Adelaide Crows v Richmond Tigers
Thursday, March 29 7:50pm, Adelaide Oval
After an exciting Round 1, Round 2 starts with the much anticipated Grand Final rematch between the Tigers and Crows. From that GF loss, the Crows have added Bryce Gibbs and he was excellent against the Bombers. However, the Crows lost by 2 goals and they struggled in the last quarter. The Tigers also played in a tough battle and closed out the match with a dominant fourth quarter. Dustin Martin continued his Brownlow form of last season and he’ll be the key again. Both sides are missing a few players with injuries so that opens this contest up. The Crows missed Walker and Lynch up forward as they were held under 100 points. Richard Douglas is also out with suspension. The Tigers have a strong defence led by Alex Rance and they should be able to keep this close. Their record isn’t great in Adelaide but they’ll take confidence from the GF win over the Crows last season.
Stadium Record
Adelaide is 2-0 against the Tigers at this venue and won 140-64 in the last meeting. The Tigers are 3-4 at the Adelaide Oval.
Head to Head Record
The Crows went 2-1 against the Tigers last season and won both regular season matches.
Best Bet
North Melbourne Kangaroos v St Kilda Saints
Friday, March 30 4:20pm, Etihad Stadium
Good Friday footy is back this time with the Kangaroos up against the Saints. After last week, this could be another tough matchup for the Kangas. They played in terrible conditions up north and could only manage 39 points against the Suns. Meanwhile, the Saints earned their first victory of the season at this venue with a decent win over the Lions. They love playing at Etihad and their midfield will likely have a field day here. They beat the Kangaroos by 49 points in the last meeting so I can see them covering the line in Round 2.
Stadium Record
St Kilda won here last week and they’re now 6-1 at Etihad. North Melbourne has lost 7 straight matches at Etihad.
Head to Head Record
The Saints went 2-0 against them last season with a 127-78 victory in the last meeting.
Best Bet
Carlton Blues v Gold Coast Suns
Saturday, March 31 1:45pm, Etihad Stadium
Saturday afternoon kicks off with an interesting clash at Etihad. The Blues looked good against the Tigers last week but lack of experience probably cost them in the end. The pleasing sign was they kicked over 90 points, something they struggled to do all last season. For the Suns, the wet conditions in Cairns worked in their favour as they beat the Roos by 16 points. So they should enjoy the better conditions at Etihad. They won this matchup earlier last season 108-82 at the same venue. So they can challenge the Blues and keep this close.
Stadium Record
The Suns are 3-13 at Etihad in their history but they did beat the Blues here last season. Carlton is 2-1 at Etihad with impressive wins over Hawthorn and the Giants.
Head to Head Record
The Suns are 2-1 against the Blues since 2016. Carlton won the last meeting 83-73.
Best Bet
Collingwood Magpies v GWS Giants
Saturday, March 31 4:35pm, MCG
The Giants showed their Premiership credentials in Round 1 as they thrashed the Bulldogs in Canberra. Their midfield is really impressive and Jeremy Cameron was the beneficiary with 6 goals. They now face a Collingwood side that struggled in Round 1. The Magpies are missing key pieces up forward and the fact that Darcy Moore was moved around last week shows they’re a bit unsure of their best lineup. So they will lack the scoring options to beat the Giants. They also struggle to contain key midfields (eg Tom Mitchell) so the likes of Kelly, Coniglio and co should have a field day. They Giants have struggled to win on the MCG but I can see that changing in this matchup.
Stadium Record
Collingwood lost at the MCG last week and they’ve now lost 6 of the last 8 here. The Giants are 1-11 at the MCG in their history.
Head to Head Record
The Giants won the last meeting by 3 points, however the Magpies are 5-1 against them.
Best Bet
Brisbane Lions v Melbourne Demons
Saturday, March 31 7:25pm, Gabba
The Demons head to the Gabba after another close loss in Round 1. Max Gawn had the chance to beat the Cats in the last minute but missed the shot. So the Demons will be looking to rebound against an improved Lions side. With the recruitment of Luke Hodge and Charlie Cameron, the Lions have a bit more experienced players out there now. They played well against the Saints last week and just fell away in the end. Melbourne is a similar side and they should be confident of keeping this close at home in Round 2. The Lions are 13-10 ATS since last season and the Demons are just 8-15 ATS.
Stadium Record
Melbourne haven’t played at the Gabba since 2013 and they’ve lost the last two. The Lions went 3-8 at the Gabba last season.
Head to Head Record
The Demons are 3-0 against the Lions since 2015. They won last season’s matchup 104-91.
Best Bet
Fremantle Dockers v Essendon Bombers
Saturday, March 31 7:40pm, Optus Stadium
Fremantle is back at home in Round 2 and they’ll play their first AFL men’s match at Optus Stadium. They were poor last week in a 50 point loss against the Power. They lacked accurate kicking skills and they need Nat Fyfe to carry them over the line in most matches, which is a tough ask. They do have a good record against the Bombers in Perth (4-0). However, the new stadium should help Essendon. It looks like a mini MCG and that suits the Bombers nicely. They’re coming off an impressive comeback win over the Crows in Round 1. Down at three quarter time, they kicked away in the fourth quarter to start the season with 4 points. That should give them a ton of confidence against a Dockers side that just got smashed. Freo will likely find it hard to stop the likes of Daniher up forward and that will be the major difference in a Bombers victory.
Stadium Record
This is the first match for both sides at this venue.
Head to Head Record
Last season, the Bombers won at home 107-92 and the Dockers won at Subiaco 116-79.
Best Bet
Western Bulldogs v West Coast Eagles
Sunday, April 1 3:20pm, Etihad Stadium
Both the Bulldogs and Eagles are coming off losses in Round 1 so an 0-2 start will be on their minds. For the Bulldogs, they were easily beaten by the Giants in Canberra. Tom Liberatore went down with an ACL so their season could not of started worse. With a few other defenders out, the Bulldogs are going to struggle in the early rounds. West Coast were gallant in defeat against the Buddy powered Swans. But they should be confident against the Bulldogs who lack a tall forward. The Eagles should dominate the midfield with Gaff and Shuey. Also Nic Nat looked awesome in his first match back, albeit on limited game time. They won both matches against the Bulldogs last season so they’re good value at the line.
Stadium Record
The Eagles are 1-2 at Etihad, but all three have been decided by under 10 points. The Bulldogs are 7-4 at Etihad since last season.
Head to Head Record
West Coast won both meetings last season, including a 7 point win at this venue.
Best Bet
Sydney Swans v Port Adelaide Power
Sunday, April 1 4:40pm, SCG
This should be another cracking contest as the Swans and Power meet at the SCG on Sunday afternoon. In Round 1, both sides recorded fairly comfortable wins. The Swans beat the Eagles in Perth thanks to Buddy Franklin’s 8 goals. While the Power thrashed the Dockers at home by 50 points. The additions of Motlop and Watts looked to have worked already as they played well in the win. They won the last matchup against Sydney 110-82 at this venue as well. The Swans have improved since then, especially defensively. Also, the injury to Patty Ryder hurts the Power in the ruck. So I can see Sydney winning by a few goals in the end. Buddy is in great form and the Power will find it hard to stop him. Dan Hannebery also returns from injury for this clash.
Stadium Record
Sydney is 7-0 at the SCG since mid last season. The Power broke a 7 match losing streak at the SCG with their victory last season.
Head to Head Record
Since 2015, Sydney is 2-1 against the Power.
Best Bet
Geelong Cats v Hawthorn Hawks
Monday, April 2 3:20pm, MCG
Round 2 concludes with the traditional Easter rivalry between the Cats and Hawks. Last season’s matchup wasn’t close as the Cats won 134-48, but Hawthorn have improved since then. In Round 1 this season, they comfortably beat the Magpies at the MCG. Tom Mitchell was the star with 54 disposals. O’Meara looks fit again and Sicily’s move to defence has improved their ability to stop sides. For the Cats, they secured 4 points against the Demons in a very lucky win. However, they were missing Dangerfield and a few others. It was great to see Ablett back in the Geelong colours and his combination with Selwood was fantastic to watch. Dangerfield should return for this clash and that gives them favouritism. They’ve also won 4 straight matches against the Hawks. It’s usually a close contest in this matchup and the 1-39 is good value for the Cats.
Stadium Record
Geelong won at the MCG last week and now have a 4-1 record. The Hawks also won here last week and have a 3-2 record.
Head to Head Record
Geelong is 4-0 against the Hawks and won the last meeting 88-85.
Best Bet
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