The condensed 2024 AFLW fixture sees Round 5 get underway on Tuesday night with the first of 11 fixtures for the week. We enjoyed a positive Round 4 with +1.5 units to take us to +4 for the season, and we’ll look to build on that as we bring you our best bets for all Round 5 games below!
Also, make sure to head over to our AFL Tips page regularly for our best bets for every AFLW round, as well as all AFL finals!
AFLW Round 5 Betting Tips
Richmond vs Port Adelaide
Tuesday 7:15pm AEST, IKON Park
After surprisingly dropping their opening game of the season against the Eagles, the Tigers made it three wins on the spin with a dominant performance against the Blues last start. They now sit pretty in fourth spot on the ladder, although have a very tough run home.
Meanwhile, the Power were simply no match for the Kangaroos in their recent outing as they went goalless in tricky conditions. The Power have had a brutal fixture to begin the season and have performed admirably, and they’ll be expecting a lot more wins in the second half of their campaign.
This is the first meeting between these clubs in AFLW history, so it’s fair to say it’s a tricky match to predict. The Tigers deservingly start as the favourites due to superior form through the first month of the season, although the +17.5 line does look gettable for the Power. I’ll be taking the underdogs to cover the spread here for a small investment.
Port Adelaide +17.5
$1.90 (1 Unit)
Carlton vs North Melbourne
Wednesday 7:15pm AEST, IKON Park
The Blues have had mixed bag of results this season and are hard to get a proper read on. They kept the Cats goalless in an impressive display in Round 3 only to be held goalless themselves against the Tigers last weekend. They finished 12th on the ladder last season and seem to be heading towards a similar placing this campaign.
North Melbourne enjoyed their third 5+ goal win of the season last weekend when they destroyed the Power in tricky conditions. They remain one of two sides in the competition undefeated through four rounds. The Kangaroos are also afforded the luxury of resting some of their guns due to their hot start to the season, and it will be Kate Shierlaw and Jenna Bruton who sit this one out.
The Kangaroos are too good for the Blues and will be winning this game – it’s just a matter of by how much. The line has been set at around the 5-goal mark and with the weather in Melbourne expected to clear up around start time, I think the Kangaroos can pile on enough score to cover that line.
North Melbourne -32.5
$1.91 (1 Unit)
Geelong vs Hawthorn
Thursday 7:15pm AEST, GMHBA Stadium
It’s been a disappointing start to the season for the Cats but they were finally able to get themselves onto the winners list last weekend. The Cats absolutely destroyed the Suns from wire to wire, and did it without star midfielder Georgie Prespakis who’s set to make a return on Thursday night.
In contrast, the Hawks have been fantastic from the opening round this season and enter Round 5 in fifth spot on the ladder. Their lone loss came against the top-of-the-ladder Crows a couple of weeks ago, although they were far from disgraced in that outing. In lineup news, Bridie Hipwell misses with injury, paving the way for Tahlia Fellows to make a return.
This is a tricky match to predict and one in which the bookies have priced as a genuine 50/50. However, coming off a prelim last year and back to full strength with Prespakis returning, I like the Cats to take the four points here.
Geelong to Win
$1.97 (1.5 Units)
Collingwood vs Gold Coast
Friday 12:05pm AEST, Swinburne Centre
The two bottom sides on the ladder come together in the first Friday match, with the Magpies hosting the Suns at the Swinburne Centre.
The Magpies are currently sporting the longest injury list in the competition which includes the likes of Bri Davey and Britt Bonnici – arguably their two best players. Davey will miss again and Bonnici is a test.
The Suns don’t really have any excuse for their horrible form this season. They’re only missing a couple of players and simply should be performing a whole lot better than they are.
Both of these clubs have burnt me this season and I don’t have any faith in either of them right now. And with so many games still to come on Friday, this is one where I’ll have very little on. With that said, the Magpies were a disgrace against the Bulldogs who appeared to be the worst side in the competition, so the Suns are the pick here.
Gold Coast -11.5
$1.88 (0.5 Units)
Essendon vs Melbourne
Friday 2:05pm AEST, Windy Hill
The Bombers started the season on the back foot when Bonnie Toogood suffered a knee injury in the first quarter of their first game. However, despite winning only one match through four weeks, the Bombers have continued to battle away. They were outclassed by the Crows last weekend in a 33-point win, but the Crows are arguably the best team in it.
2024 was always going to be a difficult season for the Demons who have become accustomed to success. They lost a number of key players to opposition clubs in the offseason and haven’t been able to fill the void. The Dees were desperately unlucky against the Dockers last weekend when losing from a goal after the siren.
This is a winnable game for both clubs but I still do have more faith in the Dees. They have the greater talent to work with and have experience in big games, which is exactly what this is. I expect them to find a way to knock off the Bombers on this occasion.
Melbourne -4.5
$1.88 (1 Unit)
St Kilda vs Fremantle
Friday 4:05pm AEST, RSEA Park
Round 4 was a wake up call for the Saints who despite starting the season 3-0, were absolutely demolished by the emerging Hawks. That heavy defeat came after wins against the Suns, Swans, and Bombers – all of whom made the final last season but have been poor in 2024.
Elsewhere, the Dockers produced one of the great fourth quarter comebacks in AFLW history last weekend, kicking four goals in the final 10 minutes to claim an unlikely victory against the Demons. Unfortunately, the win came at a big cost with star forward Aine Tighe now ruled out for the season with a knee injury.
The Saints would’ve learned a lot from their defeat last weekend and will be better for the run. They have a fantastic opportunity to bounce straight back against the Dockers who are now without arguably the three best players on their list. With that said, I like the Saints to win in a close one, as they do lack the scoring power to blow sides away.
St Kilda 1-24
$2.50 (1 Unit)
Western Bulldogs vs Sydney
Friday 7:15pm AEST, Whitten Oval
The Bulldogs defied the odds last weekend to record a massive win over the Magpies. They were the huge underdogs in that clash due to their form and growing injury list, but showed plenty of grit and determination. Amazingly, the nine goals they kicked against the Magpies matched their total number of goals from the four games prior.
The Swans managed to hold off the fast-finishing Giants last weekend to secure their second win from four matches this season. It was a necessary performance after being flogged by the Tigers the week prior. The Swans remain without gun Chloe Molloy who injured her knee a couple of weeks ago, although they have a very healthy list besides her unfortunate injury.
The Dogs were great in their win last weekend but it was against probably the worst team in the competition. They now face tougher opposition in the Swans who are eyeing off a spot in the finals in 2024. I expect the Swans to be too good in this one.
Sydney -14.5
$1.87 (1.5 Units)
North Melbourne vs Richmond
Sunday 1:05pm AEST, UTAS Stadium
North Melbourne are still undefeated as we head into Sunday’s four-game slate and it’s hard to see that changing despite the solid form of their opponents in the Tigers.
Despite the double-game week for North, it seems as though they’ll go in as full strength again on Sunday (although the AFLW website is almost never reliable). If that is the case, and Kate Shierlaw returns, then they’ll be winning this game.
In saying that, the Tigers have been playing well and I love the move of Eilish Sheerin into the midfield. She’ll be extremely important on Sunday to help the likes of Mon Conti and Sarah Hosking go toe-to-toe with clearly the best midfield in the competition.
Regardless, the Roos look extremely hungry in 2024 and their best footy is a LOT better than what the Tigers can produce. I see North winning comfortably here.
North Melbourne -24.5
$1.90 (1.5 Units)
GWS vs West Coast
Sunday 3:05pm AEST, Henson Park
The Giants have left a few premiership points out there in recent weeks, with a draw against the Suns being followed by a three-point loss against the Swans. Both of those results don’t read too great on the form guide considering both the Suns and the Swans have been really poor of late.
Meanwhile, the Eagles were brought back down to earth last start when they were dominated by the bigger-bodied and more experienced Crows. They were beaten to the tune of 45 points on their home deck to snap their mini two-game win streak.
Based on the current form of these sides the pricing should be closer to even-money in my opinion, with maybe even the Eagles given the slight edge. With that in mind, getting a +7.5 start for the Eagles looks to be a solid bet.
West Coast +7.5
$1.90 (1.5 Units)
Brisbane vs Adelaide
Sunday 3:05pm AEST, Brighton Homes Arena
The Lions have been terrific since their horrible first round defeat against the Kangaroos, winning four straight to cement their position in the top four. However, all four of their recent wins have been against clubs not expected to be competing in finals, so it’ll be interesting to see how their form stacks up on Sunday.
The Crows are yet to put a put wrong in 2024 with four wins from as many games. They’ve won all four by comfortable margins and will be full of confidence as a result. Last week they took down the Bombers by 33 points, which looks like a strong win considering the Dons dismantled the Demons this week.
What a match we have on our hands here between two of this season’s genuine premiership contenders. I’m a little surprised to see the Crows as the underdogs here as their form has certainly been the better of the two sides this season. I think they can cause the mini upset here.
Adelaide to Win
$2.25 (2.5 Units)
Port Adelaide vs Carlton
Sunday 5:05pm AEST, Alberton Oval
The Power have been dealt a tough schedule considering where they finished last season, having already played the Crows, Kangaroos, Dockers, and Tigers, all of which are top 6 teams. Their other game was against the 2-4 Bulldogs who they dominated by 40 points.
Meanwhile, the Blues come into this game with two wins to their name, one against the Suns and the other the Cats. Aside from that they’ve been well beaten in their four losses, particularly last start then they Kangaroos belted them by 69 points. The Blues have also kicked just one goal combined form their last two matches.
The Power are the better form team despite what the ladder tells us. They’ve had a much tougher draw to date and I think their best is too good for the current version of the Blues. With home ground also on their side, I like the Power to come out on top here.
Port Adelaide -3.5
$1.88 (2.5 Units)
