3 minute read

Racing and Sports will provide analysis of many games in the 2023 AFL Season.

We'll endeavour to run through the form, incorporate appropriate stats and also supply a betting prediction which won't always just be who will win.

CARLTON v BRISBANE

Friday 5 May @ Marvel Stadium

Not too often you'd have two teams meeting who collectively won by 156 last weekend. And even more so, the side who managed to win by over 100 were the slight outsiders to begin the week.

In all likelihood the Blues and Lions will both make Finals so this could well be the harbinger of a more important clash come September.

Carlton can't claim defeating West Coast is any sort of brilliant form angle. You'd be thinking that will be done around 20 times this year. But boy they needed a quick turnaround in form so the timing was nice.

Always in control, the Blues held the Eagles to just six goals in Perth which is something of an achievement by them. Never take that part for granted.

It was more the run off half back than out of the centre – albeit Cripps, Hewett, Walsh and Cerra got plenty of it. That is no wonder given the margin.

That domination led to Charlie Curnow dining out like a Great White on a whale carcass. It was an unfair fight.

For this week, even though Brisbane has a better team, their defence isn't always their strong suit so will Charlie have another full belly?

It was more practice for the Lions at home as the other Perth side was not much competition either. They closed a couple of times but 7 goals in the end was a rout.

Their three big gun mids had the most disposals and from there, you'd know were that to be the case, it was a big win coming.

The one thing Brisbane has more of than most sides are weapons up front. Daniher and Hipwood the talls, Gunston and McCarthy next in line and the smalls like Cameron, Rayner and Bailey are hard to stop.

So the source has to be the key to avoiding them kicking a winning score. That is where Carlton are strong too so both these set up similarly.

The record between these has been fairly one sided for a while. Since 2014, Brisbane has won 9 of the last 11 – many of those by good margins too.

However the Docklands has been a more satisfying place for the Blues so that will help a bit. That said, across all sides, Brisbane has played much better there than the MCG.

The answer is a pineapple and hence why the betting is so close. Toss a coin. It came down heads for Carlton but absolutely anything is possible and any margin is too.

Joe Daniher likes it here and has kicked goals in all bar one game so pencil him in for a few.

Match Selection: Carlton by 6 points

Suggested Bets: Joe Daniher 3+ goals @ $2.90