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Here are the 2009 AFL Round 22 tips from the Celebrity Experts.

Sam Lane is surprisingly leading all the other experts below in 2009 with 123 correct. She has had an exceptional year and should finish off well,  although she has tipped Geelong to win by 100 points and also predicted 1 point wins to the Crows and Bulldogs.

Take a look at SportsbetBlog’s  round 22 AFL tips here for a full preview with odds of the weekends games.

Melbourne looks set to rival Sydney on stars this weekend, with many famous names at Caulfield to race. The Group 2 1400m Memsie Stakes has most of these stars, including last year’s Melbourne Cup winner Viewed and Cox Plate winner El Segundo.

The Memsie Stakes is traditionally a warm-up race for horses that are really looking further ahead in the Spring Carnival. Last year’s winner was Weekend Hussler, and other winners include Miss Finland, Sunline and Makybe Diva, who went on to win her third Melbourne Cup later on that year.

Typhoon Tracy is one of the babies of the race. The Coolmore Classic winner, who came third in the J.J Liston Stakes a few weeks ago, is no stranger to challenge. But it will be interesting to see how she copes with this race.

I like experienced racer Orange County. Although he has not won since September last year, he has done well in recent races, including the Group 3 Bletchingly Stakes, he is a tough runner and should be near to his best racing, unlike those coming straight off a spell.

El Segundo is out for revenge. He hopes to beat Mic Mac, the four year old who beat him earlier this month in the Aurie’s Star Handicap. He will prefer the weight-for-age system of the Memsie Stakes, and is a big chance to join Sir Boom and Sunline as the only horses to have won two Memsie Stakes.

Fiumicino looks a good horse, but I think he is better suited to longer distance races. He has raced 1400m five times, and only managed one place. Like so many others, Efficent has not raced well since his last win. He has not even managed a place since the 2007 Melbourne Cup, so hopefully he can get a good result here.

El Segundo and Orange County are my first two picks, because they both run well over this distance and have much-needed experience. I also like Whobegotyou and the old warhorse Valedictum and is worth an each-way bet.

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My Tips:

El Segundo
Orange County
Whobegotyou
Valedictum

We are beginning to see what each team has to offer now that the Hyundai A-League moves in to round four. The new coming team Gold Coast United has made a dream start to their A-League campaign with three straight wins to start the season. Gold Coast United is now leading the A-League by 2 points after Sydney FC participated in a disappointing stale-mate against the Central Coast Mariners on Saturday.

The second new soccer team in the Hyundai A-League, North Queensland Fury, has made a dreadful start to their campaign and need to do something quick. Suffering three losses from three games and conceding an average of three goals per game, any hopes are quickly flying out the window.

Shane Smeltz of Gold Coast United continues to lead the league in goals scored after bringing his total up to five goals last weekend. Smeltz is also currently leading the league in attempts on target with a total of 7.

So far, Danny Kukovic of the Central Coast Mariners is doing the best in goal with a total of seven saves. He is being closely followed by Eugene Galekovic and Tando Velaphi who have both made six saves.

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My tips for round 4 are as follows.

Friday 28^th August @ 7.30pm

Adelaide United FC vs. North Queensland Fury

Adelaide united will be looking to take a win in this one, especially after their 2-0 defeat last week. Meanwhile, North Queensland Fury has made a dreadful start to the season and I would expect it to continue. The match will be played at Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide.

My Prediction – Adelaide United. Final Score 1-0 with odds of $6.50 @ Centrebet.com.au

Friday 28^th August @ 8pm

Perth Glory FC vs. Melbourne Victory FC

With two closely matched sides such as these, I believe that the best bet would be placed on a draw. Melbourne Victory is the more likely winner in my books, but hard to make a clear decision. This second game for Friday night will be played at ME Bank Stadium, Perth.

I’m Tipping – Draw. Final Score 1-1 with odds of $6.50 @ CentreBet.com.au

Saturday 29^th August @ 3pm

Brisbane Roar FC vs. Central Coast Mariners FC

To be played at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane and in my opinion the Brisbane Roar is the team that will take the points here. My prediction is a 2-0 loss for the Central Coast as I simply cannot see them taking the victory.

My Tip – Brisbane Roar. Final score 2-1 with odds of $9 @ CentreBet.com.au

Sunday 30^th August @ 3pm

Newcastle Jets FC vs. Gold Coast United

If the Gold Coast United loses here I would be mighty surprised. After their excellent start to the season and a great 2-0 win last week, they should be able to destroy Newcastle with relative ease. The match will be played at EnergyAustralia Stadium in Newcastle on Sunday.

My Tip – Gold Coast United. Final Score 2-0 with odds of $7 @ CentreBet.com.au

Sunday 30^th August @ 5pm

Sydney FC vs. Wellington Phoenix FC

The Wellington Phoenix will struggle here in my opinion. Sydney FC has them very much outclassed and should easily be able to continue their undefeated streak. This will be another win for Sydney FC.

My Tip – Sydney FC. Final Score 2-1 paying out at $8 @ CentreBet.com.au

The last weekend of August sees us head off to Spa for the F1 Belgian Grand Prix. This comes one week after the recent foray around the streets of Valencia. Funnily enough, it may have been the dullest race of the season that has decided the result of the formula one championship. In Valencia, Red Bull was unable to score any points while Brawn GP took a win plus a few points.

Jenson Button ($2.84 for a podium finish) now leads the championship by 18 points of team-mate Rubens Barichello. To be realistic, Rubens Barichello ($27 for a Qualifying/Winner Double) is unlikely to challenge Button for the championship lead. It was only because of a poor start by Jenson Button coupled with a bit of bad luck that led to a disproportionate gap between the Brawn drivers. Button was only a fraction off of Barichello’s pace and his fastest lap was a few hundredths of a second quicker than Rubens. With the Formula 1 Drivers Championship now Button’s to lose, BetFair is paying odds of $1.59 for Jenson Button to become the 2009 driver’s champion.

The 2009 Belgian GP will be all about carrying last week’s form forward for the boys at Brawn GP. They were able to regain the upper hand over challengers Red Bull in Valencia and will be looking to consolidate their championship lead. Brawn GP is tipped to win the 2009 Constructors Championship and Betfair is paying odds of $1.47. The main challengers for the two Brawn drivers will once again be Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen and Mark Webber. Vettel’s championship race is all but over after using two of his three remaining engines in Valencia. The Spa-Francorchamps circuit is renowned for the stress that it causes on engines with the majority of circuit time being at full-throttle. This will benefit the teams with a more reliable vehicle.

My tip is, Raikkonen and Hamilton ($5.10 for Pole Position) will hold the advantage at Spa as the slow exit from La Source is a perfect place to hunt down opponents for those cars equipped with KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System).The driver’s that are able to get to top speed the quickest will have the advantage with the long, uphill drag to Eau Rouge. This is then followed by the one kilometre long Kemmel straight.

Red Bull ($3.30 for the Constructors Championship) was considering fitting KERS to their cars for this race, but it has now been confirmed that it won’t happen. The hope that they could get it set-up and running nicely on their cars in time was foolish. I would not be surprised to see a podium of KERS users.

For the likes of Mark Webber ($5.50 for a Win), this is a very important race. He will need to take points out of Jenson Button if he wants any chance at winning the 2009 drivers title. I see this as unlikely after last week’s disappointing performance. However, Red Bull has proven that they are fast in the wet and the Spa circuit is notorious for providing poor weather conditions.

There are also a large number of drivers who will be racing for their futures on Sunday. Nico Rosberg has been impressive this season and will be looking to build on his streak of points finishes. Kazuki Nakajima will need to start winning some points if he wants to be driving next year and Kubica has raised his game since BMW announced that they would be pulling out of Formula One. Kubica may be lucky enough to secure himself a drivers’ seat at Renault, Toyota or even Williams next year if he can score some points this weekend. Jarno Trulli has been dumped by Toyota and needs to pull something out of his sleeve if he wishes to continue racing. Fisichella and Heidfeld are two more drivers who are in desperate need of a points finish.

The rookies, Grosjean and Alguersuari both performed reasonable last week and Luca Badoer showed everyone why he hasn’t had a driver’s seat since 1999. There are rumours circling that Ferrari may use their last driver change after the race at a Spa.

My prediction is a podium consisting of Jenson Button in first place, Kimi Raikkonen ($2.52 for a podium finish) in second followed by Lewis Hamilton in third.

There are now only two rounds to be played in the 2009 home and away season for the NRL and the fight is on for the remaining top 8 positions. For a number of teams, the next 2 weeks are either do or die with the close of competition drawing nearer.

No-one will really want to lose in this weekend round 25 games and all the teams will be looking for good form to finish the season with. Those teams who simply can’t find it will not last long in the NRL finals.

All the following odds are from BetFair. Betfair is the best when it comes to NRL betting and they allow bets to be placed in a few different ways including what the winning margin will be and first scoring play. For more information about what BetFair has to offer, check out our review here.

My Round 24 tips are as follows.

Friday August 28^th @ 7.35pm

North Queensland Cowboys vs. Brisbane Broncos

One of many games this round that will help shape the NRL finals. The Broncos are currently in 7^th place with 28 points while the Cowboys are 11^th with 24 points. A hard one to call, but I believe that the Brisbane Broncos will take home the win and secure their finals position.

My Prediction is – Brisbane Broncos with odds of $1.45 @ BetFair

Friday August 28^th @ 7.35pm

Parramatta Eels vs. Penrith Panthers

With the Panthers sitting in 8^th position and the Eels in 9^th, this is bound to be a great game. Both teams are currently tied on points and both want to play in the NRL finals. I believe that the Eels will get up in the end and possibly run away with it.

My Tip – Parramatta Eels ($1.42 @ BetFair)

Saturday August 29^th @ 5.30pm

Gold Coast Titans vs. West Tigers

Although I believe the Titans will be too good in this match-up, I do believe that the West Tigers will give them a run for their money. The West Tigers need a win here if they are to have any chance of playing in the finals.

My Tip – Gold Coast Titans ($1.40 @ BetFair)

Saturday August 29^th @ 7.30pm

Melbourne Storm vs. Sydney Roosters

Melbourne Storm is yet another team that could definitely use a win. Currently sitting in fourth place on the ladder, the Storm would like to keep it that way. Meanwhile the Roosters are sitting in last place and will simply be awaiting the season end.

My Tip – Melbourne Storm ($1.13 @ BetFair)

Saturday August 29^th @ 2pm

South Sydney vs. St. George Illawarra

After losing their last 2 games, the Dragons really need to do something here. Since they are up against the struggling Rabbitohs, St. George Illawarra should have no trouble in maintaining their number one position on the NRL ladder.

My Tip – St. George Illawarra ($1.19 @ BetFair)

Sunday August 30^th @ 2pm

Manly Sea Eagles vs. Cronulla Sharks

The great Sea Eagles will be flying high in this match. Faced with the possibility of losing their top 8 position, they will be looking for nothing but a win. Against the likes of Cronulla, I am 100% sure that they will have no trouble taking the win.

My Tip – Manly Sea Eagles ($1.11 @ BetFair)

Sunday August 30^th @ 3pm

Bulldogs vs. New Zealand Warriors

In my opinion the Bulldogs have this one in the bag. New Zealand has very little left to play for while the Bulldogs have a great opportunity to seize top position on the ladder. I cannot see the Warriors winning this match, even if the Bulldogs stay home.

My Tip – Bulldogs ($1.22 @ BetFair)

Monday August 31^st @ 7pm

Canberra Raiders vs. Newcastle Knights

Set to be an excellent game on Monday night. This game will be a fight to the finish as both teams will be pushing hard for victory. The Newcastle Knights will be looking for the win to maintain their top 8 position; meanwhile the Raiders will be looking to take it away from them.

I’m Tipping – Canberra Raiders ($2 @ BetFair)

This Saturday’s 2009 Group 1 Golden Rose is the epiphany of races for three year old horses in Australia. Worth one million dollars, the event is a major crowd-puller for Australian racing. 15 horses have been accepted from a nomination field of 63, and the list is far from disappointing.

Star gelding Phelan Ready (with odds of $6.00 at Centrebet) will race, hoping to do better than his third in the Premiere Stakes two weeks ago. He is back to racing against horses his age, which will be a major factor considering the two horses that beat him in the Premiere Stakes, Kroner and Mentality are 5 and 6 year olds respectively.

The impressive Shellscrape (with odds of $14.00), who has won four races and failed to place in only one of his 11 starts, will jump from barrier 8. He finished a close second to surprise winner Rarefied in last week’s Up and Coming Stakes, and ran a fantastic race to win the San Domenico Stakes earlier this month.

Headway ($10.00), who finished second to Phelan Ready in this year’s Golden Slipper, also looks like some value. She finished second in the listed Quezette Stakes two weeks ago after coming off a four month spell. She is up against the boys this week, which will be tough, but consider her for an each way bet.

I like Denman (2.70), the colt who has won his last four starts. The Golden Rose will be a major step up in class, considering his only race at Group level was a Group 3, and it will also be the first time he has raced 1400m. But you can’t fault his racing so far, or his pedigree – his father is champion Lonhro – and I think he will be right up there with the more experienced racers.

Another one to watch out for is Trusting ($5.00), who may be without number one jockey Chris Munce, but certainly not without a chance. The colt won the Warwick Stakes last Saturday at Randwick ahead of older and more experienced runners. While he may have only raced three times, Trusting has jumped straight into Group Racing and performed well.

I think the favourite Denman should win, but I think he may be a little short. There are plenty of horses that could beat him, including Shellscrape and Headway. I also think Trusting will run a good race and you can count on Phelan Ready to give it his all. With so many horses, it looks like a job for a box trifecta.

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My Tips:

Denman

Trusting

Phelan Ready

Shellscrape

Update: See the 2010 Round 22 tips here

The last week of the Home and Away season and Round 22 holds many very important games that will change the way we look at some teams going into the AFL finals. The biggest of all will be the Collingwood V Western Bulldogs game. The winner can secure 3rd position on the ladder and have the opportunity of playing the out of form Geelong first up in the finals.

Another huge game will be Hawthorn V Essendon. The winner of this match takes the final spot of the top 8 and sends the loser packing.

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West Coast V Richmond Friday Night at Subiaco Oval

Tip: West Coast

The Eagles have been in good form in the last couple of weeks (except for the belting the faced at AAMI stadium last weekend) winning 3 of their last 4 games. They will finish the season on a good note in front of their home ground. Lets hope Ben Cousins doesn’t decide to stay in WA for the weekend and meet up with a few of his “old” mates now that Richmond’s season will be over.

Take West Coast between 1-39 points with odds of 2.50 at IASbet

Geelong V Fremantle Saturday at Skilled Stadium

Tip: Geelong

The Cats will be pleased that they have one of the easiest tasks in football playing Freo at Skilled Stadium. They desperately need a good win to halt the free-fall they have suffered in recent weeks. Tom Harley, Steve Johnson (50/50) and James Kelly are set to come back along with Brad Ottens who stared in the VFL last week.

The Cats will win on Saturday its just a matter of by how much. My prediction is about 45 points that will see them back up and going as they start their finals campaign.

I’m tipping the Cats here by over 40 points at 1.45 with IASbet.

Hawthorn V Essendon Saturday at the MCG

Tip: Essendon

The atmosphere at this game will be huge but with no Buddy there’s no Hawks. Both teams are desperate to play finals footy, they will be going hard at the ball playing like it will be their last. Mark McVeigh knows it may be his final AFL game after announcing his retirement earlier this month so expect a best on ground performance from him this weekend.

A winning result here will depend alot on Essendons final team for the Saturday game. Matthew Lloyd and Paddy Ryder are both a chance to play the blockbuster clash for Essendon.

Max Bailey has been a welcome inclusion in the ruck with 23 hit outs last week for the Hawks. He has been sidelined for two years with successive knee reconstructions and will be one to watch especially if Paddy Rider is out of the Essendon team.

Even though Essendon have the shorter break and the WA return trip I think they will have enough to snatch the victory in a close one.

Go Essendon for the straight win here at around 1.95

Carlton V Adelaide Saturday Night at Etihad Stadium

Tip: Adelaide

Although Rob Shirley and Nathan Bock have been ruled out of this home final deciding match Adelaide’s Brett Burton is likely to take the field. I think they have enough depth in the team which should be enough to see them over the line.

Adelaide also have the added bonus of a club ban given to Blues players Eddie Betts, Cameron Cloke and Jeff Garlett after they were late to a training session on the weekend.

IASbet have Carlton as 1.70 favourites to the Crows 2.15 but the Blues inexperience will show on the weekend and the classy Adelaide midfield should get the points.

Jason Porplyzia will be the key to the match after a 6 goal effort last weekend, he has been in fine form of late and should do well at Etihad on Saturday.

With odds of 6.50 at IASbet the Blues/Crows Halftime/Fulltime bet looks good value here.

Sydney V Brisbane  Friday Saturday at the SCG

Tip: Brisbane

A win here will see Brisbane host a home final next week so they will be out to get a comfortable win at the SCG. That being said the Lions are still looking at the big picture not risking backman Daniel Merrett and goal kicking Daniel Bradshaw this weekend to make sure they are 100% for the finals.

I’d expect Michael Rischitelli to play more time up forward along with Brown after his 3 goals in last weekends massive comeback over Port.  I think they have enough talent to kick a winning score.

Take Brisbane for the straight win at 2.05

Port Adelaide V North Melbourne Saturday Night at AAMI Stadium

Tip: Port Adelaide

Port will be out to end the season on a high in what could be club star Peter Burgoyne final match. They suffered a shocking loss last weekend after a 10 goal first quarter all but kicking them out of finals contention. Power needs the Hawks to have a narrow win over Essendon (which is possible) but then they need to thrash North 100+ points to scrape into the 8. Stranger things have happened but it’s a very tough ask.

In front of their home ground I expect Port to have a win.

Take Port by under 39 points at 2.20.

Melbourne V St Kilda  Sunday at the MCG

Tip: St Kilda

St Kilda need to get their game back on track or an early exit from the finals could be on the cards. Its the Saints 1st game this year on the MCG so I expect they will bring in a full team to take as much out of the game as possible.

Luke Ball played a best on ground performance in the VFL last week and is expected to be picked for the team. Lenny Hayes is also expect to make a return to the side after a minor injury ruled him out prematch and although the Saints have been playing down Nick Riewoldt’s knee injury I wouldn’t be surprised if he is a late withdrawal from the game to make sure he is fit for the finals.

Max Hudghton is also right to rejoin the backline after false speculation his hamstring was re-injured in the VFL last weekend.

St Kilda by 40+ points with odds of 1.40 at IASbet is a good bet and although short I think its worth taking.

Collingwood V Western Bulldogs Sunday Afternoon at Etihad Stadium

Tip: Collingwood

One of the games of the round which will show what form both teams are going into the finals with. A win here will give the winning team a alot of confidence going into next week that they are a genuine chance for the flag. A loss will be costly for both teams, so both will be treating it as the start of the finals.

I think the Pies will win here, they have the combination of height (Josh Fraser), class (Dane Swan) and speed (Leon Davis) will see the Bulldogs struggle to keep the football.

I think there value for the Pies here. IASbet have set the odds at 1.73 for them win.

As we come closer to the Finals tips become more and more important so following the Expert/Celebrity tips can pay off.

They put alot of time into their tips each week knowing a massive amount of people that don’t know much about tipping the winners will be following them each week.

I like Mike Sheahan’s and Ex Essendon star and future coach James Hird’s tips this week and think their winning margins all look about right as well.

The Up and Coming Stakes is one of two Group 3 races at Randwick on Saturday. Run over 1200m, there is a cool $125,000 in prize money up for grabs. The race is specifically for three year old colts and geldings.

Of all the racers in the Up and Coming Stakes, I like Sniplaz the best. While I didn’t give him a chance in the San Domenico Stakes a few weeks ago, he came out and proved me wrong, and probably would have won if he wasn’t blocked for a run. He still managed an impressive second, and will be back to his preferred 1200m, where he has won twice. He is currently paying $8.50 at Centrebet so at these odds there’s plenty of value for him this weekend.

You can’t discount Shellcrape ($3.20), who did win the San Domenico Stakes. He beat several horses in this race and is very experienced for a three year old. From his ten starts, he has won four times, and placed in five others.

Another one to watch for is the Gai Waterhouse Judicial ($35.00). Unlike other three year olds in the race, he has had hardly any experience. He has raced once for a win, but this will be a significant step up in class for him, though I am sure Waterhouse would not enter him into a race like this unless she had confidence in him.

I’d stay away from the accident prone Winter King ($7.50). He has had problems in four of his seven starts, and although he may have won three races, this is a major step up in class.

I’m going to go for Sniplaz in this race. Hopefully he can get out into the open easily and run away with it. Then I’m going with Shellscrape, and the “Up and Coming” Judicial. My fourth tip is the impressive Onemorenomore, who is coming off a three month break, but has probably the best result of any of the runners, a first in the Group 1 Champagne Stakes.

My Tips:

1st. Sniplaz

2nd. Shellscrape

3rd. Judicial

All the classy races and horses this weekend can be found at Randwick, with three Group races on the card. The 2009 Group 2 Warwick Stakes is probably the best example, with big name horses, trainers and jockeys to fight out the $150,000 race, run over 1400m.

16 horses have been nominated, the field limit, but there are sure to be scratchings leading up to the day. Horses nominated include one Gai Waterhouse’s five runners for the day, Dreamscape; veteran gelding Vision and Power; and last year’s winner, Racing to Win.

There will be a nostalgic feeling about the race if the relatively untried O’Lonhro races. The Hawkes trained stallion is the son of Lonhro, a former winner of this race, and of course, a champion racehorse.

Court Command, the experienced stallion, has not really impressed at Group level recently and hasn’t won a race above Group 3. However, after a much-needed spell and an impressive win first-up, this might be the time for Court Command to step it up a level.

Unlike Court Command, New Zealand gelding Metal Bender has impressed at a Group level, and has won two Group ones and placed in another. However, he will be racing first-up after a three month break so it will be interesting to see how he copes.

More Than Great, who was ran second in last week’s Run to The Rose is another one to watch.  However, if his owners and trainer still plan on running him in next week’s Golden Rose at Rosehill, it will be unlikely that he will race on Saturday. If he does race, though, he will definitely be one to look out for.

This race will be a milestone for 8 year old Mr. Baritone. The Warwick Stakes will be the gelding’s 50th race. However, he has not won for over a year and although I hope he can get over the top here, I think it might be past him.

This race could be won by any of five or six horses. I like Metal Bender, but if you take a bet on him, remember the first-up factor. I think that Court Commander should take his racing to another level here, and Racing to Win, who hasn’t raced a lot since winning this race, should perform. I also like the thought of an each-way bet on More Than Great, if he races.

My Tips:

Court Command
Metal Bender
Racing to Win
Vision and Power

There is some juicy prices for this race and Betfair always offer the best odds. Checkout the Betfair site for the latest odds for this race