We are back to a semi-regular AFL weekend schedule, with another three games scheduled for Sunday in Round 12. The action gets underway at 1.05pm with the Bulldogs taking on the Crows and continues throughout the day.
We have you covered with a full preview and betting tips for all three games below, and you can also head to our AFL Betting Tips page for full coverage of the 2020 AFL season.
AFL Round 12 Sunday Betting Tips
Western Bulldogs vs Adelaide Crows
Metricon Stadium, Sunday 1.05pm (AEST)
The Crows are still winless in the 2020 season, and were beaten comfortably by the Magpies in Round 11. They’ll get another tough matchup on Sunday as they come up against a Bulldogs team that is looking to regain some form after losing three games on the spin.
The Dogs have had an incredibly tough run, with games against the Tigers, Power and Lions three weeks in a row. They were beaten comfortably by the Tigers but have been pretty competitive against arguably the best two teams in the league over the last two weeks. They’ll get a much needed respite this week against the Crows, which should be a guaranteed win.
The margin is the only thing in question here. The Dogs start as big 33.5 point favourites here, which is one of the biggest lines we have seen all season. We aren’t keen on backing either team at that line, so we are opting for the over instead. The Dogs play a free flowing brand of footy and put up a combined 158 points in their last game against the Lions. They should score 90+ here pretty comfortably.
St Kilda vs Essendon
Gabba, Sunday 3.35pm (AEST)
The Saints were taught a footballing lesson earlier in the week by the Cats, losing by 59 points to snap their four game winning streak. They are still in good shape, sitting in fifth place ont eh ladder with a 7-4 record, but will need to take advantage of this game against Essendon before another tough matchup against Brisbane next round.
The Bombers played out a draw against Gold Coast in Round 11 and currently sit just outside the eight with a 5-4-1 record. They still have a game in hand but have an incredibly tough run home with games against St Kilda, Richmond, West Coast, Geelong and Port Adelaide over the next six rounds. In the context of their season, this is a must win.
The Saints start as 14.5 point favourites at the Gabba and while they will be keen to bounce back after last week’s performance, it’s a little hard to get a read on them at the moment. Zak Jones and Paddy Ryder will come back into the side, which should bolster their stocks in the middle of the ground, but they also lose Jade Gresham for the rest of the season. We are going to treat the slip up against the Cats as a flash in the pan and back the Saints to be fired up on Sunday.
West Coast vs Hawthorn
Optus Stadium, Sunday 6.10pm (AEST)
The Eagles are the form team in the competition at the moment. They have won their last six games on the trot and currently sit in fourth place with a 7-3 record. Theyare primed to make a real charge in the back half of the season, with winnable games against the Hawks, Bombers, Bulldogs and Kangaroos in their last seven matchups.
2020 is a write off for the Hawks, who sit in 15th place on the ladder with a 4-6 record. They went down to the Dockers in Round 11 in a pretty dismal game and now have an incredibly tough test at Optus Stadium. The Eagles will win this game, it’s just a question of the margin.
West Coast have opened as 26.5 point favouries, but we actually think that is a little low. Over the course of the Eagles six game winning streak, the average winning margin has been a healthy 32.3 points and that’s including a hard fought nine point win over the Cats in Round 9. They have put up at least 70 points in their last three games while the Hawks have been one of the lowest scoring teams in the competition, averaging just 40.2 points in their last four losses. Back the Eagles to roll here.
