West Coast v Adelaide best bet tips and predictions | AFL 16/5

Can the Adelaide Crows pull off an upset this Sunday at Optus Stadium, or will the West Coast Eagles win their sixth match of the 2021 AFL Premiership season?

Matthew Nicks’ Crows have not won a match since round four, and they will need to be at their very best in order to break their losing streak on the road against the Eagles.

The Eagles are treading down a completely different path, as three wins from their last four matches puts Adam Simpson’s men inside the top eight with a handful of injured stars waiting to return.

Jeremy McGovern and Shannon Hurn will push for selection at training but will likely be sidelined for one more week, while Tom Barrass should be right to go after just missing out on last week’s victory.

Veteran forwards Taylor Walker and Josh Kennedy will both miss this week for their respective clubs, while Ned McHenry (concussion) and Lachlan Murphy (ankle) have been ruled out for the Crows.

West Coast Eagles vs Adelaide Crows match preview

Online bookmakers are offering no value for the Eagles outright, but we can still utilise the margin markets to increase our odds. The Crows have been very strong against West Coast in recent times, but given Adelaide’s mounting injuries and inexperienced legs, this one could get ugly.

A majority of Adelaide’s best midfielders have very unattractive values in the disposal markets, but we have our eyes on a certain young defender instead. Tom Doedee has played the Eagles twice throughout his 38-game career and both times he collected 20 or more disposals. You can find him at $2.20 with Sportsbet to register 20 touches this Sunday.

West CoastEagles

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

AdelaideCrows

• James Rowe
• Billy Frampton
• Shane McAdam
• Harry Schoenberg
• Darcy Fogarty
• Sam Berry
• Lachlan Sholl
• Ben Keays
• David Mackay
• Brodie Smith
• Tom Doedee
• Will Hamill
• Jake Kelly
• Jordon Butts
• Luke Brown
• Reilly O’Brien
• Rory Laird
• Rory Sloane
• Ronin O’Connor
• Chayce Jones
• Riley Thilthorpe
• Paul Seedsman
• Andrew McPherson (Emg)
• Nick Murray (Emg)
• Josh Worrell (Emg)
• Elliott Himmelberg (Emg)
• Coach: Matthew Nicks

Key matchup: Oscar Allen vs Darcy Fogarty

The 2017 AFL draft was filled with talented forwards, including Western Australian product Oscar Allen and the South Australian Darcy Fogarty. Both players are now thriving for clubs from their home state and should be in the thick of the action this weekend.

With veterans Kennedy and Walker missing out this Sunday, these two young stars should shine in their absence. Oscar Allen has played in defence for the past few weeks, but the return of Tom Barrass should see him push forward.

West Coast Eagles vs Adelaide Crows betting tips

West Coast Eagles -40.5

The most likely outcome for this clash will be a big win to the Eagles, as the Crows are in a horrible form slump. The Eagles have not lost a match in front of their home fans this season, and we do not think the Crows will be their first blemish. We had originally selected the Eagles to win by 40+ points, but you can get slightly better odds by taking them at the 40.5-point spread.

Oscar Allen to kick 3+ goals
The last time Oscar Allen started a home game in the forward-line was against Collingwood in round five, a match he tore apart with five goals. The Crows’ only genuine tall defender this week will be Jordan Butts, who will likely match up with Jack Darling. Allen should thrive against the shorter Adelaide defence in an expected blowout.

Eagles v Crows same game multi tip: 3 legs @ $8.25

The majority of match will be played inside the Eagles’ forward half, which should allow Tom Doedee to rack up the disposals in the Crows backline. Oscar Allen will kick his fair share of goals in Josh Kennedy’s vacant role, while the Eagles should cruise to an easy victory.