AFL 2020: What are the best footy bets for this season after revamped draw?
Footy is back. And for those who don’t mind playing the long game, there are plenty of betting markets on the board. From picking the top four, to the Brownlow Medal, check out the best futures bets for 2020.
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Footy is back!
And for those with the patient gene, now is the time to get your long-term bets on for 2020.
Following this week’s fixture announcement, TAB has opened a number of big markets for the upcoming season.
So for all the Round 2 odds and our best value future picks, check out the early bets that have caught our eye.
Geelong to make the top 4 @ $3.50
When the revamped AFL draw came out, was there a bigger winner than the Cats?
It now looks like they will play all their home games at GMHBA Stadium, where they have a 90 per cent winning record over their past 20 games.
While Tim Kelly is a big loss, this is still predominantly the same group that was 12-2 through 14 weeks last year and finished the season on top of the ladder.
No doubt the Cats are an older squad and that showed in the way they finished last year’s home and away season, going 5-5 down the stretch.
But this year’s shorter format plays right into their hands. They have strong leaders at every position which should give punters plenty of confidence they can handle whatever is thrown at them.
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Brisbane to make the 8 @ $1.70
The Lions are a tough one to read.
Dating back to Round 23 last year, they’ve lost four games in a row, which included a straight sets finals exit.
There also wasn’t much to like about their Round 1 loss to Hawthorn.
However, the fixture gods have smiled on them and Chris Fagan’s men simply must cash in.
Brisbane will play its next four games at home against Fremantle, West Coast, Adelaide and Port Adelaide.
That means in 2020 there will be no road trips to Perth Stadium or Adelaide Oval. That is as big as it gets.
No doubt there will be some pain at the back end of the draw but I’d much rather be on the team that starts the year with everything in its favour than a team that will need to make up wins in the race to the finish.
Gold Coast Suns most losses @ $1.70
There was plenty of positivity about the Suns over the off-season and there is no doubt the likes of Ben King, Jack Lukosius, Izak Rankine and Matthew Rowell have the potential to lead the club out of these dark times.
But it won’t be this year.
Flashback to Round 1 and Gold Coast was smashed by 47 points at home by Port Adelaide, an opponent that is no guarantee to be playing finals.
For those keeping count, that’s now 19 losses in a row. How could you put your money on anyone else here?
Sydney to make the 8 @ $3.25
Every year there is a surprise team that breaks into the top eight. In 2020, all eyes should be on Sydney.
While it feels like it happened a lifetime ago now, the Swans banked a huge win in Round 1, knocking off Adelaide in Adelaide.
And how about this for their next month. The Swans will face Essendon (home), North Melbourne (Marvel), Western Bulldogs (home) and Melbourne (home).
Only one of those teams made the finals last year and two of them were smashed in their opening rounds.
Why can’t Sydney be 4-1 or 5-0?
If 10 wins is enough to play finals, the Swans might be halfway there with plenty of games up their sleeve.
Brodie Grundy to win the Brownlow Medal @ $9
Before Round 1, we tipped Brodie Grundy to win the Brownlow at $17s.
And after putting on a clinic against the Western Bulldogs, which included 19 disposals, one goal and 37 hitouts, that price is long gone.
But can a ruckman really take home an award which has been dominated by midfielders in recent years?
What gives us plenty of reason for optimism is Grundy’s 2019 vote split.
Of his 23 votes, 21 of them came in the form of three vote games.
He had a whopping 13 games that he didn’t even poll in.
Picking up three votes is the hard part. If Grundy can do the “easy” stuff and find some ones and twos in amongst his monster performances, look out.
Team futures multi – Richmond, West Coast, GWS and Collingwood to all make the 8 @ $1.96
One thing that stood out in Round 1 was that these four teams clearly looked like the best four in the league.
While the odds might be short, which one of them is letting us down here and missing the top eight?
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In his pre-season selections, coaching legend Mick Malthouse predicted this would be his top four at the end of the season.
When the AFL captains were quizzed on their top eight selections, 17 (you can’t vote for your own team) said the Tigers, Eagles and Giants would make the eight. Meanwhile, 16 said the Magpies would join them.
When picking the most likely clubs to make the grand final, these were the only four sides to register votes.
If it is good enough for a three-time premiership coach and 18 skippers then it is good enough for us.
Originally published as AFL 2020: What are the best footy bets for this season after revamped draw?