Saturday’s AFL Round 23 action gets underway at Marvel Stadium, where Richmond will ‘host’ North Melbourne in an end of season dead rubber with a difference. While both sides are out of finals contention, the retirements of champion players from each side will ensure that the Tigers and Kangaroos are up for the contest under the roof. We bring you our preview, best bet and value Same Game Multi below!
Also, we're going to be providing previews and best bets for every game of the 2023 season, so make sure to check out our AFL Tips page regularly to stay up to date.
AFL Round 23 Preview & Betting Tips
Richmond vs North Melbourne
Saturday 1:45pm AEST, August 19th, Marvel Stadium
Richmond’s disappointing loss to St Kilda last weekend all but ruled them out of the 2023 finals race, leaving the players, coaches and fans to rue what could have been. This campaign will no doubt be deemed a failure, but the odds were stacked against the Tigers right from the start with key players Tom Lynch, Josh Gibcus, Jayden Short, Jacob Hopper and Toby Nankervis all missing several games through injury. Taking that into account, Richmond have performed admirably, led by boom recruit Tim Taranto as well as a rejuvenated Dustin Martin, Shai Bolton and a growing fleet of youngsters. The changing of the guard will continue this weekend with the Tigers farewelling premiership heroes Trent Cotchin and Jack Riewoldt, who are both retiring at the end of the season after distinguished careers in yellow and black. Motivated to give the pair a fitting send off, Richmond will go into this one as favourites, although they will be sweating on the fitness of Daniel Rioli who is a test with an ankle concern.
North Melbourne’s trend of narrow losses continued last Saturday, with the Kangaroos falling to Essendon by nine points. It was a disappointing result for the men from Arden Street, who failed to give Ben Cunnington a victory in his final game despite the veteran winding back the clock with a vintage performance. The loss means that North could still feasibly finish bottom of the table, so the will to win will undoubtedly still be there, and recent showings indicate that the Kangas are back on the up with Clarkson at the helm. The Roos will also farewell one of their favourite sons on the weekend, with Jack Ziebell suiting up for his final appearance. George Wardlaw and Jayden Stephenson have been ruled out of the final two fixtures, so North will have to rely on the cavalry to get up in this one.
The Kangaroos got the points in the last match between these teams, prevailing by four points in an absolute thriller. Given the poor form of Richmond, who have lost their last three, there is no reason that North can’t repeat the dose, although the Tigers have tended to fare better against the bottom teams in 2023. Taking that into account, and the fact that the players will be pumped to send Riewoldt and Cotchin out on a high, Richmond should win this one. However, like last week the line looks too long for the Kangaroos who are playing some decent football.
North Melbourne +24.5
$1.90 (2 Units)
Same Game Multi
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Jack Riewoldt 2+ Goals – This multi is a retirees special. Players always tend to lift for their final matches and Riewoldt will be no exception against one of the worst defences in the league. The Tigers star has kicked 31 goals this season so far.
Trent Cotchin Anytime Goal Scorer – I expect Cotchin to also get in on the act. Richmond’s fearless leader has kicked seven goals this year and he should spend plenty of time forward of the ball in his final game considering the depth of Richmond’s midfield.
Trent Cotchin 20+ Disposals – The will to go out on a high will be strong in Cotch, and he hasn’t struggled to find the ball in his final season averaging 16 disposals per game.
SGM Odds: $2.90 at BoomBet
