The 2021 Australian Football League (AFL) season continues this weekend with Round 23; the final round of the regular season before we head into finals. Catch our best betting picks for all nine upcoming fixtures right here!
AFL Round 23 Betting Picks
Richmond Tigers vs Hawthorn Hawks
Marvel Stadium, Friday 11:45pm ET
Richmond had their finals hopes and chances of a three-peat dashed in Round 22 when they were destroyed by a determined GWS team in Melbourne. The 39-point loss was their seventh defeat from their last nine matches and brought to end the dominance the Tigers have had over the past four years.
Hawthorn recording one of the most unlikely wins last weekend when they defeated a premiership fancy in the Western Bulldogs by 27 points. That win for the Hawks is the third in a row since the announcement of coach Alistair Clarkson’s departure and in two of those they were huge underdogs.
These two clubs come into the final round in complete contrasting form with the Hawks on a three-game losing streak and the Tigers winners in just two of their last nine. As a result, the Hawks will be the favorites to get the job done and we expect them to do just that in emphatic fashion against a decimated and deflated Richmond outfit.
Sydney Swans vs Gold Coast Suns
Marvel Stadium, Friday 11:45pm ET
Sydney were able to bounce back from a poor performance against the Saints with an important win on the road against North Melbourne last weekend, coming up trumps by 14 points. There were some nervy moments late in that clash against the Kangaroos, but the Swans were able to hold strong and make it six wins from their last seven outings.
Gold Coast have been plagued by inconsistency all season long and we saw another dose of that last weekend when they were putrid in their 68-point loss against the Bombers, which came just one week after an impressive away win against the Blues. The Suns have only managed to win back-to-back games on two occasions this season, which is why they’ll be on the outside looking in once again come finals time.
The Suns will be keen to get this match over and done with to get stuck into what will be an important off-season for their footy club. Despite this match being expected to play on a neutral ground in Melbourne, we can’t see the Suns being motivated enough to put up a stern challenge against the Swans who will be looking to head into their finals campaign on a high and with some solid momentum.
St Kilda Saints vs Fremantle Dockers
Blundstone Arena, Saturday 10:15pm ET
St Kilda had their finals chances torn to shreds last weekend when going down to the Cats in Geelong last weekend. The undermanned Saints put up a good fight and were nearly able to cause the upset, but in the end it was the difference in class between the players of the two teams that saw Geelong get the win.
Fremantle kept their finals hopes well and truly alive when causing an upset against West Coast in the Western Derby on Sunday. The Dockers were extremely fast starters with 50 points in the first quarter and that proved to be enough of a buffer to see out the win. The Dockers are now just percentage behind a spot in the top eight and will require a couple of results to go their way in order for them to play finals.
This could’ve been a blockbuster fixture had the Saints of won against the Cats last weekend, but that wasn’t the case and now only the Dockers are a chance of making the finals with a win in this fixture. As a result, we expect the Dockers to be the much hungrier of the two teams and to be able to negotiate a vitally important win.
All AFL R23 Picks
Western Bulldogs vs Port Adelaide Power (Friday 5:50am ET)
Western Bulldogs -5.5 (-110 at PointsBet)
Richmond Tigers vs Hawthorn Hawks (Friday 11:35pm ET)
Hawthorn Hawks 25+ (+180 at PointsBet)
Sydney Swans vs Gold Coast Suns (Friday 11:45pm ET)
Sydney Swans -29.5 (-110 at PointsBet)
Brisbane Lions vs West Coast Eagles (Saturday 2:35am ET)
Brisbane Lions 40+ (+145 at PointsBet)
Geelong Cats vs Melbourne Demons (Saturday 5:25am ET)
Under 145.5 Points (-110 at PointsBet)
Carlton Blues vs GWS Giants (Saturday 5:40am ET)
GWS Giants -21.5 (-110 at PointsBet)
St Kilda Saints vs Fremantle Dockers (Saturday 10:15pm ET)
Fremantle Dockers 15.5+ (+230 at PointsBet)
Essendon Bombers vs Collingwood Magpies (Sunday 1:20am ET)
Essendon Bombers 40+ (+210 at PointsBet)
Adelaide Crows vs North Melbourne (Sunday 2:40am ET)
Adelaide Crows H2H (+100 at PointsBet)
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