AFL Round 1 – Tips and Preview

After racking up 27 disposals last week, Carlton rookie Jagga Smith is en route to claiming the Rising Star award and is an easy bet to do similar this weekend.

While the match could very easily be one sided, Rhyan Marshall is a safe bet considering he has kicked at least one goal in five of his last six matches.

Kicking two or more goals in his ten matches for the Hawks, forward Jack Gunston will look to deliver the same outcome this week and throughout the season as he enters the final stages of his playing career.

Essendon always seem to manage to have a strong start to the season when they are not hit with a range of issues. Meanwhile, the Hawks looked incredibly thin in their loss to the GWS Giants last week, which showed their vulnerabilities.

He may have only kicked one goal last week against the Lions but Bailey Williams had multiple other chances in the Forward 50 and will look to take advantage of the awkward match-ups against him.

The GWS Giants may have been too good for Hawthorn last week but playing against the Western Bulldogs is another challenge in itself. Expect a close encounter but with the home side grabbing the win and taking home the four points.

A late withdrawal last week, Geelong forward Jeremy Cameron will look to make the most of his return and once again find his name on the scoreboard multiple times.

While Geelong are the favourites, Fremantle have an amazing record at GMHBA Stadium, which has seen them win two of their past three matches at the stadium – and shouldn’t be counted out this weekend.

The Sydney Swans showed last week that they are extremely dominant when playing at the Sydney Cricket Ground. And despite the Lions being the reigning premiers of the AFL, they enter the clash out of form after a loss in the Opening Round.

One of the most in-demand forwards in the AFL, catching the interest of at least four rival teams, Joel Amartey has taken his form to another level over the past two years. While most of the attention will be on teammate Charlie Curnow, this allows Amartey to have freedom in the Forward 50.

Collingwood Magpies midfielder Nick Daicos is arguably the best player in the AFL so every time he takes the field, it’s hard to not bet on him considering his skill and consistency.

Expected a low-scoring between the two classy sides in Adelaide and Collingwood as they look to out-do each other in the middle and slowly make their way up the field.

Predicting the first goal-scorer of the match is always the hardest thing to do, but it’s hard to not go past forward Mitch Georgiades. Not only is he an accurate scorer but he also attracts plenty of attention in the Forward 50.

While the match between the two sides is expected to be a close encounter, Port Adelaide are the very clear favourites and will look to dominate their opponents in the midfield setting up a ripple effect in the defence and forwards.

It may be a new season but St Kilda Saints veteran Jack Steele remains one of the most consistent midfielders in the AFL and is able to rack up possessions with ease every time he plays.

In what could be the ‘Match of the Round’, both teams can walk away with the victory but the Saints are the clear favourites and are coming off a strong pre-season while the Demons have been clouded in controversy.

The Gold Coast Suns are unbeatable at their home venue, while the Eagles are one of the favourites to finish in last place and are completely outmatched in every aspect of the field.

Staying with the Suns, their forwards are expected to have a field day on the weekend and are likely to rack up a big bag of goals. One of these players is Ben King who has been in tremendous over the past few seasons for the club.