2018 AFL Round 9 Betting Tips
2018 AFL Round 9 Preview and Betting Tips
It’s been a terrific year of AFL to date and we’ve got yet another exciting week of action on our hands! Take a look at SmitTips 2018 AFL Round 9 preview and betting tips below.
Adelaide Crows vs Western Bulldogs (Friday, 7:50PM AEST)
The Crows and the Bulldogs will kick us off in Round 9 when they play under the lights at Adelaide Oval on Friday Night, in what will be the third time the Crows have hosted the opening game of the round so far in season 2018. They are currently sitting nicely in 4th position on the ladder with a 5-3 record and are getting closer to fielding a full-strength squad.
The Bulldogs have been able to come out on top in 4 of their 8 games so far this season, albeit in very unconvincing fashion. It’s been a struggle all year for the Dogs to string together four solid quarters of footy, although we saw glimpses of their 2016 brilliance in their most recent win over the Lions. Jack Macrae has been a shining light for them all season and would be leading their best and fairest by a country mile.
When it’s all said and done, I’m expecting Adelaide to be far too good for the Dogs on Friday Night, coming away easy winners. Really happy taking them at the line.
TIP: Crows at the line (-21.5) – 1.92 at CrownBet
North Melbourne vs GWS Giants (Saturday, 1:45PM AEST)
North and GWS will travel to Blundstone arena in Tasmania to face off in the early Saturday game. The Kangaroos have been extremely impressive this season, crushing everyone’s expectations of them in the pre-season. They’re currently sitting 10th on the ladder at 4-4 and have a huge opportunity to jump into the top 8 with a win this weekend.
The Giants have been riddled with injuries in past seasons and 2018 is no different. They have a long list of their best 22 sidelined and have had to battle with a few lesser experienced players in the past couple of weeks. They fell outside of the top 8 for the first time this season after losing to the Eagles at home last weekend. They are currently in 9th at 4-4.
We’re taking the fit and form side in this one. North have a terrific support base over in Tassie and I believe they will get the job done by a couple of goals on Saturday.
TIP: North at the line (-6.5) – $1.92 at Ladbrokes
Carlton Blues vs Melbourne Demons (Sunday: 1:10PM AEST)
Another closely watched game this weekend will be the Blues and Demons on Sunday at the MCG. The Blues will enter this game as huge underdogs, despite getting a win against the Bombers last weekend. They are now 1-7 and are 17th on the ladder of 8 rounds. It’ll be interesting to see how focused the Blues are after all the off-field drama they’ve experienced during the week with the Curnow brothers.
The Demons have made the most of a soft draw to get themselves into 6th position on the ladder on the back of 5 wins from their 8 games. They absolutely destroyed the Suns in the second half last week to run away with an emphatic 69-point victory, scoring a season high 146 points in the process. Oliver was impressive again with 29 disposals, while Hogan was a big target all day and finished with 3 goals from 22 touches.
Blues Coach Brendan Bolton talked about the importance of his young team experiencing the ‘high’ after a win and how it helps young players find motivation to experience it again. I’m a big believer of this and think the Blues are a better chance than the 33-point start the bookies are giving us. Happy to take them at the line.
TIP: Blues at the line (+33.5) – $1.92 at Sportsbet
West Coast Eagles vs Richmond Tigers (Sunday, 4:40PM AEST)
Closing out Round 9 will be the huge top of the ladder clash between the Eagles and the Tigers at Optus Oval in Perth. Along with North, the Eagles have been the surprise packet of the season and have quickly elevated themselves into contenders in 2018. They’ve lost just one game so far and sit just percentage behind the ladders leaders coming into this round.
The Tigers were able to limp across the finish line in front against the Kangaroos last weekend after an uncharacteristically quiet game from Dustin Martin. It was their skipper, Trent Cotchin who did most of the damage for the reigning premiers in the midfield, while Josh Caddy was able to hit the scoreboard again with 4 goals.. Martin, Cotchin and co. will need to be at their best this weekend if they’re to hold on to the top of the ladder.
The Eagles have been exceptional at home this season and I’m backing them to get the job done against the Tigers on Sunday.
TIP: Eagles to win – $2 at Ladbrokes
