AFL Round 2 Tips & Preview

AFL Round 2 Tips & Preview

Before we were rudely interrupted…

Round one of the 2020 AFL season saw lofty heights and made us question just what some teams had been up to in the off-season.

It kicked off with Richmond getting the job done over the gallant Carlton, Collingwood made a statement they mean business and other premiership fancies GWS and West Coast dominated.

The Dons v Freo and Crows v Swans clashes were thrillers.

North was excellent in their comeback over the Saints.

The Hawks looked good over the Brisbane Lions (proudly sponsored by Neds)

And Port Adelaide finished the round on top of the ladder after easily accounting for the Gold Coast Suns.

Americans watched the games and we as the Australian sporting public got the validation we had long been seeking from the Yanks.

Then the season got postponed.

But alas, footy has found a way to come back in this crazy world we live in and boy are we chomping at the bit for the ball to be bounced at the MCG this Thursday night.

We can’t wait for the season to resume and this weekend is set to be a beauty.

Oh, and in case you’ve forgotten, here’s the ladder after Round 1.

Collingwood v Richmond
Richmond to win by 1-39 @ $2

What a game to resume the season with!

The contenders take on the reigning premiers in a prime-time blockbuster in front of some cardboard cut out fans and a select few officials under the lights at the MCG!

This is footy in the current 2020 climate.

The Maggies showed in Round 1 that they mean business with a very convincing 52 point win over the Western Bulldogs.

Richmond looked scary against the Blues in the first half but went into cruise control, allowing Carlton to have a sniff, eventually winning by 24 points.

The Tigers have won three out of their past five against the Pies, and while Collingwood fans will be quick to point out the 2018 Preliminary Final, Richmond and their fans can easily make up for it reminding them which side has won two out of the last three premierships.

It will be interesting to see if the Tigers use cult premiership hero Marlion Pickett in the ruck as a possible duo with Toby Nankervis to combat the likes of Collingwood’s Brodie Grundy.

Richmond will go into the game the $1.65 favourite, however, but it will be closer than what the bookies expect.

I think Richmond will win, but the 1-39 point bracket is your best bet in this one. 

best bet
Geelong v Hawthorn
Hawthorn @ $2.50

This match has Alistair Clarkson masterstroke written all over it.

Geelong has long campaigned, groaned, moaned, chest-beaten to play the likes of the Hawks at the Cattery and while it’s taken a global pandemic – they have finally got their wish (albeit with no fans allowed in the ground).

Ask any Cats fan and they will know deep-down this will backfire on them.

Right now Clarko has probably made the Hawthorn boys watch VHS tapes of the Hawks winning at Kardinia Park back in the day.

He’s pointed out to them that Hawthorn has actually won five out of their past seven games.

Clarko has said that he has a 100% winning rate as a coach at the venue (The one and only game he coached at the venue was the Hawks 52 point win over the Cats in Round 3, 2006)

Hawthorn is unbeaten at Geelong for 14 years.

Clarson has declared Kardinia Park “green grass with four goalposts at either end.” 

Much like playing in the Canberra snow, Hawthorn will embrace it.

The Cats will go in with a full-strength team, but we all know that a Geelong v Hawthorn game is all in the mind and right now they should check to see if they still have a cassette of the Hawks club song at the venue because they’ll need to play it at the end of the game.

Brisbane Lions v Fremantle
Brisbane Lions to win by 1-24 @ $2.90

The Lachie Neale Cup is now the Queensland Derby with the mighty Brisbane Lions (proudly sponsored by Neds) taking on Fremantle at the Gabba on Saturday afternoon.

Brisbane goes into this game favourite, but is coming off a 28 point loss to the Hawks way back in Round 1.

Freo just fell short to Essendon going down by a goal.

However those games were a very long time ago.

If there’s ever an opportunity for a club to make hay while the sun shines, it’s now for the Brisbane Lions.

The first of four straight home games at the Gabbatoir fortress and every win being vital in a reduced 17 round season.

If the Lions can get a hold of Nat Fyfe, they should be able to get the job done in this one.

Carlton v Melbourne
Carlton @ $2.50

They’ve long spoken about “green-shoots” at Carlton.

Well, given the extended period the Blues have had off the grass now is the time for Carlton’s turf to really show us what they are made of.

Melbourne played in the most recent game of football just after the season was put on hold and went down to West Coast by 27 points at Optus Stadium.

Carlton was actually impressive back in Round 1 and managed to kick 12 goals against the Tigers who looked scary in the first half.

The Blues are a massive chance in this one.

It’ll be interesting to see how Eddie Betts and Harry Mckay perform along with Patrick Cripps leading the way.

I’m backing the Blues at the solid $2.50 price as the underdogs in this one.

Port Adelaide v Adelaide
HT/FT Adelaide / Port Adelaide @ $7

The return of actual football being played couldn’t come quick enough for these two clubs.

Port Adelaide has been spending their time fighting with Collingwood over the right to wear the prison bar jumper and the Crows have been fighting amongst themselves.

Power fans will be sure to remind everyone that they have been on top of the ladder for the good part of 10 or so weeks, and while in normal circumstances that would have everyone talking premierships – it is indeed, only Round 2 and they did come off a big win over the Gold Coast Suns.

Port will go into this game with a likely full-strength side with the likes of Ollie Wines and Charlie Dixon returning.

The Crows are a work in progress and many are talking about a re-build.

There’s never a dull moment in the Showdown and both sides will make the most of it before they jet off to their Gold Coast hub.

I’m going with a Crows/Port half time/full time double to keep things interesting.

Gold Coast Suns v West Coast Eagles
West Coast Eagles by 60+ @ $4

The second of the Queensland Derbies for the weekend, as the proud Aussie Rules state sees the Gold Coast Suns take on the recently relocated West Coast Eagles.

Just who will rule the Gold Coast?

The answer is – The Eagles.

It’s been a busy time for West Coast having to relocate their entire football club to the other side of the country.

What impact that will have on the playing group will be interesting to see but I don’t see it resulting in a major upset from the Gold Coast Suns.

If West Coast were at their peak would have you looking at backing them at 100+ points against the Suns, but we think it’ll just be a 10 goal + win at their new home ground Metricon Stadium.

GWS GIANTS VS NORTH MELBOURNE
North Melbourne Line (+19.5) @ $1.90

GWS play host to North Melbourne in front of a potentially big crowd of 300 or so socially distanced corporates at Giants Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The Giants will be coming into this game after an impressive 32 point win over the Cats way back in March.

The Kangaroos, on the other hand, had an impressive two-point win over the Saints, coming back from 31 points down.

Clearly beating the Cats is more impressive than beating the Saints, but the Roos efforts were nothing to be sneezed (into your elbow) at.

North Melbourne will go into this game the clear underdog, however, they should never be written off.

The bookies have set the line at -19.5 and they should be able to cover it, giving the Giants a run for their money. 

Sydney v Essendon
Essendon to win by 1-39 @ $2.25

Joe Daniher won’t be playing in this clash so Sydney and Essendon will have nothing to play for?

That’s where you’re wrong.

They’ll have everything to play for! 

Both teams go into this game coming off some thrilling wins way back in Round 1. 

It’s worth pointing out that the Swans and Dons for the good part of 25 years have a serious rivalry resulting in some amazing moments and epic matchups.

We could be in for another cracker of a game this Sunday at the SCG.

While Joe Daniher and Orazio Fantasia won’t be in the mix to play for the Bombers, the likes of Cale Hooker and Dyson Heppell are likely to be selected.

For the Swans, sadly Buddy won’t be back any time soon.

The new superstar full-forward is Issac Heeney. 

He kicked a bag of four goals in the Swans thrilling three-point win over the Crows and if he keeps up that good form, Sydney fans will forget that Frankin ever existed (yeah, nah)

This could be the first time since South Melbourne moved to Sydney back in 1982 that old Kenny won’t be sitting behind the goals on the left-hand side of your TV screens.

If the NSW government does permit a limited amount of spectators for the weekends game, we plea that the Swans allow Kenny to be in his rightful place. 

It just wouldn’t feel right without him there.

As for the game itself, it should be another Swans-Dons thriller, but I expect Essendon should be too strong for them. 

St.Kilda v Western Bulldogs
Qtr by Qtr - St K/St K/St K/WB @ $21

It’s been a tough time waiting for Round 2 to come along for both clubs.

Way back in Round 1, the Saints blew a 31 point lead and went on to lose to North Melbourne.

The Western Bulldogs gave a softer performance than any pillow Tontine has manufactured with a 52-point loss to Collingwood.

The Josh Bruce Cup will add some spice to this matchup with the new Bulldog taking on his old mob.

This could be a thrilling contest to finish off Round 2.

I’m getting ambitious in this one and backing the Saints to lead for the first three quarters but the Bulldogs to get home with the win.

This game just has that kind of feel to it.