Port Adelaide host Essendon on Friday night at the Adelaide Oval, with both teams having won twice and lost once so far this season.
Best Bet
The line looks a little bit too big here.
Essendon have been good to start 2024. They comfortably handled the Hawks in Round 1 before upsetting the Saints under the roof at Marvel.
In between, they managed to press the Swans in a game that was closer than the final 30 point margin indicated.
Port will be desperate for a win after losing against Melbourne last week, a game which nearly every metric suggested they should win.
But it’s worth remembering that these sides met twice in 2023 with the final margin being less than a kick in both games, and the Bombers covering the line on both occasions.
The Bombers have been good in the middle thus far in 2024, and in fact are the only side beating the Power in clearance differential.
If Essendon can at least blunt some of the easy goals that Port gets out of the centre – as Melbourne were able to do in the second half last week – they can hang around in this one.
Getting almost four goals the Bombers are a good bet.
Same Game Multi
Will Setterfield comes back into the Essendon side replacing Sam Durham. He had 24 and 29 in the first two weeks.
Nic Martin comes off 44 last week and has been padding his numbers by assuming the kick out duties for Essendon.
Zach Merrett is in supreme form for the Dons having cracked 30 in every game so far this season.
Value Bets
With Peter Wright out the Bombers are hugely reliant on Kyle Langford and Jake Stringer to kick their goals. Port tend to spread the load among their key forwards so the Essendon number four could be value.
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