Sportsbet Blog

This weeks match of round 9 is The Pies V The Cats. It will be 2 weeks running where on Friday night both matches have been 1 v 2 on the ladder. It is set to be another great match against these clubs and defiantly one to watch.

Best Bet of Round Nine

This week I’m taking a four leg multi bet. Take Geelong, Sydney, Port and St Kilda to win paying a handy $8.92 with Sportsbet here.

Collingwood V Geelong Friday Night at the MCG

Tip: Geelong

Odds: Collingwood 2.09 Geelong 1.75

The match of round 9 should be a beauty! Both clubs are in near perfect form and will be going into the match with confidence.

I think Geelong will be able to win the game by exposing Collingwood’s younger players in the midfield and around the forward line in Chris Dawes, Steele Sidebottom and Dayne Beams.

North Melbourne V Western Bulldogs Saturday at Etihad Stadium

Tip: Western Bulldogs

Odds: North Melbourne 4.10 Bulldogs 1.24

The Bulldogs impressive win last week against Sydney showed their supporters that they can match it with class act sides and will dismantle the inexperienced North side early in the match.

Although the Bulldogs will be without key play-makers Murphy and Johnson they have enough depth to be able to cover them and should be able to win by over 39 points which is paying 2.85 at Sportsbet.

Sydney V Fremantle Saturday at the SCG

Tip: Sydney

Odds: Sydney 1.74 Fremantle 2.10

If this game was played over in the West it would have been much tougher to tip but being at the SCG the Swans should be right. They play great football on their home ground and the long flight over will only make it tougher for the Dockers.

Keep an eye out for Jarrad McVeigh for Sydney, his tackling pressure and fight for the ball last week was brilliant and will see him rack up a lot of dream team points again this round.

With added inspiration of the announcement of co-captain Brett Kirk’s retirement at the end of 2010 should see the Swans over the line.

Melbourne V Port Adelaide Saturday night at TIO Stadium (Darwin)

Tip: Port Adelaide

Odds: Melbourne 2.35 Port 1.60

Melbourne was very disappointing last week against West Coast in front of their high spirited home crowd, they seemed to go back to their 2009 ways and at times didnt look at all interested in the game. It will be hard for them to turn it around this week with the trip to Darwin and playing against Port who look to be a top 8 side this year.

Saturday is predicted to be 31 degrees and humid with chances of thunderstorms so expect a low scoring match. It might be worth chucking a few dollars on Port to win by under 24 points. Its currently paying 3.35 at Sportsbet but I’m tipping the odds to shorten if rain sets in so get your bets on early.

Essendon V Richmond Saturday Night at the MCG

Tip: Essendon

Odds: Essendon 1.28 Richmond 3.75

This could be one of the Dream time matches to remember with Richmond showing some spirit last week over the Hawks. Teams seem to lift at these big event games and upsets have been known to happen so don’t put your house on the line if your thinking about betting on this game.

The difference could be Essendon’s Tayte Pears and Kyle Reimers who are expected to return from injury for this match. Look for this weeks NAB Rising Star Jake Melksham, he played a handy part in the Bombers surprise win over the Saints and will be out to do the same again.

Adelaide V Brisbane Sunday at AAMI Stadium

Tip: Brisbane

Odds: Adelaide 2.18 Brisbane 1.69

Brisbane will bounce back this week after a heavy loss to Geelong and I expect Fev to start to get back into some form after a lackluster start with his new club.

Adelaide are getting deeper and deeper with poor form and a long injury list so I can’t see a way out for them against the Lions.

My prediction is the Lions by 40 points paying 4.65.

Carlton V Hawthorn Sunday at Etihad Stadium

Tip: Carlton

Odds: Carlton 1.36 Hawthorn 3.17

The Hawks have all but given up this season so expect the Blues to have a big win as they continue their way up the ladder.

Blues captain Chris Judd is in great form at the moment and looks unstoppable when he has the ball in his hands, the hawks don’t have a clear match-up for him and will dominate the game.

If your looking for a good bet on this match Carlton to be leading is paying $2.00. I think that’s pretty good value when looking at 1.37 for the straight win.

West Coast V St Kilda Sunday at Subiaco Oval

Tip: St Kilda

Odds: West Coast 2.01 St Kilda 1.81

This match has turned into a must win for St Kilda as they keep trying to reorganise their side with out Nick up forward.

The Saints last two losses have been against arguably the quickest teams in the AFL (Carlton and Essendon). They will be looking forward to playing West Coast who rely on height more than run and should be able to effectively play their defensive game.

Sam Fisher is slowly becoming accustom to his roll in the forward line so this match could be the one where he makes his mark on the game.

The Hyundai A-League is becoming incredibly competitive now that we move into round 9. What originally appeared as though it could be a blow-out 2009 A-league season now has three teams tied for first spot on the ladder.

Gold Coast United took their second loss in a row and third for the season last weekend while Perth Glory won and is now level on points with the top ranked side. Sydney FC, now ranked third, also took a loss.

The remaining 2 games saw Adelaide United take a much needed win while Wellington Phoenix and the Central Coast Mariners had a 0-0 stalemate.

Gold Coast United V Wellington Phoenix

8:00pm Friday Night at Skilled Park

Gold Coast United is in need of a win after losing their last two matches and I believe that they will get it this week. Wellington Phoenix is far from being the strongest outfit in the A-league and that will show on Friday night.

Tip: Gold Coast United – Odds of $1.41

Perth Glory V North Queensland Fury

3:30pm Saturday at ME Bank Stadium

This is a similar story to Friday night’s match. The Perth Glory is far too strong for North Queensland and I would expect them to unleash the fury on the Fury. In fact, I would be very surprised if the Perth side slots in less than 3 goals.

Tip: Perth Glory – Odds of $1.03

Melbourne Victory V Brisbane Roar

7:30pm Saturday at Etihad Stadium

This round 9 match-up will surely be quite competitive. The two teams are ranked equally only one point away from the A-league leaders. I wouldn’t expect a result better than a draw for either side here, but it should be a great game to watch.

Tip: Draw – Odds of $3.10

Sydney FC V Central Coast Mariners

3:00pm Sunday Afternoon at Sydney Football Stadium

Sydney FC has been near the top of the ladder all season so far and a loss here could very well see them fall a fair way down. The Central Coast Mariners have the perfect opportunity on Sunday to take at least a top 3 place and I would expect them to do so after Sydney FC’s recent form.

Tip: Central Coast Mariners – Odds of $3.05

Adelaide United V Newcastle Jets

4:30pm Sunday Afternoon at Hindmarsh Stadium

This should be another competitive game with both teams floating around the bottom of the ladder. Newcastle has lost their last 3 games and I would think that this will become number 4. Adelaide had a much needed win last week and they should easily do it again.

Tip: Adelaide United – Odds of $1.85

Round 9 saw the Western Bulldogs give Geelong their toughest test of the season so far, but they couldn’t quite get over the top of them losing by just two points. They did have a chance to grab the victory when Brad Johnson took a late mark giving himself a goal scoring opportunity. But like Carltons Brendan Fevola in round 6 Johnson choked under the pressure sealing the 116 to 114 win for Geelong. The Bulldogs looked good though and showed that will be one of the teams to watch when the finals come around after they fought their way back from 37 points down in the third. For the Cats, brownlow medal favourite Garry Ablett was in superb form on his return from injury, as was Steve Johnson who scored five majors. Can anyone stop Geelong powering to another title? At $2.05 you can get your freebet on them at sportsbet.com.au.

Carlton put in a disasterous 1st half display scoring only 5 points in their round 9 tie against Adelaide. It was a game that saw the worst of Carlton as they made a number of elementry mistakes, while Brendan Fevola sulked his way through another game fueling speculation that he won’t be at the club next year. Adelaide took their foot off the accelerator in the third quarter, but the truth is that Carlton were never in it. At sportsbet.com.au you can get odds of $3.00 that Carlton will miss out on the top eight all together.

The West Coast Eagles had started the year off pretty well, but now find themselves in the bottom four after they had the life squeezed out of them by Collingwood in their round 9 clash. Collingwood were missing five first choice forwards and were hoping that someone would step up to the plate and dominate play.  It was Leon Davis who took up the challenge taking 32 possesions and scoring three goals. Collingwood have had mixed start to the year and now sit in mid table, but at sportsbet.com.au you can get odds of $501.00 for the magpies to finish with the woodenspoon.

Fremantle were leading going in to the half time break but got over run in the second losing by 13 points against North Melbourne. North are struggling to attract crowds to their games at the moment and after watching this display it is pretty hard to understnd why. The Kangaroos showed a lot of heart and determination as well as some skill to claim a 98 to 85 victory in round 9. This victory is their fourth of the year and keeps them in the hunt for a finals spot. If you like the way that North Melbourne are playing at the moment why not back them to finish in the top four, you can get odds of $51.00 and a free bet at sportsbet.com.au

Another horror week ended in another defeat for the Richmond football club. The Tigers actually led their round 9 tie against Essendon at half time, but they seemed to implode as Essendon turned on the style in the second half to win 125 to 85. Jason Minderlich was outstanding for The Bombers as was Patrick Ryder who took a screaming mark over the heads of three Richmond players in the fourth quarter. At $1.95 Essendon are dead cert to be in the top eight at the end of the season go and get your free bet on them at sportsbet.com.au.

Sydney were simply sensational in the first quarter of their round 9 tie against Port Adelaide. They scored 8 goals 1 and restricted Port to just one goal. Barry Hall was back to his devastating best creating a host of opportunities and scoring two goals. the 123 to 68 victory leaves the Swans in 5th place on the ladder and looking good to be in the finals. Can Sydey actually go on to win the flag? Sportsbet.com.au has them at $41.00 to do just that.

St Kilda were lucky not to be rolled over by The Brisbane Lions after some inacurate kicking saw them go in to the fourth quarter 3 points behind. But in the end they just had too much power up fron with Nick “Dangerbolt” Riewoldt and Justin Koschitzke both scoring four while Leigh Montagna worked his socks off finishing with 33 possesions. Get you free bet on Dangerbolt winning the brownlow medal at sportsbet.com.au.

The reigning premiers Hawthorn haven’t had the best start to the season, but their round 9 victory over the Demons seemed to show that they are finally hitting their stride. Lance Franklin scored four goals while Jarryd Roughhead scored three and both of them porved to be too much for the Demons defence to deal with. Their had been question mark over the hunger or lack of it this year from Hawthorn but with some big names still to come back from injury they are now looking like they could be the team to beat in the second half of the year. At sportsbet.com.au you can get odds of $5.00 for The Hawks to win back to back flags.