($17,210)… this will be a tough ruck contest. Max's price is through the roof given he hasn’t gone under 107 points for eight games running, but I just can't see Darcy Cameron being able to cross the 100-point mark against Max. Anytime there is a touch of wetness in the game and it’s a tough matchup, I will spend up for Max who should dominate all of his games. We have seen huge upside this year with a 140-point game two weeks ago and a 158-point game a few weeks back.
Heres our Suggested Draftstars Lineup for the Demons vs Magpies
Weather for Monday June 9th 2025
Melbourne - 18 degrees and showers with up to 15mm in rain expected.
The MCG drains well so don’t be too concerned by the weather report. That said, the game will be wet and slippery and favour inside contests.
AFL Betting Markets Round 13: Melbourne vs Collingwood
Melbourne ($4.10) vs Collingwood ($1.24)
Points: 156.5
Line: Collingwood -23.5
Also, be sure to check out our full AFL Previews and Betting Tips for each match. Our experts break down each individual game and highlight some key bets that you can follow!
