North Melbourne vs Sydney AFL Round 3 betting predictions

North Melbourne vs Sydney Swans AFL betting preview

The Sydney Swans will travel interstate to face the North Melbourne Kangaroos at Marvel Stadium, kicking off a packed Saturday schedule in round three of the 2020 AFL Premiership.

If you told us at the start of the year that North Melbourne would win their first two matches and sit second on the ladder, we might not have believed you, but Rhyce Shaw has his charges heading in the right direction.

No team in the competition tackles as hard as the Roos, who were leaving bruises on the GWS Giants last weekend in their emphatic victory over the 2019 grand finalists.

The Sydney Swans played a decent brand of footy at times against the Bombers on Sunday, but they trailed the entire game and lacked the firepower required to snatch the win.

While both teams have strong intent in the middle of the ground, the Swans have a big problem up forward with no Lance Franklin or Sam Reid to aim at inside 50.

There may not be a lot of movement on the selection board for either side, but you can expect Ben Ronke to push for a place in the forward pocket for the Swans.

North Melbourne vs Sydney Swans disposal tips

Last week we tipped Jy Simpkin to get 20 disposals at $2.40, and he ended with 25 and was dangerous the entire day. Now that the bookies have caught on to Simpkin’s ball-finding ability, the odds are slimmer this week, but you can jump on him to get 25 against the Swans for great value. The talented young midfielder had 24 in his last clash with the Swans and will have a much more prominent role this time around.

With the Bombers utilising a strong brigade of pressuring small forwards such as Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti and Devon Smith, Jake Lloyd had to work hard for his disposals, but Sydney’s half-back playmaker still had a team-high 29 touches. The Roos do not have as many pressuring forwards, meaning Lloyd should see plenty of the ball again.

North Melbourne vs Sydney Swans goalscorer betting

There are few better things in footy than a young forward who uses his body like a veteran, and that’s exactly what makes Cameron Zurhaar a name to remember. The powerful medium forward often exposes mismatches in North Melbourne’s attacking 50 that result in a few scoring opportunities. Similar to when Dustin Martin goes forward for Richmond, Zurhaar uses explosive power and speed to kick goals.

If the AFL had to choose a player to market to an international audience, it would be Isaac Heeney. There is no forward in the competition who is more exciting, skilful, balanced and athletic. Due to Sydney’s shortage of key targets, Heeney will spend plenty of time deep inside 50. He was well held by the Essendon defence last week, so he will want to make a statement against the Roos.

North Melbourne vs Sydney Swans match predictions

There have been a couple of games every round that end up exceeding the 150-point mark despite the shortened quarters, and we see this matchup as a likely candidate. The Roos found many different ways to score against the Giants, while the Swans have now played two matches where both sides booted more than 70 points. Combine those factors with ideal playing conditions at Marvel Stadium, and we should see plenty of scoring at either end.

We were impressed with how Rhyce Shaw managed to outcoach Leon Cameron in the last quarter of North Melbourne’s clash with GWS, and we think he has the smarts to beat his former gaffer in John Longmire.

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