The Hawks can keep this one close on Friday night at Marvel Stadium.
Best Bet
This is a tricky line but one the Hawks can cover.
Hawthorn have been one of the better bets against the line all season, covering in 9 of 13 games (ranked equal second) and in five of their last seven.
They’ve only won one of their last eight but have remained extremely competitive against top quality opposition like Fremantle (13 point loss), Collingwood (four points) and Melbourne (10 points).
They also should regain the underrated Mitch Lewis this week who will prove a headache for the Dogs’ perennially struggling key defenders.
We gain extra confidence in Hawthorn’s prospects given the Dogs are coming off a six-day break following a bruising, high-octane meeting with GWS. Consequentially, Luke Beveridge’s team will lose the important trio of Tim English, Cody Weightman and Taylor Duryea for this game.
The Saints were flat as a tack against Essendon last week after a similarly labouring match with Brisbane and six-day break the week prior and the Dogs could suffer a similar fate here.
Hawthorn, meanwhile, have had their feet up for their mid-season break and should cover a nearly three-goal line.
Who will take home the AFL’s top individual award? Check out our weekly AFL Brownlow Predictor for this week’s leaderboard and our tips.
Same Game Multi
Jack Macrae has recorded 30+ touches in six of his last seven games while James Sicily has had 20+ in 13 straight games.
Mitch Lewis has kicked 2+ in seven of nine games and as mentioned, should feast on the Dogs’ undersized defence.
Value Bet
The Hawthorn spearhead has become a top-tier key forward but is still not priced like one in betting markets. Lewis kicked four in two of his last three games before missing a game through injury.
The Dogs’ defence gave up seven goals to Toby Greene last week, and six to Jeremy Cameron, four to Jack Darling and five to Joel Jeffrey in weeks prior. Backing a bag against the Doggies is one of the best bets in footy right now.
