North Melbourne v West Coast betting tips and prediction
Welcome to our North Melbourne v West Coast betting tips and prediction for their AFL round 14 clash at Optus Stadium on Saturday.
The Roos desperately need to respond after being dismissed by Fremantle in Bunbury last week, with this their second “home game” in a row being played deep in enemy territory.
From a betting perspective, giving up home ground advantage has seen a game they would almost certainly win, become a line ball proposition.
Despite this Australian betting sites have installed the Roos a 1.50 favourite to defeat the Eagles (2.62), with the line at 12.5 points and the over under total points mark at 174.5.
The Roos have responded to their 124-point hiding by the Dockers, by promoting first-gamer Taylor Goad, Cooper Harvey and Tom Blamires. They have dropped Wil Dawson and Zac Fisher, while Rley Hardeman joins Finn O’Sullivan in concussion protocols.
Last start the Eagles pushed Port Adelaide all the way, but eventually lost by six points, but fans would be buoyed by the young outfit’s progress.
The Eagles have suffered several major blows with their much-improved defender Reuben Ginbey, young star Willem Duursma, Tom McCarthy and Malakai Champion all out. They have included first-gamer Marcus Herbert, Tom Gross, Josh Lindsay and Elijah Hewett.
Kangaroos v West Coast betting tips
WGL’s AFL betting expert has assessed the markets and found some value Kangaroos v West Coast tips:
Nick Larkey 4+ goals
Filling up your boots against the Eagles has been fun for the AFL’s best full forwards in recent years and Larkey is desperately in need of a confidence booster. With Ginbey out we can see the Eagles backline falling apart and Larkey has the class, if not the form, to cash-in. You also won’t often get odds like 6.00 on Larkey kicking 4+ against a team like the Eagles.
Luke Davies-Uniacke 25+ possessions
Davies-Uniacke is the Roos best player and one of the most damaging players in the comp, but you have to temper this with: on his day. You can’t imagine it has been a friendly week at Roos’ training, and Davies-Uniacke would have felt coach Alastair Clarkson’s heat. He’s now value at 2.15 to reach 25 possessions, a task he should achieve against a below par Eagles midfield.
Jobe Shanahan 3+ goals
This is obviously speculative, but the Roos have struggled to contain opposition key forwards in recent weeks. At 6.00 Shanahan is good value and won’t get the attention no.1 man Jake Waterman will attract.
North Melbourne v West Coast prediction
The Roos are still without their young gun Finn O’Sullivan with concussion, which hurts, but the Eagles have lost some serious quality this week. Unless Harley Reid produces a blinder, we’re not sure they can win, given their threadbare midfield. This means we’ll roll with the Roos, who must come out fired up after their horror Fremantle showing. Our final Kangaroos v West Coast prediction? Roos by 21 points.
