Gold Coast v Collingwood betting tips and winner prediction
Welcome to our Gold Coast v Collingwood betting tips and winner prediction for their AFL round 17 clash at Metricon Stadium on Saturday.
The Suns (1.60) are hot favourites to arrest their form slump and defeat the Magpies (2.35), with the line set at 8.5 points at Australian betting sites.
The Magpies enter the clash off the back of successive wins, and face a team that has been under the media blowtorch, following a string of underwhelming performances, including last week’s 51-point drubbing at the hands of Fremantle.
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The Victorian club have also lost consistent defender Isaac Quaynor to an ankle injury, with mid-season draftee Liam Puncher called up for his debut, while Brayden Maynard will return from his dislocated shoulder.
The Magpies were also forced into a late change on Saturday, with Angus Anderson called up in place of Scott Pendlebury (calf).
The Suns have dropped former captain Jarrod Witts and defender Charlie Ballard, with Ethan Read and first-gamer Dylan Patterson their replacements. Forward Ben Long will be playing his 150th AFL game against the Pies.
While the Magpies do have a strong record at Metricon Stadium, they did lose their last encounter against the Suns at this ground last year, with Josh Daicos playing a starring role late to almost snatch a win
Gold Coast v Collingwood betting tips
WGL’s AFL betting expert has assessed the markets and found some value Suns v Magpies tips:
Tim Membrey 3+ goals
The veteran forward has hit a golden patch of form in recent weeks, and the Pies will need his smarts again to kick a winning score against the Suns. Membrey is also at good odds to fire, paying 4.50 to kick 3+ goals. If you want a roughie in black and white to kick goals, you could do worse than taking Anderson for 2+.
Matt Rowell 25+ possessions
We suspect the Brownlow Medal winner would have received either the carrot or the stick from Suns coach Damien Hardwick this week. We expect him to bounce back hard against the Pies, in a match he looks well-placed to play well in, after knocking up 32 touches in this fixture last year.
Jed Walter 2+ goals
The Magpies have a great match-up for Ben King, in Billy Frampton, but might be stretching to cover Jed Walter, with Howe struggling for pace, which might leave either Brayden Maynard or first-gamer Liam Puncher on Walter. While Walter is short at 1.53 to kick 2+ goals, he is our pick to top the Suns goals, which will offer more value.
Gold Coast v Collingwood prediction
Gold Coast is struggling and their are rumours of player discontent, but if they can’t get up for a clash against the Magpies, in front of what will be a full house, they are terminal and won’t play finals this year. Whether they can beat Nick Daicos’s Pies remain to be seen, with this match very much a 50-50 proposition. The Suns midfield needs to lift, while the Magpies need to fine enough goals. We expect the Pies to turn this one into a slog, and we will take the under total points, into either team to win by 1-24 points. If we’re pressed, our final prediction is the Pies by two points, just because their odds are better.
