What a night of footy down at Perth Stadium for Finals Week 1 as Hawthorn put on a masterclass to silence the home crowd. Coming off a strong win against West Coast Eagles, the visiting side rolled into town with serious momentum and executed their game plan to perfection against a formidable opponent.
Fremantle entered this clash holding the higher ladder rank with 19 wins for the season, but they simply couldn't find their usual rhythm after a tough loss to Carlton in their final home-and-away outing. Punters who backed the market moves saw Hawthorn firming into 2.74 as confidence built around their finals credentials.
How the match unfolded
The final siren sounded with the scoreboard reading Fremantle 40–72 Hawthorn, handing the visitors a comprehensive victory on the road. The total points market saw significant movement leading up to the bounce, with the over drifting from 1.33 out to 1.9, while the under slammed down from 3.1 to 1.9 (firmed) as defenses took control.
Hawthorn's defensive pressure proved too much for the home side to break down across the four quarters, comfortably covering the line and locking down the game to secure their spot deeper into September.
How the tips went
Looking back at our pre-match predictions, it proved to be a tough outing for the tip sheet as the game script played out differently than expected. Our head-to-head selection on Fremantle at 1.43 resulted in a loss as the home side fell short on the night.
Similarly, our selection on Over 165.5 total points at 1.35 resulted in a loss, with both teams combining for just 112 total points in a heavily defensive affair that played well under the expected game total.