The cream rose to the top in Week 2 of the 2020 AFL Finals, with both favourites getting the job done very comfortably. There are now just four teams left in the hunt for the flag, and we’ll know exactly which two teams will play off in next weekend’s Grand Final at the conclusion of this Saturday night.
We’ll be bringing you our best AFL tips for each match of the 2020 AFL Finals, with thanks to the guys at Before You Bet.
Port Adelaide Power vs Richmond Tigers
Friday 7:50pm, Adelaide Oval
The first of the two huge finals should be a cracker between Port Adelaide and Richmond. The Power have had the better season of the two up to this point and have earned the right to play in front of a packed house at Adelaide Oval.
Port Adelaide have enjoyed a week off at home and should be fit and firing for this huge clash. They were too good for the Cats in their qualifying final a fortnight ago, putting together a dominant second half to win their way through to their first preliminary final since their devastating three-point loss to the Hawks in 2014.
Richmond looked a little flat in their qualifying final against the Lions, but were able to bounce back against the Saints in their semi-final clash last weekend. The final scoreboard probably flattered the Tigers a touch, with the Saints missing a number of easy chances in front of goal throughout the match. Regardless, the Tigers have now reached their fourth straight prelim.
These sides met in Round 11, which is just over two months ago now, and it was the Power who took the chocolates by 21 points on their home deck. The Tigers were missing a couple of their key players in that match, so they’ll take confidence from that, but the Power are coming off a week’s rest and will have a raucous crowd backing them in. It should be a close battle for the full four quarters, but the Power look like the value bet in this one.
Prediction: Power Win @$1.84
Brisbane Lions vs Geelong Cats
Saturday 7:40pm, Gabba
The second of the preliminary finals on this weekend will see Brisbane take on Geelong in what should also be fantastic viewing. The Lions have been in the top two or three teams all season and were fantastic in week one of the finals, earning themselves a home prelim at the Gabba.
Brisbane were able to snap a 15-game losing streak against Richmond when they trounced them in a home qualifying final over a week ago. They were the hungrier of the two sides and look to have learned from a couple of big lessons from last year’s finals campaign.
Geelong were outgunned by the Power in their qualifying final, but were able to make good use of their second chance when they absolutely belted the Magpies in their semi-final clash last weekend. They were simply irresistible and will take huge confidence from that match into this one.
It’s hard to know whether the one-sided Geelong vs Collingwood match was more about the Cats being excellent or the Magpies being woeful – we’re leaning towards the latter. Regardless, facing the Lions on their home deck is a much, much harder task and one that we don’t see them getting success from. The Lions have been fantastic at home all season long and are extremely well poised to win their way through to their first Grand Final since 2004.
Prediction: Lions -3.5 @$1.95