AFLX
You won’t see many big names running around in AFLX this weekend, with clubs using the games to blood youth rather than risk their guns, but there is still plenty of betting interest. St Kilda ($3.75) is the favourite to win the Melbourne tournament with Ladbrokes, but Essendon ($4) looks particularly suited to the fastpaced format, with the likes of Adam Saad and Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti zipping around.
The big market mover for Saturday’s tournament in Sydney has been the Swans after they surprised everyone at the selection table.
Notorious for thumbing their noses at pre-season competitions, they’ve named a much stronger side than Ladbrokes expected and they look to have a fairly soft draw. “The punters have swooped, with them being the best backed of the AFLX competition, moving from $7 into $3.75,” Seaton said. “With matches against Western Bulldogs and Gold Coast, perhaps (coach John) Longmire and the Swans have a fresh approach in 2018.”
A young Brisbane Lions outfit is on the second line of betting at $4 from the Suns at $4.50, while punters don’t expect Richmond ($7) to emulate their September glory.