2017 AFL Round 1 Betting Tips
Round 1 of the 2017 AFL season kicks off Thursday night, finally! This year we’ll be bringing you previews and tips for the key games 5 games of the week every round as there are usually a few games that will be average to watch or offer absolutely no value, so we’ll leave those out! Throughout the year, we’ll be aiming to give tips at minimum of line prices and keep a tally as we go. Thursday sees the traditional opener between Richmond and Carlton followed by a massive weekend of AFL action! See our preview and tips for Round 1 below!
AFL Round 1 Betting Tips
Richmond vs Carlton (Thursday 7.20pm AEDT)
The annual season opener sees Richmond host Carlton at the MCG on Thursday night. The Tigers showed some good form in the JLT Community series with wins over both Adelaide clubs while Carlton suffered a near 100-point demolition at the hands of the Saints. It shapes up to be a long year for the Blues, who are well and truly into a rebuilding phase, however, they were active in the off-season picking up Rhys Palmer, Billie Smedts and Caleb Marchbank.
All eyes will be on Richmond recruits Josh Caddy and Dion Prestia to see how well they can mesh with other midfield guns in Dustin Martin and Trent Cotchin. Richmond is arguably the healthiest of any club at the moment, with just two senior listed players in Steven Morris and Shaun Hampson out through injury. With a near full strength team the Tiges should be too strong for the Blues here.
TIP: Richmond -14.5 – $1.92 at TopBetta
Collingwood vs Western Bulldogs (Friday 7.50pm AEDT)
2016 Premiers will play Collingwood at the MCG in Round 1 Friday Night Footy this week as they look to get their title defence campaign off to a good start. Eyes will be on skipper Robert Murphy, who missed last year’s Grand Final win through injury and new recruit Travis Cloke, will provide a much-needed long target for the Dogs forward line.
The Pies were busy in the off season, gaining the services of Chris Mayne and Will Hoskin Elliot. Daniel Wells also made the move to the Lexus Centre but will miss the opener through injury. They’ll also be without regular senior players Jamie Elliot and Jordan De Goey, both of whom will miss with injury, which we think will be a little too much to overcome the reigning premiers.
TIP: Western Bulldogs 1-39 – $2.14 at Unibet
St.Kilda vs Melbourne (Saturday 4.35pm AEDT)
The closest game of the round in the bookmaker’s eyes is St. Kilda vs Melbourne on Saturday from Etihad Stadium. Both teams on the rise, both will be pushing for a finals berth in 2017 on the back of improvement from young cores. The Saints will unveil recruits Jack Steele and Koby Stevens while defender Jake Carlisle will join Nathan Brown in the backline for his long awaited Saints debut.
The Demons were a little less active during the off-season, but still managed to acquire the services of Hawthorn premiership player Jordan Lewis, who will bolster a talented midfield including Jack Viney and Nathan Jones. Michael Hibberd will also get his first run after a year of suspension. The Saints beat the Demons twice last year and we think they have improved their side more than the Demons have in the off-season, we like them to take a W back to Seaford here.
TIP: St. Kilda to win 1-39 – $2.50 at bet365
Essendon vs Hawthorn (Saturday 7.25pm AEDT)
Hawthorn have been a known quantity in the AFL for a long time now, but first the firs time in the better part of a decade, they enter the season with a bit of mystery over their heads. How will they do without the experience of veterans Jordan Lewis and Sam Mitchell in the midfield? Will Jaeger O’Meara’s body hold up for a season? Can Jarryd Roughead bounce back from a really unlucky 2016? All questions will be answered with time, but my bet is the Hawks will be a dominant force in the AFL once again, at this point it’s just engrained in their culture.
The one team can surpass them in the mystery factor heading into 2017 is Essendon. While they were justifiably poor last year, it’s unknown whether the suspended players can return to the side and have an impact to help Essendon climb back up the ladder. What is known is that in their absence, some real stars were born in the likes of Zach Merret, Joe Daniher and David Zaharakis. They are too much of an unknown at the moment so we like the Hawks to win here in a close game.
TIP: Hawthorn to win 1-39 – $2.20 at Sportsbet
Adelaide vs Greater Western Sydney (Sunday 2.50pm AEDT)
The final game of our slate will see the 2017 Premiership favourites in the Giants travelling to Adelaide for their season opener to take on the Crows. Both teams were extremely competitive last year and look to remain near the top of the table again in 2017. Adelaide will be seriously undermanned coming into the Round 1 clash, however, with Scott Thompson already ruled out and Taylor Walker, Brad Crouch and Rory Sloane all still in doubt. Arguably their four best players, the Crows will face an uphill battle here, but will have the benefit of the home field advantage.
Somehow, after barely losing a preliminary final to the eventual premiers, Greater Western Sydney added 3 top 15 draft picks as well as Brett Deledio. The former Richmond star will be out for the Round 1 clash though, and will be joined on the sidelines by Stephen Coniglio and Lachie Whitfield. Hard to see the Adelaide midfield competing with GWS without the star trio, but check back later in the week, after selection for out tip.
TIP: No Bet
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