The Dees come off an opening round defeat to the Swans and will be desperate to square the ledger against the Dogs who are kicking their season off at the MCG on Sunday afternoon.
Best Bet
There looks to be nothing in this matchup so the Dogs with the points look an attractive bet.
The X-factor here is the fact that the Dees have already played a proper match, but there should be very little between these two sides.
The Dees were comfortably handled by the Swans in Week 1 and they don’t appear to have fixed the issues with their forward line. Tom McDonald and Ben Brown come back into the side, which is hardly a scary prospect. Kozzy Pickett, on the other hand, should add plenty.
Western’s vulnerability is in its back six, but it isn’t something the Dees are well placed to exploit.
Both sides have plenty of class and depth through the middle but the battle that should decide this one is likely the Swans forward line against the Dees backs. The Dogs have two potent forwards in Aaron Naughton and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan but Melbourne’s defence has been an elite unit for some years now, led by Steven May and Jake Lever.
It’s genuinely line ball which is why the Dogs with the head start look a strong play.
Same Game Multi
These sides have a surprisingly strong record of going over the total, which has hit in the last four games between them. Round 1 has gone over in 38 of 54 games in the last six years.
Clayton Oliver has gone over 30 in five of his last six against the Dogs, while Bailey Dale should once again be the designated ball user out of defence against the Dees, whose inaccuracy can help pad his numbers with kick ins.
Value Bet
Livewire forward Pickett comes back into the side after missing the previous game through suspension. One of the best small forwards in the league, he kicked four against the Dogs last year.
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