Richmond vs Western Bulldogs AFL betting tips – Rd 4, 2022

Although the Richmond Tigers and Western Bulldogs are both 1-2 after the opening three rounds of the 2022 AFL season, they should provide a mouth-watering contest at the MCG this Saturday night.

The last clash between these sides ended with a 22-point victory in favour of the Tigers, as it was before they fell apart in the second half of the 2021 season.

Damian Hardwick will be pleased to see the game has been scheduled at the MCG, as the Bulldogs have won their last four clashes against Richmond at Marvel Stadium.

Dustin Martin will sit out another match as he continues to spend time away from the football club for personal reasons, while Dylan Grimes is set for a stint on the sidelines after straining his hamstring.

Dion Prestia and Jack Riewoldt are tipped to return this week and bring some much-needed experience to the Tigers’ line-up, while the Dogs look set to bring a very settled team into the contest.

The Tigers have had the edge of the Bulldogs over the last two years, but their luck may run out this week if Luke Beveridge’s men can follow up the form that beat the powerful Swans last weekend.

Cody Weightman was extremely influential in the Doggies’ win over the Swans, as the young small forward led the Dogs goalkicking with three majors. Weightman will be worth backing in this weekend to repeat his round three heroics.

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Key matchup: Noah Balta vs Aaron Naughton

Two of the best young key forwards in the AFL will compete in a shootout at the MCG this Saturday night, as Noah Balta and Aaron Naughton will line up at full forward for their respective teams. Naughton is the more experienced of the pair as he has already starred up forward since 2019, while Balta is still perfecting his craft up the ground.

Balta originally joined the Tigers as a forward in his draft year, when he kicked six goals in 13 games during the 2019 season. The freakishly athletic prospect has since learnt how to read the ball in defence and returned to the forward half of the ground, where he is marking everything and converting well.

Richmond vs Western Bulldogs match predictions

The 2021 AFL Grand Final runners-up are currently playing very poorly compared to what many pundits expected, but this should be the week they get back into rhythm and shoot back up the ladder. The Tigers are a different proposition without Dusty and Dylan Grimes, as they look far more beatable when moving the ball quickly out of the middle. The Bulldogs are experts when it comes to anything midfield related, so we think they will thrive against the Tigers this weekend.

Richmond vs Western Bulldogs goalkicker tips

Having kicked eight goals in the first three rounds of the year, Noah Balta looks extremely dangerous since returning to the Richmond forward line. Balta is gifted with athletic qualities that allow him to ride packs and out-speed his opponents, which is how he creates his scoring opportunities inside 50. The young forward is yet to kick less than two goals in a game this year and should continue the trend against the smaller Bulldogs defence.

Richmond vs Western Bulldogs AFL same-game multi

The Bulldogs should record a decent win this Saturday night off the back of another impressive Cody Weightman performance. Noah Balta will still be hard to stop inside 50 for Richmond, but it will not be enough to stop the Doggies from winning.

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