AFL Round 18 begins on Friday night with a mouth-watering fixture that pits Collingwood against Geelong at the MCG. Separated by only four points on the ladder, both clubs will be desperate to make a statement in front of a packed crowd at the home of footy. We bring you our full preview, best bet, and Same Game Multi below!
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2024 AFL Round 18 Preview & Betting Tips
Collingwood vs Geelong
Friday 7:40pm AEST, July 12th, MCG
It’s been a strange season to date for the reigning premiers in Collingwood. They began the year with three defeats on the spin before going on an 11-game stretch where they suffered only one defeat, however they’ve now lost two in a row heading into Round 18.
The Magpies were simply outplayed in their recent blockbuster clash against one of their rivals in the Bombers, going down by 12 points on Friday night footy (80-92). Like most Pies games in recent times, they trailed for the bulk of the match before trying for a big comeback, but eventually fell short.
In positive news, forward Jamie Elliott is set to return after missing a large chunk of footy due to injury. He’s one of three changes for the Pies, and Brodie Mihocek will headline the outs.
Elsewhere, Geelong have seemingly bounced back into form after a horrible drift midseason. Of course, they began the year on fire with wins in each of their first seven games, although six losses from their next seven certainly sparked some intrigue into their contender legitimacy. Importantly, the Cats have bounced back with wins in their last two matches.
Most recently, the Cats were far too good for the in-form Hawks who were missing a couple of key players. They dominated their meeting with an old rival from start to finish, eventually coming away with a commanding 51-point victory (110-59).
Unsurprisingly, the Cats remain unchanged from the team that dismantled the Hawks last weekend. This means Sam De Koning and Mark Blicavs will share the ruck duties once more, and Shannon Neale and Jeremy Cameron will be the key targets up forward.
Match Prediction: It’s a heavyweight battle here between two clubs who are in desperate need of a win considering how tight this season is. The Cats have clearly been in better touch over the past fortnight after notching up wins against two of the form teams in the competition in the Bombers and the Hawks. And considering the Pies struggles of late, it makes sense to side with the Cats to win this one.
Geelong to Win
$1.73 (2 Units)
Same Game Multi
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Shannon Neale 2+ Goals – Looks comfortable at the level as a key target and generates plenty of shots on goal. Happy to back in him for some value here.
Lachie Schultz 2+ Goals – Schultz has lifted after a slow start at his new club and remains great value in the goal markets.
Patrick Dangerfield 1+ Goal – Danger has a fantastic record in this matchup as well as at the venue of late. I can see him hitting the scoreboard in transition.
SGM Odds: $9.50 at QuestBet
