We take a look at Saturday’s (6/07/2019) AFL 2019 Week 16 match is between Fremantle Dockers and West Coast Eagles. The Eagles have been heavily backed to win the Western Derby.
When: Saturday July 6th, 7:25pm
Where: Optus Stadium
Bet: Bet On This Match HERE
Preview:
The Western Derby brings up a milestone this weekend, with the 50th clash between the Eagles and Dockers to take place. West Coast has the upper hand so far in the series, winning 29 times to the Dockers’ 20, but the series has enjoyed a number of sizeable winning streaks in recent times. The Eagles have won a staggering 8 derbys in a row, with the Dockers winning 6 times in a row before that. This season’s round 4 derby saw the Eagles prevail by 13 points, despite Freo having two more scoring shots. The 13 point margin was the smallest margin of victory in the Eagles’ eight game derby winning streak.
West Coast squeezed past Hawthorn in round 15, with a late Jamie Cripps goal proving the difference. In a tug of war, West Coast wrestled back momentum early in the last term before falling behind by eight points, but two late goals saw them home in a thriller. Freo also played in a close match, suffering the round’s, and perhaps the season’s, biggest upset, losing to Carlton by four points at Optus Stadium. A 29-point quarter time lead wasn’t enough to see the purple haze home, as Marc Murphy’s goal in the dying stages proving costly, as they dropped four valuable points to the then bottom-placed Blues.
There is no doubt the Eagles are traveling nicely in the back half of the season. Last week’s win showed plenty of grit and with five straight wins at the MCG, there is a reason why they’re one of the flag favourites. They love playing at Optus almost as much as they love it at the home of football. They are 6-1 at the ground this season, winning by an average of 23 points. Their record against the handicap isn’t so flash though at just 3-4, while games have gone over the total points on just three of seven occasions. The Eagles are the better team, but Freo will be motivated to keep it close with a top eight spot on the line.
Odds:
Tip: West Coast Eagles at $1.36
Value Tip: First Goal Scorer: Jamie Cripps at $13.00
Teams:
DOCKERS
B: Wilson, Hamling, Ryan
HB: Conca, Logue, Blakely
C: B.Hill, Fyfe, Colyer
HF: Tucker, Walters, Switkowski
F: McCarthy, Lobb, Matera
FOLL: Sandilands, Cerra, Mundy
INT: Hughes, Langdon, Brayshaw, Crowden
EMG: Bewley, Darcy, Schultz, Duman
IN: Colyer, Lobb, Sandilands, Crowden
OUT: Bewley, Banfield, Cox, Darcy
EAGLES
B: Hurn, Barrass, Sheppard
HB: Duggan, McGovern, Jetta
C: Redden, Shuey, Cripps
HF: Rioli, Darling, Sheed
F: Ryan, Kennedy, Cameron
FOLL: Naitanui, Yeo, Gaff
INT: Masten, Allen, Hickey, Nelson
EMG: Cole, Schofield, Ah Chee, Smith
IN: Barrass, McGovern
OUT: Schofield, Hutchings
*Odds correct at time of posting. Subject to change