Sportsbet Blog

Match Details

Saturday 20th March. 7:10pm at Etihad Stadium.

Sportsbet Odds

Western Bulldogs 1.91

St Kilda 1.91

Preview

The 2010 AFL season is yet to kick off and we already have an epic on our hands for the NAB Cup grand final.

If this game is half as good as the 2009 preliminary final against the two sides (where St Kilda went onto win by 7 points) we will be in for a cracker.

Both teams have played good footy (when needed) leading into the final showing off some new talent along the way which could be the telling part of Saturday nights game.

For the Saints Rhys Stanley and Ben McEvoy have inspired in the last few weeks and both have been named to play in the grand final. Their height and speed played a welcome part in last weeks 70 point dismantling of Fremantle.

The Bulldogs have answered their forward line critics from last year and recruited the perfect player to sit in the square Barry Hall. He has kicked some very important goals and taken some match winning marks in this NAB Cup series. He will be  a major worry for St Kilda’s back line which has been a little unorganised recently, especially in the two 1 point wins in rounds 1 and 2 of the NAB Cup.

The doggies have heaps to play for this weekend as it is their first grand final appearance of any type since 1970.

Both teams will be going into the grand final with near full strength sides. St Kilda has recalled Nick Riewoldt and Brendon Goddard while Daniel Giansiracusa and Ben Hudson are named to play the final for the Bulldogs.

The only major outs expected in the game will be St Kilda’s lead midfielder Lenny Hayes with a corked calf and Bulldog Captain Brad Johnson with an Achilles problem.

Tip and Best Bets

It will be a very close game with both teams matching up well around the ground. Barry Hall will be the deciding factor in the game. You can put him down for at least two to three goals and I think this could be the final margin.

Bulldogs by 15 points

I like Bulldogs between 1-19 with Sportsbet paying $4.50 (see here for latest odds). If the Bulldogs get a couple of goals up late in the match with will slow the game down and scoring will scares.

For the more conservative punter, Sportsbet have a betting market for either team to win by under 15.5 points. I think there plenty of value in this bet at $3.10 and will be putting a few dollars on it.

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