What a contest we had at the M.C.G. on Saturday, 22 Aug, 4:15 pm AEST for Round 24 of the AFL season. Punters locking in their final wagers had been leaning heavily towards the home side in the lead-up, with Melbourne seeing their price shorten from 1.45 to 1.43 (firmed). Meanwhile, the Western Bulldogs drifted out slightly from 2.78 to 2.85 (drifted).
Coming off a solid win line against Port Adelaide in their previous outing, Melbourne looked primed to assert their rank 6 ladder position. However, the Western Bulldogs arrived at the M.C.G. ready to throw out the script. Having come off a tight 82-82 draw against Carlton, the visitors showed great resilience to turn the tables on the market and secure a memorable victory on enemy turf.
Match Summary
When the final siren sounded, it was the Western Bulldogs who walked away with the premiership points, defeating Melbourne 108 to 87. Despite entering the contest as clear favourites and seeing the odds firm in the market, Melbourne were unable to contain the Bulldogs' determined forward thrusts.
The head-to-head market told one story, but the on-field battle wrote another. The Bulldogs improved on their season form line, adding a statement win away from home to finish the home-and-away campaign with plenty of grit. For punters tracking the total points line of 188.5, the combined score of 195 points pushed the match over the total.
How the tips went
It was a mixed bag for our published tips across the board at the M.C.G. Let's take an honest look at how each selection performed.
Our head-to-head tip on Melbourne to win at 1.38 resulted in a loss, as the Bulldogs caused the upset. Our line selection of Melbourne -16.5 at 1.9 also resulted in a loss given the final 21-point margin in favour of the visitors. However, our total points selection of Over 168.5 at 1.36 resulted in a win, with both teams combining for a healthy 195 points on the day.