Geelong vs West Coast AFL Round 6 betting tips – April 24, 2021

Geelong host the West Coast Eagles down the highway at GMHBA Stadium to off the action for a big day of AFL footy on Saturday. Both teams are coming off wins last week, and the winner of this clash could finish the round inside the top four if other results fall their way. The Cats have been installed as favourites at $1.61 with online bookmakers, with the Eagles pegged as $2.32 outsiders.

Geelong could be boosted by the inclusion of star off-season recruit Jeremy Cameron, while they will be hoping that Patrick Dangerfield pulls up in fine order following an ankle injury that saw him sit out the latter stages of their win over North Melbourne.

West Coast were workmanlike in Round 5 when putting a space on Collingwood, and it seems they came through the win with a clean bill of health. The Eagles could welcome back Mark Hutchings to the fold, but we expect them to go in unchanged.

How will Cats vs Eagles play out?

Geelong will need to be at their best to beat a West Coast lineup that could very easily be 5-0 if it wasn’t for a lack of polish when travelling to Victoria. The Cats have plenty of stars, but they will need some big efforts from those in their second tier. We expect Gary Rohan to have an impact on the scoreboard on Saturday afternoon, considering the Eagles’ defensive stocks have taken a hit. Odds of $2.80 are on offer for Rohan to kick two or more goals for the second week in a row.

West Coast and their three-pronged forward line will be hard to contain. Oscar Allen is coming off a career-high five goals against Collingwood and how has 14 majors from five games, including four games where he has bagged two or more goals. The odds of $2.80 available at AFL betting sites for Allen to kick three or more goals on Saturday are hard to ignore.

GeelongCats

• Lachie Henderson
• Mark Blicavs
• Jack Henry
• Tom Atkins
• Jake Kolodjashnij
• Tom Stewart
• Isaac Smith
• Cameron Guthrie
• Sam Menegola
• Luke Dahlhaus
• Jeremy Cameron
• Brendan Parfitt
• Gary Rohan
• Tom Hawkins
• Brad Close
• Rhys Stanley
• Mitch Duncan
• Joel Selwood
• Jed Bews
• Gryan Miers
• Zach Tuohy
• Mark O’Connor
• Jordon Clark(Emg)
• Zach Guthrie (Emg)
• Quinton Narkle(Emg)
• Josh Jenkins (Emg)
• Coach: Chris Scott

West CoastEagles

• Jamaine Jones
• Oscar Allen
• Jake Waterman
• Jamie Cripps
• Jack Darling
• Xavier O’Neill
• Liam Duggan
• Dom Sheed
• Jack Redden
• Jackson Nelson
• Jeremy McGovern
• Brad Sheppard
• Alex Witherden
• Tom Barrass
• Tom Cole
• Nic Naitanui
• Tim Kelly
• Andrew Gaff
• Zac Langdon
• Jarrod Brander
• Nathan Vardy
• Josh Rotham
• Luke Foley (Emg)
• Bailey Williams (Emg)
• Brayden Ainsworth (Emg)
• Harry Edwards (Emg)
• Coach: Adam Simpson

Key matchup: Isaac Smith vs Andrew Gaff

Since moving from Hawthorn at the end of last season, Isaac Smith has given Geelong the outside run-and-gun they have been crying out for over the last few years. Both he and Andrew Gaff will be crucial to their respective teams’ chances on Saturday afternoon as both look to give their key forwards A-grade service.

Smith racked up 31 touches last weekend against North and had essentially the whole wing to himself. He will not get it that easy this weekend, as Gaff is coming off a 38-disposal game in West Coast’s win over Collingwood. Whoever gives their star forwards the better delivery inside 50 will go a long way towards getting their team the four points.

Geelong vs West Coast betting predictions

West Coast Eagles +8.5

This matchup will be close all day, especially if Geelong’s first month of footy is anything to go by. Despite sitting 3-2, they are lacking the spark that got them to the 2020 AFL Grand Final, and the Eagles seemingly get them at the perfect time. Even if Jeremy Cameron makes his club debut for Geelong as expected, it will take some time for he and Tom Hawkins to form a cohesive partnership. With West Coast showing signs that they will be top-four contenders again this year, they will want to put in a full four-quarter performance. We think the Eagles at the +8.5 line is the right play here.

Liam Duggan to get 25+ disposals

We were with Liam Duggan last week to get 25+ touches against the Pies, and he stepped up in the absence of Luke Shuey, Elliot Yeo and Shannon Hurn to grab a career-high 36 disposals. We expect Duggan to continue that good form against the Cats, and the $2.25 available for him to get 25+ touches on Saturday looks like one of the best bets of the weekend.

Same game multi: 4 legs @ $29

We expect this to be a back-and-forth contest throughout, and with the firepower West Coast possess up forward, the 8.5-point start they get is hard to ignore. On the back of big performances from lesser-known types in Oscar Allen and Liam Duggan, the Eagles will give the Cats headaches throughout the day. Geelong, however, will not go down without a fight, and with all eyes being on Cameron and Hawkins, expect Gary Rohan to hit the scoreboard on multiple occasions on Saturday afternoon.