For the first time in AFL history, welcome to Round 24! The Saints will travel north to take on the Lions in the Saturday twilight game this week and as always, we have you covered with a full preview and betting tips for the clash below.
We bring you our preview, best bet and value Same Game Multi for the Lions vs Saints clash below! Also, make sure to check out our AFL page regularly to keep up to date with all of our content, including tips for every game, weekly Brownlow recap, and more!
AFL Round 24 Preview & Betting Tips
Brisbane vs St Kilda
Gabba, Saturday 4.35pm (AEST)
It was a monumental win for the Saints in Round 23 as they downed the reigning premier Geelong Cats at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night. That, combined with Eagles upsetting the Dogs on Sunday, secured the Saints place in the top eight, but they’ll still be playing for the win in Brisbane as they try to lock in a home final in Melbourne.
It felt like a bit of a coming of age win for the Saints, who absolutely dominated the game from start to finish and would have won by a much larger margin if not for some wayward accuracy in front of goal. The Saints piled on 28 scoring shots to just 15, were +18 in inside fifties and +78 in disposals in the win. Star ruckman Rowan Marshall mounted his case for All-Australian with another dominant performance, racking up 24 touches to go along with 28 hitouts and a goal.
The Saints will head north without spearhead Max King, who has looked solid since returning to the lineup three weeks ago but has been rested for the clash. Jack Hayes will make his long awaited season debut in King’s place after a purple patch of form in the VFL.
The Lions have won their last three games in a row, the most recent of which a great win at Marvel Stadium over the Magpies in Round 23. They have the No.1 ranked offence in the league, having scored 95.8 points per game this season on the back of a dynamic forward line including Charlie Cameron, Joe Daniher and Eric Hipwood.
Lincoln McCarthy will come out of the side after suffering an injury in the win over the Pies, outside of that, the Lions will be unchanged going into Saturday’s clash. They still have some talent on the sidelines that will be hoping to force their way back into the team for the finals run in Jack Gunston and Daniel Rich.
The Lions start as pretty heavy 29.5 point favourites here, which I think is a touch high given how good the Saints defence has been this year. They are the No.1 rated defence in the league, having allowed just 71.6 points per game this season. I think they can keep the Lions to around 80-90 points in this game, meaning they should cover in a lower scoring game.
St Kilda +29.5
$1.90 (3 Units)
Same Game Multi
Jack Sinclair 25+ Disposals - Sinclair has been one of the most consistent ball winners in the competition in the back half of the year. In his last 11 games, Sinclair averages 30.4 disposals per game and had 38 in the win over the Cats on the weekend.
Lachie Neale 25+ Disposals - After a bit of a quieter patch from Round 18-22, Lachie Neale was back to his best on Friday night with 31 touches in the win over the Pies. Had 29 against the Saints earlier in the season.
Rowan Marshall 1+ Goal - Like Marshall to hit the scoreboard once again this week as the value leg. He has kicked 1 goal in his last six straight games and I expect him to be playing a little more in the forward line this week with Jack Hayes coming into the side. Hayes should pinch hit more regularly in the ruck.
SGM Odds: $3.40 at BoomBet
