Gold Coast v Geelong betting tips and prediction
Welcome to our Gold Coast v Geelong betting tips and winner prediction for their Opening Round AFL clash at the Gold Coast on Friday night.
The Suns are priced a $1.59 favourite with Ladbrokes Australia to defeat the Cats ($2.38) with big things expected of the Damien Hardwick-coach club after their off-season recruiting spree which netted Christian Petracca and former no.1 pick Jamarrah Ugle-Hagan.
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The high expectations on the Suns are highlighted by their $8 second-favouritism for the premiership, which looks a little short, considering the last year’s beaten grand finalist Geelong is at $14.
The Cats will have a similar look to last season, but have several injury cloud heading into opening round, including star ball-winner Bailey Smith, Patrick Dangerfield, Jeremy Cameron and Gryan Miers, with these all in different stages of their recoveries.
Gold Coast will be without Brownlow Medal winner Matt Rowell after he suffered a finger injury in the State of Origin last month, while Charlie Ballard is racing the clock with his knee ailment and may be given a run in the VFL. Forward Jed Walter will miss with suspension.
Continue reading for our free Gold Coast v Geelong betting tips and winner prediction for their AFL Opening Round clash on Friday night.
Gold Coast v Geelong betting tips
Our AFL betting expert has assessed the markets and found some value Gold Coast v Geelong tips:
Touk Miller to get 25+ possessions
Without Rowell the Suns are likely to send their former skipper into the engine room, which should see him win plenty of the ball, as he has done in the past. Miller is paying $2.16 to reach 25 touches, with Australian betting sites, which is outstanding value for such a proven ball winner.
Ben King to kick 3+ goals
Ben King is paying $2.25 to kick 3+ goals which looks a relatively safe option, against a Cats team that has been split open by good key forward before. We’re going to strongly consider a fourth goal for King.
Max Holmes to gather 30+ possessions
When Holmes’ running partner Smith is missing he tends to win a lot more ball. While we’re not sure Smith will miss, we expect Holmes to be the key man in the guts on Friday night. We’ll take him for 30+ at $2.39, which is probably our best bet for this game.
Geelong v Gold Coast prediction
Geelong are notoriously slow starters and peak towards the tail-end of the season, which is something we can’t see changing here, given the Suns keenness to make a statement early. While Rowell is missing, the Suns look to have plenty of depth through the midfield. Look for a exceptioanally fit-looking Petracca to play a starring role. Our final Cats v Gold Coast prediction? Suns by 19 points.
