AFL betting sites
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Australian Football League season will not run quite as usual. Having gone on hiatus in March with only one round played, the competition is set to resume on June 11 with a revised format. That interruption has had a significant effect on AFL betting markets for the 2020 season, but rest assured that BettingSite.com.au will keep you posted with the latest footy odds, news and more. For now, check out our in-depth AFL wagering guides below.
This is my table
2020 AFL Premiership betting
After their resounding victory in the 2019 AFL Grand Final, Richmond were always going to start the 2020 season as the team to beat. West Coast, the 2018 premiers, also came into the year with plenty of hype, while Collingwood fans have high expectations after consecutive top-four finishes. Rounding out the chief contenders are the GWS Giants, fresh off their maiden AFL Grand Final appearance.
If anything, the enforced break has solidified those four as the teams to beat this year. The upstart Brisbane Lions and experienced Geelong have their supporters, while some are tipping Alastair Clarkson’s Hawthorn for a big resurgence. The Western Bulldogs showed promising signs in the back half of 2019, but do they have what it takes to match the big guns come spring?
In the middle of the pack, we see some of the AFL’s great enigmas. Ken Hinkley is now in his seventh season in charge of Port Adelaide, who have just missed the top eight in three of the past four seasons. Essendon have played an entertaining brand of footy under John Worsfold in the last few years, yet they have not won a final since 2005. And having bolted to the prelims in 2018, Melbourne have a lot of questions to answer after plunging to 17th last year.
Speaking of the wrong end of the ladder, there are no surprises in the betting for this year’s wooden spoon. Indeed, the Gold Coast Suns were so far off the pace last season that several online bookmakers did not even bother to quote them in their initial AFL Premiership outright markets for 2020. Fremantle are also tipped to struggle in their first season under Justin Longmuir, while there is no love for Adelaide after another turbulent off-season.
Latest AFL 2020 Premiership odds
| Team | 2020 AFL Premiership odds | |
|---|---|---|
| Richmond | -125 | Best Odds @ Sportsbet |
| Geelong | +110 | Best Odds @ Sportsbet |
See more AFL futures odds at Sportsbet
The 2019 AFL season
Richmond started the 2019 AFL season the hot favourites with Australian betting sites to win the 2019 premiership. Most AFL betting markets had the Tigers as short as $4.50 to win the competition, with Collingwood their closest rivals at around $6.
Melbourne were heavily fancied to do well this season after a big trade period, but the Demons were a disaster and wound up second from bottom. Adelaide and Essendon were also expected to have an impact in September, but the Crows missed finals again and the Dons bowed out early in a messy end to the season.
It was Geelong who led the way for the majority of the campaign, yet the Cats were undone by some critical blunders – on and off the field – in the finals. West Coast also mistimed their run home, with the reigning premiers falling away at the back end of the season.
The Tigers had no such issues, winning 11 games on the bounce to reach their second grand final in three years. Tom Lynch starred in his maiden season at Punt Road, while the likes of Dylan Grimes and Nick Vlaustin stood up in the absence of injured full-back Alex Rance.
Few would have expected Richmond to square up against Greater Western Sydney in the big dance, especially after the Giants suffered a horrible run with injury in the second half of the season. But Leon Cameron’s men showed a hard edge in the finals, mixing youthful vigour with ruthless intent as they booked their first-ever AFL Grand Final appearance.
Best online bookmakers for AFL betting
First port of call for all your footy betting needs should be BetEasy.com.au – the official wagering partner of the AFL.
Sportsbet.com.au is Australia’s top online bookmaker and pulls out all the stops when it comes to enhancing your AFL experience, offering money-back specials, player specials across multiple games and the widest range of options from match to match, week to week.
Serious punters should also check out Betfair.com.au – a true online betting exchange where you can set the markets, lay the odds and bet against your fellow punters without giving up any margins to a bookie.
What can I bet on during an Australian Rules Football match?
AFL is unlike almost any sport in the world to bet on as it has a multitude of options to wager your money on. Just about every category that has statistics recorded can be bet on prior to a match.
Wagering on most disposals, usually consisting of 12 players spilt into two separate groups, is one of the more popular bets. Other bets pertaining to possession tallies also exist, with totals of 20, 30 and 40 available to wager on with varying returns based on the player’s average and output.
First goal scorer bets are also commonly placed bet, whether it be first goal scorer for each team or the first goal scorer for each quarter, this bet keeps you on the edge of your seat until the first major is converted. Other bets pertaining to goals include most goals in which an individual player is selected to kick the most majors for the match, while three or more goals and even just the possibility of kicking a single goal for the match is available.
Other interesting statistical categories you can bet on include most tackles which splits players into two groups similar to most possession groups, total game score which has an over/under market, quarter by quarter leaders and most marks.
Once the match has commenced, however, the majority of the options dry up, with the regular head-to-head and line betting typically the only options unless it is a special occasion such as ANZAC Day, the Grand Final or a state derby where the medal winner bet will be available all throughout the match.
AFL football clubs
There are currently 18 teams in the Australian Football League – 10 from Victoria and two each from New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia.
Tips for betting on Australian Rules Football
Finding value in AFL matches differs greatly from most other sports punters bet on, in that there are so many variables on which to bet on, and mitigating circumstances that can affect the outcome of a match.
Invariably the big matches throughout the year, such as the ANZAC Day game, the Western Derby and the Showdown may have a clear-cut better team that has a superior ladder position, but these emotion-charged matches do not always reflect where the two teams currently stand in the pecking order.
However, value can almost certainly be found if you are looking to delve into statistics and player averages.
You will often come across a player that for some reason or another matches up quite well against an opponent – especially a forward – and has made a habit of kicking bags of goals.
This makes for an astute most goals bet, and can sometimes derive extra value from the fact that not everyone is prepared to put the effort in to find a winner.
The main deposit options at Australian betting sites
Most websites have multiple options for you to deposit your money:
- The most popular method of deposit and is available on every Australian sports betting website. All transactions are secure and money can be transferred to and from your card once your account is verified. Credit cards accepted include Visa and MasterCard.
- Australia’s most popular real time debt payment system. Money is debited from your account and transferred straight into your online bookmaking account.
- One of the world’s most popular online spending systems and is the largest online payment companies.
Paypal offers users who either have a credit card or a bank account linked to their Paypal a third party way of depositing their money into their betting funds.
- BPAY debts work exactly the same as you would pay a utility or phone bill, however, depending on when the transaction is completed the money can be delayed going into your account. Each website will have its own unique BPAY transaction number and biller code.
Can I bet on AFL internationally?
Australian Rules football does not differ from any other sport in the world in that there are no restrictions on whether you can gamble on Australia’s most popular game.
With sites such as Bet365, you will always have options to bet on AFL – no matter where you are in the world.
This is my table
When is the 2020 AFL Grand Final?
The 2020 AFL Grand Final will be on the last weekend of September at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Victoria, Australia. The biggest game of the year is always played at the ‘home of footy’, although there are growing calls – which began with the rise of non-Victorian clubs in the 1990s – for the match to have the flexibility to be played elsewhere.
AFL premiers, odds, runner ups
| Year | Premier | GF win odds | Rd 1 Flag odds | Ladder position | Runner up | Rd 1 flag fav | Brownlow winner | Rising Star winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Richmond | $1.44 | $5 | 3rd | GWS Giants | Adelaide | Nat Fyfe | Sam Walsh |
| 2018 | West Coast | $2.20 | $34 | 2nd | Collingwood | Adelaide | Tom Mitchell | Jaidyn Stephenson |
| 2017 | Richmond | $2.35 | $34 | 3rd | Adelaide | GWS Giants | Dustin Martin | Andrew McGrath |
| 2016 | Bulldogs | $2.10 | $17 | 7th | Sydney | Hawthorn | Matt Priddis | Callum Mills |
| 2015 | Hawthorn | $2 | $5 | 2nd | West Coast | Sydney | Patrick Dangerfield | Jesse Hogan |
| 2014 | Hawthorn | $2.50 | $4.50 | 1st | Sydney | Fremantle | Nat Fyfe | Lewis Taylor |
| 2013 | Hawthorn | $1.62 | $5 | 2nd | Fremantle | Fremantle | Gary Ablett Jnr | Jaegar O’Meara |
| 2012 | Sydney | $2.48 | $8 | 3rd | Hawthorn | Collingwood | Trent Cotchin/Sam Mitchell | Daniel Talia |
| 2011 | Geelong | $1.85 | $5 | 2nd | Collingwood | Collingwood | Dane Swan | Dyson Heppell |
| 2010 | Collingwood | $1.84 | $11 | 1st | St Kilda | Geelong | Chris Judd | Dan Haneberry |
| 2009 | Geelong | $1.61 | $6 | 2nd | St Kilda | St Kilda | Gary Ablett Jnr | Daniel Rich |
Customer service at Aussie bookies
Aussie bookies such as Sportsbet and BetEasy offer both phone and live chat customer service to anyone who is having trouble placing a bet.
The live chat is ideal for people on the go that want real-time knowledge that they can insert into their betting slip, but is only operational during their standardised hours, typically 9am to 10pm Eastern Standard Time.
The phone customer service gives punters who want the more personal touch the opportunity to speak to a real person in real-time. Note: due to live-betting legislation in Australia, it is only possible to place a live bet on a match over the phone.
The phone service for all Aussie online bookies is 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and will be able to help you in every situation, including when the online site is down for maintenance.
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