Carlton v Collingwood betting tips and prediction

Welcome to our Carlton v Collingwood betting tips and winner prediction for their AFL round 17 clash at the MCG on Friday night. 

The Magpies are heavy favourites at $1.20 to defeat the Blues ($4.50), with the line set at 27.5 points by AFL betting sites. 

The Blues have almost certainly slipped out of finals contention at 6-9 after losing to North Melbourne and Port Adelaide in successive weeks, but if there is one thing that can motivate them it is a clash against their old enemy. 

The Magpies (13-2) have been in cruise control for the last month, winning without blowing teams away, but they now have the luxury of resting any players in the run home to the finals. 

They will lose youngster Charlie West after his debut with a stress reaction in his foot, while coach Craic McRae hinted veteran Steele Sidebottom would miss with illness. 

The Magpies will be boosted by tough defender Brayden Maynard after a foot injury, Bobby Hill might return after missing last week with personal reasons and Tom Mitchell could be recalled after impressing at VFL level. They are also likely to hand mid-season draftee Roan Steele a debut after being picked up just over a month ago – an amazing rise for the Frankston junior.

Carlton has suffered further injury misery with Adam Saad (concussion) and Jack Silvagni (groin) set to expose their fragile depth further, with Lachie Cowan and Harry O’Farrell appearing the most likely inclusions. 

Matt Carroll, Ashton Moir and Francis Evans also performed well at VFL level for the Blues. 

Continue reading for our free Carlton v Collingwood tips. 

Blues v Magpies odds

Start:	Friday, 7.20pm AEST, July 4
Venue:	MCG, Melbourne
Head-to-head odds:	Blues ($4.50) v Magpies ($1.20)
Line betting:	Blues -27.5 ($1.88) v Magpies +27.5 ($1.88)
Premiership odds:	Collingwood $4; Carlton $501

Carlton v Collingwood tips

Our AFL betting expert has assessed the markets and found some value Carlton v Collingwood tips:

Jamie Elliott 3+ goals

The star Magpie has beat up on the Blues before and would have been a logical match-up for the much-improved Silvagni. We’re not sure the Blues have a defender with the smarts to curtail Elliott and at $2.50 to kick 3+ goals we will be having something on him. 

George Hewett 30+ possessions

The Magpies are unlikely to tag in the traditional sense, and if they were to tag it wouldn’t be Hewett. Expect Hewett to spend the bulk of the day in the midfield, and win plenty of the ball, even if he doesn’t use it the best. He’s paying $2.25 to gather 30+ possessions. Brownlow Medal favourite Nick Daicos, who should always be considered in your multis, is paying $1.78 to gather 30+ touches.

Will Hayes 2+ goals

A bit of a throw at the stumps, especially considering he hasn’t even been picked yet, but with Beau McReery and Lachie Shultz out of the team, he is the logical pick to play as a small, especially if Hill doesn’t play. Hayes is a light weight, but has explosive pace and skills. If he is picked you should get some good odds on him kicking 2+ goals.

Carlton v Collingwood prediction

Carlton just doesn’t have enough runs on the board to consider them for an upset here, especially given their disastrous last fortnight. They desperately need more out of captain Patrick Cripps (is he injured?) and their star forward Charlie Curnow who will lock horns with Darcy Moore again, a player he has tasted success against in the past. We think the Blues must give a yelp here, but ultimately they just don’t have the talent. Our final Carlton v Collingwood prediction? Magpies by 28 points.