Round 15 of the 2020 AFL season continues on Thursday night with a double-header. We’ll see the Swans take on the Demons at 4:40pm (AEST), followed by a battle between the Giants and the Blues at 7:10pm (AEST). As usual, we have a full preview and betting tips for both games below.
Remember, will be providing daily AFL articles during the busy stretch of games across the next few rounds, so make sure you continue to check out our AFL Betting Tips page for regular updates.
AFL Round 15 Thursday Betting Tips
Sydney vs Melbourne
Cazaly’s Stadium, 4:40pm (AEST)
Sydney come into this clash on the back of a lacklustre performance against Port Adelaide in Round 14. They were able to keep the inside 50 count tight, but their inability to convert on the scoreboard was costly. The Swans have now lost two in a row since their big upset win against the Giants.
Melbourne found themselves in a crucial and almost must-win game against St Kilda in their most recent outing. It ended up being a thrilling game that may just have been decided by a controversial goal-line review. Christian Petracca was best on ground again with a four-goal haul, leading his side to their seventh win for the season from 13 games.
The Swans have certainly had the wood over the Demons for the best part of a decade now. The Demons have only managed to win one of their last 10 meetings with the Swans, although it was not too long ago (R4, 2019).
Sydney may have had the advantage in the H2H count in recent times, but their current squad is a hell of a lot worse than it’s ever been over the past 10 years. They have nothing to play for in their final games of the season, whereas the Demons have it all to play for. The Demons have put together a couple of great wins on the spin and we expect more of the same from them on Thursday night. If it all clicks for the favourites, it could get very ugly for the Swans.
GWS vs Carlton
Metricon Stadium, 7:10pm (AEST)
GWS looked like a side destined to miss the top eight just a couple of weeks ago, but they’ve managed to turn it around with a couple of impressive performances, and were at their absolute best last time out against the Dockers. They were dominant from the opening bounce and went on to become 38-point winners. The Giants also look to have found a gem in Jake Riccardi, who kicked four goals against the Dockers to earn himself a Rising Star nomination.
Carlton were in it up to their eyeballs for the most part against Collingwood in Round 14, but couldn’t keep up the intensity for long enough and eventually lost by a comfortable 24 points. The young Blues looked like they were struggling to run out the fourth quarter and are on another quick turnaround here.
GWS lead the H2H count 6-3 all-time against Carlton and have been absolutely dominant in their two most recent meetings, winning by an average margin of 99 points. Lachie Whitfield was clear BOG last time they met with 40 touches and three goals.
The Blues took a huge hit to their finals hopes with a loss last weekend, and it won’t get any easier for them on Thursday night when they take on the in-form Giants. We expect this to be a close contest for the first quarter or two, but it’s very hard to see the Blues staying competitive when the whips are cracking. Giants to cover a two-goal line looks great value here.
