It was announced during the week that the AFL will cram 33 games into 20 days in order to complete Rounds 9-12 as quickly as possible! It’s going to create some chaos with team selections, so this is the final regularly-scheduled round before the daily AFL madness begins! Read on for our AFL Round 8 preview, with thanks to the team at Total Sports Picks.
Gold Coast Suns vs. Western Bulldogs
Thursday, 7:40pm, Metricon Stadium
The Suns were able to secure their first win for the season without Matt Rowell in the line-up, which will give them a bit more confidence going forward.
The 4-3 Suns are one of the more exciting teams in the competition and have been rewarded with a prime time fixture on Thursday night.
Meanwhile, the Doggies were excellent against the in-form Bombers in Round 7 to quickly put their embarrassing loss against the Blues behind them.
Gold Coast are certainly not without a hope if they bring their best footy, but on form, the Western Bulldogs 1-39 is the way you should be playing this one.
Prediction: Western Bulldogs 1-39 @$1.95
GWS Giants vs. Richmond Tigers
Friday 7:50pm, GIANTS Stadium
GWS were poor again against the Lions on the weekend and their record is now 3-4 on the season. They have consistently struggled to get the ball in their forward 50 and are constantly on the back foot against quality opponents.
Richmond showed once again that they bat extremely deep with a huge win over the Kangaroos despite playing without plenty of their usual best 22.
The Giants will be keen to get back to even for the season but their form makes them really hard to trust. The Tigers look the hungrier of the two clubs at the moment, so Tigers +7.5 line looks the play here.
Prediction: Richmond +7.5 @$1.90
North Melbourne Kangaroos vs. Carlton Blues
Saturday 1:05pm, GABBA
North look like a bottom four side on current form having lost five matches on the spin since winning their opening two.
Benny Brown looks well down on confidence but the lack of opportunity certainly isn’t helping his cause.
The Blues were desperately unlucky against the Power last weekend and have now strung together a number of impressive performances.
All things considered, Carlton to cover the -10.5 line is a really good play this weekend.
Prediction: Carlton -10.5 @$1.90
Sydney Swans vs. Hawthorn Hawks
Saturday 3:35pm, SCG
This is a match between two sides that are well down on form. The Swans showed a little bit of fight in their loss against the Suns, whereas the Hawks were really poor against the Demons in their third straight heavy loss.
Considering how poorly these clubs are travelling, this is a match that you probably don’t want to go too big on. That said, the Hawks have the greater upside and surely Clarko has something up his sleeve and can lead the Hawks to win against the lowly Swans.
Prediction: Hawthorn to win @$1.67
Port Adelaide Power vs. St Kilda Saints
Saturday 7:40pm, Adelaide Oval
Robbie Gray was the saviour for the Power against the Blues last weekend, showing he’s still one of the classiest players in the league despite a slow start to 2020.
Port Adelaide are now 6-1 on the season with a healthy lead at the top of the ladder.
The Saints weren’t all that convincing in their win over the lowly Crows on Monday night but will be content with securing the four points.
Port Adelaide have been the most consistent side in the competition this season and should be able to negotiate the win on Saturday night. Power 1-39 is the sensible play in this match.
Prediction: Port Adelaide 1-39 @$1.73
Adelaide Crows vs. Essendon Bombers
Sunday 1:05pm, Adelaide Oval
Adelaide are 0-7 on the season and had one of their best chances to jag a win on Monday night against the Saints. Everyone is now starting to wonder if they will actually win a game this season.
Essendon were poor last weekend and have shown the ability to lose games they absolutely shouldn’t, but they just have to get over the line here. The line is a bit risky, so play the Bombers to win in the 1-39 range.
Prediction: Essendon 1-39 @$1.84
West Coast Eagles vs. Collingwood Magpies
Sunday 3:35pm, Optus Stadium
The Eagles come into this on a three game winning streak, albeit against poor opposition. They’re ahead of the ledger at 4-3 on the season but have had a very favourable draw.
Collingwood were commanding winners against Geelong in their blockbuster Round 7 clash, making it two very good wins on the spin for the black and white army.
The Eagles are yet to beat anyone of note and have hardly been convincing during their winning run, while the Magpies have looked really good in most of their matches. Take the Magpies H2H in this one.
Prediction: Collingwood to win @$2.18
Melbourne Demons vs. Brisbane Lions
Sunday 6:10pm, Metricon Stadium
Max Gawn and Christian Petracca were both phenomenal in the Demons’ big win over the Hawks last weekend to get them back to 3-3 on the season.
The Lions were equally as dominant in their win over the Giants and are now second on the ladder and sitting pretty.
The Demons are building but the Lions should have too much class here in what you can expect to be a good game of footy. Lions 1-39 is a great move here.
Prediction: Brisbane 1-39 @$1.84
Fremantle Dockers vs. Geelong Cats
Monday 8:10pm, Optus Stadium
The Dockers played a conservative brand of footy against the Eagles and it really didn’t bode well for them. They kicked just 5.2 for the match and were never really a chance.
The Cats couldn’t match it with the Pies on the big stage last weekend and now lose Gary Ablett Jr and Joel Selwood for this clash.
The Cats may have a couple of stars out but they’re still the class team in this matchup and should be able to get the job done on the road. The -10.5 Cats line looks the value.
Prediction: Geelong -10.5 @$1.90
—
For more free sports betting picks, head to www.totalsportspicks.com where you’ll also find an independent PlayUp review.
