AFL 2021 futures, Brownlow Medal & Rising Star betting update

Six rounds of the AFL 2021 Premiership season have come and gone, and the betting markets for end-of-season honours are starting to take shape. With some big news coming out of last week’s action, now is a great time to take a look at the latest AFL futures odds at Sportsbet.com.au.

Dunkley & Neale fall out of Brownlow Medal market

Lachie Neale will undergo surgery on his ankle despite toughing out four quarters against Carlton last weekend, leading bookmakers to remove the Brisbane Lions star from their 2021 Brownlow Medal betting markets.

Dustin Martin was subbed out of Richmond’s loss to Melbourne and will now miss round seven due to the AFL’s concussion protocol, yet he remains the Brownlow Medal favourite at $4.50.

Christian Petracca was among the Demons’ best in round six against the Tigers, pushing him to $6 on the second line of Brownlow betting. The Melbourne midfielder came very close to taking home Charlie in 2020 and could go all the way this year if the Dees keep winning.

Josh Dunkley was another contender for the Brownlow, but the Bulldog has now undergone major shoulder surgery that will rule him out for several months.

McKay takes pole position in Coleman Medal betting

Taylor Walker still leads the league goalkicking tally with 25 majors, but another key forward has usurped him as the Coleman Medal favourite.

Carlton spearhead Harry McKay has booted 22 goals this season, including a bag of six in the Blues’ loss to Brisbane over the weekend. He now tops the market at $3.50, with Walker half a point back at $4.

One of the biggest surprises of 2021 has been Jack Riewoldt, who is off to an almost career-best goalkicking start to a season. The Richmond veteran has kicked 19 goals in the first six games, which is more than he kicked in his three Coleman Medal-winning seasons.

Jeremy Cameron only slotted two majors in his return to football for the Cats, but he remains an outside chance in the Coleman Medal betting at $21.

Thilthorpe bombs into Rising Star betting on debut

After the early domination from the Sydney Swans rookies, a pair of Adelaide Crows have put their hands up in the 2021 AFL Rising Star betting.

Riley Thilthorpe was unstoppable on debut last weekend against the Hawks, kicking five goals and pulling down three important contested marks. That performance has launched the versatile no.2 draft pick into the top five Rising Star prospects at $9.

Lachlan Sholl has been terrific for the Crows off half-back, utilising his excellent kicking to tear opposition zones apart and give Adelaide the edge. He shares the top line of Rising Star betting with Sydney’s Errol Gulden at $4.50.

Jacob Koschitzke took out the nomination for round six, yet the Hawthorn youngster is conspicuous by his absence from the Rising Star market at the time of writing.

Collingwood & St Kilda at long odds to make top 8

Only eight clubs sit below the $2 mark to finish inside the top eight, but a handful of other teams are nipping at their ankles.

Both St Kilda and Collingwood have been written off by online bookmakers, as they are now priced at $4 and $5 respectively to reach the finals in 2021.

Justin Longmuir’s Dockers are priced at a generous $2.80 despite winning four of their last five matches to sit sixth on the AFL ladder. Fremantle will be hard to beat in Perth this season and could be a finals smokey.