Melbourne vs Western Bulldogs AFL Rd 1 betting tips – 16/3/2022

The AFL Premiership finally returns this Wednesday night, starting with the 2021 Grand Final rematch between the Melbourne Demons and the Western Bulldogs at the MCG.

The Demons famously broke their 57-year premiership drought in stunning fashion last season, smashing the Bulldogs by 74 points across the country at Optus Stadium.

Both teams will be excited to play in front of a full-capacity crowd in Melbourne, but will the final result be any different to their last bout?

Neither team made any major changes during the offseason, so we can expect two very similar line-ups to their starting 23 from last year’s AFL Grand Final.

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Many footy pundits expect the Western Bulldogs to bounce back in a big way this season and compete for another premiership, but just as many experts believe the Dees can go back-to-back.

We expect Simon Goodwin will continue with the Demons’ winning strategies from last year, while Luke Beveridge has been consistent with the Bulldogs’ tactics for some time now.

The Dogs have been a handball-heavy team since their 2016 flag, and they recorded 50 more handballs than the Lions in their preseason practice match, so you can expect their midfielders to rack up the disposals each week if this trend continues in 2022.

Both the Demons and Bulldogs narrowly lost their preseason warm-ups, but they still looked very potent inside 50 and scored well.

Key matchup: Bayley Fritsch vs Bailey Williams

Bayley Fritsch may not have won the 2021 Norm Smith Medal, but he was arguably the best player in the Grand Final after kicking six majors. Fritsch is deadly inside 50 both from a set shot and during general play, making him one of the most dynamic forwards in the competition.

As good a defender as Bailey Williams is, he could struggle keeping up with Fritsch both on the ground and in the air, which has been the case in the past. Fritsch has kicked 12 goals across his last four bouts with the Bulldogs and should feature heavily again this Wednesday night.

Melbourne vs Western Bulldogs match prediction

Simon Goodwin and the Demons will register the first victory of the 2022 AFL Premiership season in a tight contest with the Bulldogs. The likes of Marcus Bontempelli and Aaron Naughton will make life difficult for the Demons, but the premiers should still get the job done off the back of Clayton Oliver, Christian Petracca and Max Gawn.

Melbourne vs Western Bulldogs disposals betting

Jack Macrae averaged over 33 disposals per game last season and was near-unstoppable most weeks. He started the 2021 campaign with back-to-back games of 35+ touches and ended the year surpassing that total 13 times. Although he was relatively quiet in the Grand Final, Macrae collected over 35 disposals in both home-and-away matches against the Demons and should deliver again this week.

Melbourne vs Western Bulldogs same-game multi

Bayley Fritsch will star again this Wednesday and help the Dees deliver a finishing blow to the Bulldogs. We think Jack Macrae is still going to shine under the bright lights at the MCG, but it will not be enough for the Doggies to defeat the reigning premiers.