Adelaide vs Gold Coast betting tips – AFL 2021, Round 3

Good Friday footy is in full flight this year with the Adelaide Crows and Gold Coast Suns set to do battle at Adelaide Oval in round three of the 2021 AFL season.

Most pundits had little to no expectations for the Crows this season, but they stunned Geelong in round one and followed up with a respectable showing against the Sydney Swans last Saturday.

Matthew Nicks has a group of young players who are applying ferocious pressure around the ground, and that strong brand of footy will be met with open arms by Stuart Dew’s Suns.

The winner of this match will go to 2-1 and build a great platform to launch towards the rest of the 2021 campaign.

Key matchup: Taylor Walker vs Sam Collins

Taylor Walker has wound back the clock this season, booting 11 majors in two games to take an early lead in the Coleman Medal race. Sam Collins is the Suns’ best defender, and his early form this year suggests All Australian honours might not be out of the question. Walker has kicked seven goals in his last three games against the Suns, and his battle with Collins could prove decisive on Friday night.

Adelaide Crows betting info

Currently sitting third in the AFL for total points, the Crows are starting to deliver on some of the promise they showed at the back end of 2020. Shane McAdam was very good last week in front of goal with four majors, while it looks like things might have clicked at last for Billy Frampton in his seventh season on a senior list.

AdelaideCrows

• Andrew McPherson
• Jordon Butts
• Luke Brown
• Tom Doedee
• Brodie Smith
• Will Hamill
• Lachlan Sholl
• Rory Sloane
• Paul Seedsman
• James Rowe
• Billy Frampton
• Ned McHenry
• Shane McAdam
• Taylor Walker
• Lachlan Murphy
• Reilly O’Brien
• Rory Laird
• Ben Keays
• Tom Lynch
• Sam Berry
• Harry Schoenberg
• Jake Kelly
• Chayce Jones (Emg)
• Elliott Himmelberg (Emg)
• Nick Murray (Emg)
• Darcy Fogarty (Emg)
• Coach: Matthew Nicks

Gold Coast Suns betting info

The Suns prefer to kick and mark the ball before advancing up the ground, and that style worked very well against the Kangaroos last week. Currently third in the AFL for total disposals, they are sharing the ball around with plenty of players, so you should look to include the likes of Noah Anderson, Jack Bowes and Touk Miller in your multis with Australia’s top online bookmakers.

Gold CoastSuns

• Darcy MacPherson
• Ben King
• Izak Rankine
• Wil Powell
• Chris Burgess
• David Swallow
• Noah Anderson
• Hugh Greenwood
• Brandon Ellis
• Jack Lukosius
• Charlie Ballard
• Oleg Markov
• Sean Lemmens
• Sam Collins
• Jarrod Harbrow
• Jarrod Witts
• Ben Ainsworth
• Touk Miller
• Jack Bowes
• Will Brodie
• Alex Sexton
• Lachie Weller
• Jy Farrar (Emg)
• Sam Flanders (Emg)
• Nick Holman (Emg)
• Caleb Graham (Emg)
• Coach: Stuart Dew

Adelaide Crows vs Gold Coast Suns betting predictions

Taylor Walker to kick 3+ goals

You cannot ignore the form Tex Walker brings into this contest, as consecutive bags of five and six goals is a huge effort in the modern era. Even if Sam Collins tries to lock him down, Walker is getting up the ground and using his excellent long-range kicking to score from beyond the arc. Having kicked three goals in two of his three contests against the Suns, the big man looks to be a massive threat this week.

Adelaide Crows to win by 1-39 points

We like the underdogs here as they have the home-field advantage and have played two decent opponents to start the season. Even though they lost to the Sydney Swans last week, the Crows still put over 80 points on the board. The Suns’ first and only win over Adelaide came last year in Matthew Nicks’ third game coaching the club, and the home side should be much stronger this time around.

Adelaide Crows vs Gold Coast Suns same game multi

We think the Crows are going to be a tough team to stop this season on their home deck, especially with Taylor Walker in such good form. Will Brodie has played twice at Adelaide Oval and accumulated over 20 disposals both times, while he collected just under 20 touches in each of his first two games this season.