The 2020 AFL season continues this Saturday with a fantastic three game slate! We are in the midst of Round 17 and the last few places in the finals are still up for grabs, so a couple of the Saturday clashes are super important in deciding finals seeding.
Check out our full preview and betting tips for all three games this Saturday below, and remember to head to our AFL Betting Tips page for continued coverage of the AFL throughout the home and away season and finals.
AFL Round 17 Saturday Betting Tips
North Melbourne vs Fremantle
Metricon Stadium, 2.10pm (AEST)
The Kangaroos have had a 2020 to forget. They have just a 3-12 record and sit in second last place on the ladder and are in danger of finishing with the wooden spoon given Adelaide have won their last two games and have a winnable game against the Blues this week. The Roos have lost their last six games on the trot, with just one of those losses coming by under 30 points. In the other five games, they have been belted by an average margin of 43.8 points and were comfortably handled by the Power last week.
North Melbourne will play back to back games against Perth opponents at Metricon Stadium to round out the season, and with next week’s matchup coming against an Eagles side that will be fighting for a place in the top four, Saturday against the Dockers should be their last chance to get a win in 2020.
Fremantle have been a much improved side since the middle of the season. They have won five of their last 10 games and are coming off a great win over the Demons in Cairns in Round 16. They have a solid looking injury list, far better than the carnage that’s happening at Arden Street at the moment. Back the Dockers to win this one comfortably.
Port Adelaide vs Essendon
Adelaide Oval, 5.05pm (AEST)
What a horrorshow it’s been for the Bombers over the last few weeks. After a gallant effert against Richmond in the Dreamtime game and a great comeback win over the Hawks, the Bombers looked a chance to make a run at the top eight. Since then, however, they were beaten by the Eagles at the Gabba before being absolutely pounded by Geelong on Sunday. They have another tough matchup Saturday against the top of the table Power.
Port Adelaide have been on top of the ladder for the majority of the season and can remain there with wins against Essendon and Collingwood in their last two games. Failure to win both, however, would likely see them drop to second, as the Lions are currently breathing down their neck. The Power’s injury list is also starting to take shape at the perfect time of year. Ryan Burton, Zak Butters and Mitch Georgiades could all miss on Saturday but barring further injuries over the next two games, Port Adelaide could have every player available for selection in the first week of finals.
With first spot on the line and a near full strength line-up, we can’t see how the Power lose this game, the only question is, can they cover the hefty 29.5 point line. We like them to win in a canter, but 29.5 is a bit too much for our liking, given the Bombers have been a pretty good second half side over the past few weeks and could easily snag a back door cover. Back the margin instead. The Power has won just one game by more than 39 points since Round 4.
GWS vs Melbourne
Gabba, 7.40pm (AEST)
The Giants made big waves during the week when they dropped skipper Stephen Coniglio for Saturday night’s clash against the Demons. The out of form midfielder has struggled of late and the Giants troubles were compacted in Round 16 when they became the second team this season to lose to the Adelaide Crows. The Giants sit inside the eight on percentage alone and must win at least one of their last two games against the Demons and Saints to play finals.
The Demons still have a chance to play finals but to do so, they need to win both of their remaining games. A win here will see them jump above both the Dogs and the Giants into 8th place on the ladder as they have a marginally better percentage, but they’ll need to rely on the Dogs losing to the Hawks on Sunday to stay in the eight by rounds’ end.
What a tough game to call between two sides who have everything to play for. A lot of the time you can find reasons why one team might come into a game with a hungrier mindset but with this one I just feel like both teams are going to be going balls to the wall. This is a stay away game in my opinion.
No Bet
