Winning bets for AFL Round 4 – Bombers bring home the bacon

IT was a week of upsets and blowouts as wild weather reigned in Round 4 of the 2018 AFL season.

Collingwood kicked things off on Friday night with a stunning thumping of the Crows at Adelaide Oval and things just got weirder from there.

Brisbane kicked its first goal of the match against Richmond nearing the end of the third quarter. Ouch.

The Swans out-lasted a spirited Dogs outfit in the match of the round at Etihad Stadium.

Carlton embarrassed itself again in Tasmania against North Melbourne, challenging embattled coach Brendan Bolton to find new excuses for a downward spiral that has reached new, exciting lows.

The supposed new-and-improved Melbourne played like its old-self in a despicable display against Hawthorn.

And, to cap it all off, Essendon pulled a rabbit out of the hat in an upset victory over the ladder-leading Port Adelaide.

Our resident football punter ran his eye over four of the weekend’s biggest games and provided free tips.

Let’s see how our punters fared.

Adelaide vs. Collingwood winning tips

Starting as a $5 underdog going into the game and suffering pre-match injuries to two crucial players, not many gave Collingwood a chance of upsetting the 2017 Grand Finalist, the Adelaide Crows. So, it came as shock to the football when Nathan Buckley’s men dismantled the home team in slippery conditions, 16.10 (106) to 9.4 (58).

It was a tough game for punters, but the Pies did deliver some value for us.

• CrownBet had Collingwood at $2.11 to kick more than 10.5 goals and we pounced. The Woods had the bet stitched up just after half time in a dominant display.
• While we picked Adelaide to win, we thought the 31.5-point line was way out of whack and Collingwood proved us right, covering it by a whopping 79 points at $1.92.

Bulldogs vs. Swans winning tips

The Swans held out the Dogs in a ripper on Saturday afternoon in a game that swung wildly from teams occupying opposite ends of the ladder.

In the end it was the class of the Swans that won out in the dying stages, 13.8 (86) to 11.13 (79).

• We thought small forward Tom Papley would benefit from the extra attention paid to Lance Franklin and kick two or more goals, paying $2.20. Papley delivered with two goals.
• Under the roof at Etihad in perfect conditions, we backed the resurgent Dogs to top 70.5 at $1.34 and they did the business, paying $1.34.
• To cap things off, we back the Swans in the race to be first to 50 at $1.45 and the Swans to win at $1.42.

Eagles vs. Suns winning bets

The Eagles did as they pleased against Gold Coast on Saturday night, celebrating the return of super star Josh Kennedy with a thumping 80-point win, 21.13 (139) to 9.5 (59).

• At home against a tiring Suns outfit, we thought the smart money was on the Eagles kicking a big score and they delivered. Eagles over 110 was paying $2.10 and we nailed it.
• Despite Gold Coast’s woes, we thought its captain and best player Tom Lynch would continue his hot form and kick 3+ goals, paying $2.40. He delivered with the required three goals, a third of his team’s score.
• We nailed the Eagles to win, like most of the country, at $1.15 — a moral for our multis.

Essendon vs. Port Adelaide winning tips

After a week of soul-searching and media scrutiny, the Bombers responded in the best way possible on Sunday, upsetting the Power in an impressive display, 16.10 (106) to 12.12 (84).

• We saw the upset coming and backed in the Bombers to win at $2.25. On top of that they easily covered the +7.5 line at $1.90.
• If it was going to get the win, Essendon needed to kick more than 12.5 goals — the Bombers did just that, topping the mark with its first goal in the final term.
• We tipped a tight contest and Essendon played to script, winning by just under the 24.5 line we set for the winning side at $1.83.

Hawthorn vs. Melbourne winning tips

The Demons were as disappointing to us as they were to their fans on Sunday afternoon, putting in a pathetic effort in a 67-point defeat to Hawthorn, 18.7 (115) to 6.12 (48).

Melbourne jumped out to a strong start, but then seemingly packed their bags and went home at quarter time. The Demons kicked one goal for the next three quarters — coming early in the final term.

• We — and most punters — didn’t see this one coming. We only got one tip for the match, which was no player to kick more than five goals, paying $1.45.