AFL round 7 fixtures, injuries update and odds analysis

William Demamp

Sports News

April 20, 2026

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AFL round 7 will kick off with a blockbuster clash between Western Bulldogs and Sydney at Marvel Stadium on Thursday night. 

The Bulldogs (4.10) are rank outsiders with Australian betting sites to defeat the Swans (1.24) with the Melbourne-based club suffering a monumental blow with talented tall Sam Darcy injuring his ACL in their 75-point loss to Geelong. 

The Bulldogs are likely to be boosted by the inclusion of ruckman Tim English, after he was close to playing against the Cats, but the loss of Darcy has seen their odds to win the premiership balloon out to 21.00.  

The Dogs are also sweating on the health of Tom Liberatore, who suffered another concussion against the Cats, and faces a stint on the sidelines, in his first game back from a hamstring injury. 

They will also be missing important tall defenders Rory Lobb and James O’Donnell after they suffered hamstring injuries against the Cats. 

“I was pleased with the way the players for different patches for two to two-and-a-half quarters were able to steady things a bit as they were losing teammates,” coach Luke Beveridge said.

“Some of the young guys exposed to that it was difficult for them, but i think they held up okay.”

Beveridge said his team’s decision making was poor against Geelong, but said it was not a case of reinventing the wheel in their clash against the Swans.

“As coaches you have the choice, you mould a game style around your group or you establish a game-style that you know will be successful and you ask everyone to come up to it, and that’s what we’ve always done and that’s where we’ll keeping going,” he said.

The Swans are missing their best player Errol Gulden for the bulk of the season, but have dropped just one match (against Hawthorn) and are fresh off wins against GWS and Gold Coast. 

On Friday night, Richmond (6.05) faces red-hot Melbourne (1.13) at the MCG, with the Demons defeating reigning premier Brisbane in a major upset on Sunday. 

The early Anzac Day game on Saturday will see Hawthorn (1.58) lock horns with Gold Coast (2.39), in what looms as the match of the round. 

The main event, Essendon v Collingwood, will then begin at  3.20pm, with the Magpies (1.38) favourites to defeat the Bombers (3.07) despite their positive showing against the Suns last start. 

Port Adelaide (4.20) will host Geelong (1.23) with the Cats beginning 2026 in strong fashion, and seemingly destined for another finals performance. 

Fremantle (1.13) will look to heap more pain on Carlton (6.05) on Saturday night after their week from hell, which has seen their young player Elijah Hollands end up in hospital after his erratic on-field behaviour against Collingwood. 

On Sunday, St Kilda (1.11) will attempt to turn their positive form into a win against West Coast (6.70) at Marvel Stadium. The Saints were incredibly unlucky against Adelaide and look to be turning the corner under Ross Lyon. 

Brisbane (1.37) will attempt to climb back onto the winners list when they host Adelaide (3.12) at the Gabba, after their uncharacteristic loss to the Demons. 

AFL round 7 will close out with a clash between GWS (1.43) and North Melbourne (2.84) on Sunday, with the Kangaroos outsiders despite enjoying a strong start to the year. 

AFL round 7 fixture and early tips

AFL round 7 will kick off on Thursday April 23, and conclude on Sunday, April 26. Our early tips are bolded.