GWS vs. Collingwood JLT most goals & margin betting

Thursday, March 1, 2018, 7.10 PM AEST, UNSW Canberra Oval, Watch on Fox Footy and Seven
Network.

The AFL has scheduled its youngest club to battle with the biggest at our nation’s capital in week 2 of the JLT pre-season.

The GWS Giants (-303.03 at WilliamHill.com.au) will go into their match against the Collingwood Magpies as the heavy favourite – with good reason.

This off-season has been a nightmare for the men in black and white so far. Injuries that carried over from the previous year still haunt the Pies and multiple players – all firmly in the club’s best 22 – are set to miss the start of the season due to fresh injuries or post-Christmas surgery.

Factor in Jordan de Goey’s drink-driving escapades and you’ve got Collingwood supporters doing their best to stay away from tall buildings.

On the bright side for the Pies, the club may have found themselves a star in the making. Jaiydn Stephenson, the number six overall pick in the 2017 draft, looks ready for senior football despite his slight frame. His blistering pace and accurate kicking have been a stand out during AFLX and club practice matches – he’s paying $21 @ Sportsbet for the Rising Star award.

The Giants will be keen to kick off their season on the right foot after coming so close to a Grand Final for the second year in a row last year. While they’ll be fancied here, the NSW club has struggled with its own injury concerns.

After reluctantly trading away one of their best half back runners in Nathan Wilson, a season-ending achilles injury to the dashing Zac Williams is devastating. Niggles to Toby Greene and Rory Lobb have put the brakes on their preparations for the season, but as always with the Giants, there’s a wealth of talent that will be looking forward to getting an opportunity.

With plenty of markets to choose from, let’s unpack a few that have some great odds.

Greater Western Sydney vs. Collingwood JLT – Most Goals tips

Greater Western Sydney Giants

Jeremy Cameron $2.10 @ Sportsbet

Jeremy Cameron is free of injury and most definitely a chance for the Coleman this year – the $14
at Sportsbet being offered provides real value. Collingwood’s backline is low on stock for this game and with no real match-up for Cameron, he could run havoc. Despite his favouritism, we recommend jumping on.

Collingwood Magpies

Mason Cox +1000 @ Sportsbet

The big American has put in three years of training to perfect his forward craft. At 211cm, Cox stands as
the equal tallest player in the league. The Giants tallest defender, Phil Davis, is still very short when
compared to Cox.

At $11 the value is very alluring and the Yank has made a habit of playing well in lower-intensity matches. Collingwood will definitely be kicking to this monster of a man and there’s real value here.

Greater Western Sydney vs Collingwood JLT – Big Win Little Win tips

Greater Western Sydney Giants

40 + points +200 @ Sportsbet

The Big Win Little Win market focuses on the final margins of the match. With the intention of
making an early statement and preparing strongly for round 1, the Giants will really put the foot down on this undermanned Collingwood line up. The midfield that the Giants have crafted over the years has become a
powerhouse workforce, they can easily toy with most sides this year, starting with the poor old Pies.

Collingwood magpies
1 – 39 points $3.75 @ Sportsbet

If they Magpies were to win, we know it will be a close final score. A slightly-more-valuable option then
backing the Pies outright would be to use this specific market. Collingwood have pulled off upset
wins in the past and if GWS take them lightly, they’ll give themselves a sniff. The strong core of
Grundy, Pendlebury and Sidebottom may work well and get the Magpies a victory.

This option is great value. If you think the Pies might stun the AFL’s love child, this is the market for
you.

Greater Western Sydney vs. Collingwood JLT Match Predictions

Match Result: GWS to win @ $1.32 with Sportsbet
Line Betting: GWS -20.5 @ -111.11 with Sportsbet

Greater Western Sydney is going to be playing finals football in 2018. To do that, they’ll need to start the season strongly and we expect that all to start at Canberra in this match. Collingwood have too many of their stars out to still compete with the competitions best of the best.