Adelaide Crows vs Western Bulldogs: Predictions, Odds & Betting Tips

As far as finals dark horses go, the Dogs just about tick all the boxes. 

Downing the Pies in Scott Pendlebury and Steele Sidebottom’s final game in black and white is a scalp all on its own, but the way Luke Beveridge’s forward line functioned must have fans of the Kennel excited. 

A healthy Cody Weightman and Aaron Naughton (who may be in doubt this week with a hamstring) were always the keys to success with Sam Darcy missing, but it helps knowing you can fall back on arguably the best player in the competition, Marcus Bontempelli. 

The Dogs’ crisp ball movement and ability to launch the ball forward after dominating the clearances makes them the most impressive and dangerous team to emerge from the Wildcard Round, at least in my opinion. 

They will be a serious handful for a Crows side that has dark horse claims themselves, especially if Adelaide shows up playing the same brand of high pressure footy that they’ve become known for across the year. 

The retiring Taylor Walker arrives in good nick after booting a bag in the final game of the regular season against the Giants, while Callum Ah Chee is a handy replacement for the injured Zac Taylor.  

The Dogs were great last week, but keep in mind they could have lost that game if Tim Membrey kicked straight on the siren.  

With question marks still on their back line – a flaw the Crows exposed when they kicked 19 goals against the Dogs in Round 14 – this could be where the Dogs season comes to a close. 

Prediction: Crows to Cover the Line (-13.5 Points) @ $1.90 

Value: Crows to Win & Over 167.5 Total Points @ $2.70 

Player Pick: Josh Rachele 2+ Goals @ $2.20