AFL Opening Round odds: Swans expected to topple Blues
Sydney has been installed a 1.36 favourite to defeat Carlton in the AFL Opening Round’s first match on Thursday night at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
The clash will have extra heat as Carlton’s two time Coleman Medallist Charlie Curnow lines up against his former club for the first time after his sensational switch in the off-season.
The Swans will be hoping Curnow and a bevy of fit-again stars like Errol Gulden and Callum Mills can catapult them back into finals contention, after they fell in a hole last season, post 2024 grand final loss to Brisbane.
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The Blues are feeling optimistic after a strong pre-season which included the emergence of Rising Star favourite Jagga Smith, after he missed last year with a knee injury. They will also unveil Swans recruits Will Hayward and Ollie Florent, who will add some much needed experience to their line-up.
On Friday night, Gold Coast ($1.67) will host last year’s beaten grand finalist Geelong ($2.22 with Australian betting sites) and will be keen to show off their high-profile recruits Christian Petracca and Jamarruh Ugle-Hagan.
Both teams have injury problems, with Brownlow Medal winner Matt Rowell out with an injury suffered in State of Origin, while Carlton will be without skilful utility Adam Cerra, whose horror run with soft tissue issues continues, and talented small Jesse Motlop, who did his knee.
On Saturday, the twilight fixture will see GWS ($2.38) host Hawthorn ($1.59) with Clayton Oliver set to paly a critical role for the Sydney club, given Tom Green has gone down with a season-ending injury in the pre-season.
The Hawks have been heavily fancied for top four, despite their lack of star power, and this clash promises to be a cracker between two clubs with enough talent to push deep in 2026.
The night fixture will see reigning premier Brisbane Lions ($1.46) host the Western Bulldogs ($2.74), with neither of these clubs missing a beat in the pre-season, and featuring enough weapons to win the flag.
Opening round will finish on Sunday night when St Kilda ($1.90) host Collingwood ($1.90), with one of them clubs tipped to rise while the other is expected to fall.
The Saints looked like they had improved throughout the pre-season, while Collingwood gave very little away, pushing a strong North Melbourne line-up to within one point, despite fielding a VFL-strength line-up on Sunday.
