It doesn’t get much bigger than this! Carlton and Collingwood will renew their rivalry on Friday night in a matchup that headlines AFL Round 8. You can expect a packed house at the home of footy as two of the best form teams in the competition lock horns. We have you covered with our full match preview and betting tips below.
Also, Before You Bet will be providing free previews and betting tips for EVERY game in the 2024 AFL season, so make sure to head over to out our AFL Tips regularly to keep up to date with all of our free content.
2024 AFL Round 8 Preview & Betting Tips
Carlton vs Collingwood
Friday 7:40pm AEST, May 3rd, MCG
Unable to come away with the four points in a heavyweight battle against Geelong last weekend, Carlton have to like their wounds and get ready to front up for another big challenge on Friday night.
The Blues were certainly not disgraced in their loss to the Cats, although their inability to defend in transition was a little bit alarming. Still, the Blues have made a bright start to 2024 despite having the longest injury list in the competition.
In positive news, star midfielder Adam Cerra has recovered from a hamstring injury that kept in out for a couple weeks, and he’s been named in their 23. Also coming in is small defender Alex Cincotta, and they make for two of their four changes this week.
Meanwhile, Collingwood have been building their form over the past month after a disappointing start to their premiership defence. Their draw against the Bombers on Anzac Day extended their current unbeaten run to four matches.
However, the Magpies have still only managed to defeat one side currently in the top eight this season and will need to take a big scalp to get the true believers back on board. Their only win against top tier opposition to date came to starts back against the Power who they stormed over the top of to win by 42 points.
In a big blow for the reigning champs, star midfielder Jordan De Goey and Brownlow medallist Tom Mitchell will both miss Friday night’s match due to injury. The positive news is the pair should only miss one or maybe two weeks maximum. Mature age recruit Lachie Sullivan will come in to make his debut, and will likely assume a half forward/midfield role.
Match prediction: Both sides are missing key players for this blockbuster clash, although the bookies have still priced the Blues as the clear favourites due to their much better form through the first two months of the season.
The Blues managed to snap a three-game losing streak against their arch-rivals with a win in their most recent meeting, which came in late July in 2023 (93-76).
You could mount a case for both teams in this clash, although it’s the Blues who you should currently have more faith in. with De Goey and Mitchell out for the Magpies, and Cerra back in for the Blues, expect the ‘home’ side to have the advantage in the engine room, which will allow the likes of Charlie Cameron and Harry McKay to get plenty of looks forward of centre. If the likely game script turns out to be true, the Blues should be winning and covering the small spread in this one.
Carlton -8.5
$1.90 (1.5 Units)
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Bobby Hill 2+ Goals – Loves the big stage and home and away games don’t come much bigger. The Blues are without their best matchup in Saad, and I can’t see any of their other smalls keeping him safely held for four quarters.
Patrick Cripps 25+ Disposals – Seems to go up a level with Walsh by his side, perhaps due to receiving less attention. 39 and 29 disposals in his two games with Walsh and always rises to the occasion.
Scott Pendlebury 20+ Disposals – Went passed the 10,000 career disposal mark last weekend and has had 20+ in each of his last four full games.
SGM Odds: $4.60 at BoomBet
