AFL 2025 Round 8 – Betting Tips, Odds & Predictions

ANZAC Round is in the books, and it was not a particularly close one. Just one game was decided by less than three goals, with each of the Lions, Bulldogs, Suns and Blues throwing their weight around with impressive victories. Round 8 kicks off with a Thursday night clash which won’t exactly get neutrals scrambling for their TV sets when the Bombers take on the Kangaroos, but there are plenty of good games later in the round to make up for it, including the Magpies vs Cats on Saturday night, and a pair of derbies on Sunday between Sydney and GWS, and Gold Coast and Brisbane. Take a look at our AFL tips and predictions for all nine games set to take place over the weekend below.

The Bombers’ three-game winning streak came to an end on ANZAC Day, with the Magpies making the gap between Essendon and the best teams very apparent. The Bombers were not exactly bad and appeared to be making a distant fist of things after conceding a big lead early, but Collingwood’s class ultimately prevailed and they pulled away to win by 41 points. Now with a square ledger at 3-3, Essendon gets a good chance to get their winning record back this Thursday night.

Having said that, while the Kangaroos lost their fifth game in a row last weekend, they were substantially better than they had been over the last month and very nearly upset the Power in Adelaide in a solid showing. It’s still not been the start to the season they would have hoped for in a season in which they really should finally show some improvement, but if they play that way every week they will challenge plenty of teams. That kind of form could see them give the Bombers a shake, but rarely do the Roos get these kind of marquee game times and they haven’t tended to excel under the bright lights in recent years – Good Friday being a prime example. Hopefully they given it a shake, but the Dons should be too strong.

Bookmaker	James’ Tip	Odds
	Bombers to win	$1.42
	Bombers 1-39	$2.25
	Bombers 1-24	$3.40

Predicted Squads

Essendon Bombers: B: A. McGrath, B. McKay, J. Ridley HB: M. Redman, Z. Reid, J. Prior C: X. Duursma, D. Shiel, A. Roberts HF: J. Gresham, N. Caddy, N. Martin F: K. Langford, P. Wright, I. Kako FOLL: T. Goldstein, Z. Merrett, S. Durham I/C: B. Hobbs, W. Setterfield, A. Perkins, H. Jones, J. Menzie EMG: E. Tsatas, L. Hayes, S. El-Hawli

North Melbourne Kangaroos: B: C. Comben, K. Dawson, J. Archer HB: L. McDonald, C. Daniel, D. Tucker C: F. O’Sullivan, L. Davies-Uniacke, C. McKercher HF: R. Hansen Jr, N. Larkey, H. Sheezel F: C. Zurhaar, J. Darling, J. Konstanty FOLL: T. Xerri, L. Parker, J. Simpkin - C I/C: G. Wardlaw, D. Stephens, R. Hardeman, T. Powell, Z. Duursma EMG: A. Corr, F. Maley, J. Archer

After three wins on the trot from Rounds 2 to 4 the Saints would have been feeling pretty good about themselves, but all that positivity has rapidly faded over the past three weeks. Granted they have had a tough stretch of games, but they have been pretty non-competitive in them, last weekend’s 45-point defeat at the hands of the Lions their latest blemish. The Saints aren’t quite as one-paced and one-dimensional as they once were, but they remain a mid-tier team at best and now face an in-form Dockers outfit this weekend.

Fremantle won their fourth game in five weeks on Good Friday, beating the Crows in a really solid display by 18 points to take their record to 4-3. They’ve looked solid since losing their first couple of games, though question marks still remain over their ability to maintain that level interstate, particularly in Melbourne. All of those four wins have been in Perth except for one at a neutral venue against the Tigers, and the only loss came when they did play in Melbourne against a then-winless Demons team. It’s hard to be too confident in their travelling ability, but they are a better team than St. Kilda and if they play at close to their best, should be able to eke out another win.

Bookmaker	James’ Tip	Odds
	Dockers to win	$1.74
	Dockers 1-39	$2.40
	Dockers 1-24	$3.50

Predicted Squads

St. Kilda Saints: B: D. Howard, C. Wilkie, M. Windhager HB: R. Byrnes, N. Wanganeen-Milera, J. Sinclair C: D. Wilson, L. Stocker, M. Wood HF: J. Higgins, B. Hill, M. Owens F: C. Sharman, A. Caminiti, I. Keeler FOLL: R. Marshall, J. Macrae, J. Steele I/C: A. McLennan, J. Webster, H. Boxshall, M. Hall, Z. Jones EMG: H. Boyd, H. Garcia, L. Collard

Fremantle Dockers: B: L. Ryan, A. Pearce, B. Cox HB: C. Wagner, J. Draper, J. Clark C: J. Sharp, H. Young, M. Johnson HF: M. Frederick, S. Switkowski, S. Bolton F: L. Jackson, J. Treacy, J. Amiss FOLL: S. Darcy, C. Serong, A. Brayshaw I/C: M. Reid, H. Chapman, K. Worner, O. McDonald, Q. Narkle EMG: J. Aish, L. Reidy, B. Banfield

The Dogs might just be a really good team. They have looked great at times this season even in the absence of numerous key players, and though they have not been winning at a rate reflective of that their 32-point win over the Giants last weekend was just about the most impressive performance of the round. Even with Sam Darcy absent they looked potent going forward, with their talented midfield – boosted significantly by the imperious Marcus Bontempelli, who returned from injury a fortnight ago – leading the charge. Now back on their home turf, they’ll be looking to make it three from three against Port Adelaide.

The Power, however, have won three on the trot themselves, making up for a bad start to the season to work their way up to a 4-3 record. They were note exactly at their best last weekend, only just holding off North Melbourne in Adelaide, but they were very impressive against quality teams in Sydney and Hawthorn the fortnight prior. But the Power are another team that struggles in Melbourne, and against a rampant Bulldogs team might be set for their first loss in a month in a high-scoring affair.

Bookmaker	James’ Tip	Odds
	Bulldogs -19.5	$1.88
	Bulldogs 25+	$2.10
	Over 170.5 total match points	$1.88

Predicted Squads

Western Bulldogs: B: B. Khamis, J. Busslinger, L. Bramble HB: J. Johannisen, R. Lobb, B. Dale C: B. Williams, E. Richards, J. Freijah HF: L. Vandermeer, J. O’Donnell, M. Kennedy F: R. Sanders, A. Naughton, R. West FOLL: T. English, M. Bontempelli - C, T. Liberatore I/C: L. Cleary, S. Davidson, J. Dolan, J. Harmes, C. Hynes (sub) EMG: O. Baker, T. Duryea, L. Jones

Port Adelaide Power: B: La. Jones, A. Aliir, M. Bergman HB: C. Rozee, E. Ratugolea, K. Farrell C: C. Moraes, O. Wines, J. Burgoyne HF: J. Mead, M. Georgiades, W. Rioli F: S. Powell-Pepper, O. Lord, J. Richards FOLL: J. Sweet, J. Horne-Francis, Z. Butters I/C: W. Drew, D. Byrne-Jones, J. Berry, T. Boak, J. Finlayson EMG: R. Atkins, L. Evans, H. Jackson

• The Bulldogs have been playing some high scoring games lately, their last four all yielding at least 178 points and an average of 192. 5.
• The Eagles have an average losing margin of 41. 5 points this season.
• The Suns have had a good start to the season but an easy fixture, and while the win over the Swans was impressive, they have historically really struggled against the Lions, losing 11 of their last 12 against their intrastate opponents.

Multi of the Week

All of a sudden this looms a really intriguing matchup. The Crows started the season like a house on fire with three consecutive wins, but they have since lost three of their last four games, the latest an 18-point defeat to the Dockers. They haven’t exactly been bad during that period though; all those losses have been close ones to good teams, while they also threw an impressive, hard-fought win over GWS in the mix too.

But while this would have loomed as a likely win for them a few weeks ago, the Blues have found their touch and quickly rectified a winless first month of the season with three consecutive wins. The first two were only against the Eagles and Kangaroos – albeit in emphatic fashion – but their 18-point defeat of the Cats last Sunday was their first victory of significance this season and showed they still have a part to play this season. This should be a quality game and one the Blues certainly look capable of winning, but the Crows have been great at home this season and in an entertaining game, can sneak over the line.

Bookmaker	James’ Tip	Odds
	Crows to win	$1.52
	Crows 1-39	$2.30
	Crows 1-24	$3.40

Predicted Squads

Adelaide Crows: B: J. Worrell, N. Murray, R. Laird HB: W. Milera, M. Keane, M. Michalanney C: I. Cumming, J. Dawson - C, L. Nankervis HF: B. Keays, R. Thilthorpe, I. Rankine F: J. Rachele, T. Walker, A. Neal-Bullen FOLL: R. O’Brien, J. Soligo, M. Crouch I/C: Z. Taylor, M. Hinge, D. Curtin, J. Peatling, S. Draper (sub) EMG: S. Berry, B. Cook, C. Burgess

Carlton Blues: B: J. Boyd, J. Weitering, A. Saad HB: N. Haynes, M. McGovern, L. Cowan C: B. Acres, P. Cripps, O. Hollands HF: M. Cottrell, H. McKay, L. Fogarty F: J. Motlop, C. Curnow, C. Durdin FOLL: T. De Koning, S. Walsh, G. Hewett I/C: M. Carroll, S. Docherty, W. White, E. Hollands, C. Lord EMG: L. Young, L. Camporeale, J. Binns

Continuing Saturday’s slate of high-quality games, Saturday night will see the top-of-the-table Magpies take on the Cats in front of what will no doubt be a large and vociferous crowd at the MCG. Collingwood continued on their merry way with a sixth straight victory last Friday, seeing off the Bombers reasonably comfortably in front of in excess of 90,000 people at the ‘G on ANZAC Day. They sit clear on top of the ladder with a 6-1 record and an imposing percentage, but even they will have their work cut out in this game.

The Cats are coming off a disappointing loss, having gone down by three goals to the Blues last Sunday, but they had been really impressive for three consecutive weeks prior to that, beating the Hawks, the Crows in Adelaide, as well as the Demons comfortably. Both these teams should be right in the mix at the pointy end of the season, and with each of them harbouring top four aspirations expect plenty of intensity from the get-go on Saturday night. This should be a close and hard-fought game, but the Magpies are hard to go past at the moment and might just be able to sneak over the line for a seventh straight win.

Bookmaker	James’ Tip	Odds
	Magpies to win	$1.60
	Magpies 1-39	$2.30
	Magpies 1-24	$3.30

Predicted Squads

Collingwood Magpies: B: B. Maynard, B. Frampton, D. Houston HB: I. Quaynor, D. Moore, J. Howe C: J. Crisp, S. Sidebottom, J. Daicos HF: B. Hill, T. Membrey, J. De Goey F: W. Hoskin-Elliott, B. Mihocek, L. Schultz FOLL: D. Cameron, N. Long, N. Daicos I/C: J. Elliott, S. Pendlebury, H. Perryman, B. McCreery, P. Lipinski EMG: E. Allan, W. Hayes, M. Cox

Geelong Cats: B: C. O’Sullivan, S. De Koning, M. Blicavs HB: L. Humphries, T. Stewart, Z. Guthrie C: J. Bowes, M. Holmes, O. Dempsey HF: B. Close, S. Mannagh, T. Stengle F: J. Cameron, P. Dangerfield, S. Neale FOLL: R. Stanley, B. Smith, T. Atkins I/C: M. O’Connor, O. Mullin, O. Wilthire, J. Clark, O. Henry EMG: M. Duncan, G. Stevens, T. Clohesy

The Eagles remain plastered to the bottom of the ladder as the only winless team, having as expected gone down comfortably to the Hawks last Sunday. It has been a tough initiation for new coach Andrew McQualter and while victory will eventually come, it’s tough to see exactly where from at the moment.

A home game against the Demons could present an opportunity given that just two weeks ago, Melbourne sat alongside West Coast in the bottom two without a win. But they have been much better over the past two weeks, beating the Dockers by 10 points a fortnight ago in their best performance of the season and then defeating Richmond more comfortably than the final 20-point margin would suggest last week, even after a lacklustre first half. Christian Petracca, Kysaiah Pickett, Max Gawn and co are beginning to play some good footy, and while they still look a fair way off the pace, they are a hell of a lot better than the Eagles and should be able to win their third game on the trot this Saturday night.

Bookmaker	James’ Tip	Odds
	Demons to win	$1.40
	Demons -16.5	$1.91
	Demons 25+	$2.30

Predicted Squads

West Coast Eagles: B: R. Maric, J. McGovern, B. Hough HB: T. Cole, R. Ginbey, L. Baker C: J. Cripps, H. Reid, J. Hunt HF: J. Graham, J. Waterman, M. Owies F: L. Ryan, O. Allen, A. Reid FOLL: M. Flynn, L. Duggan, T. Kelly I/C: E. Hewett, J. Williams, J. Hutchinson, T. Gross, N. Long EMG: T. Brockman, T. Dewar, S. Brock

Melbourne Demons: B: J. Bowey, S. May, C. Salem HB: C. Windsor, T. McDonald, J. McVee C: K. Chandler, J. Viney, E. Langdon HF: T. Sparrow, T. van Rooyen, K. Pickett F: K. Tholstrup, B. Fritsch, C. Spargo FOLL: M. Gawn, C. Petracca, H. Langford I/C: C. Oliver, X. Lindsay, T. Rivers, H. Petty, H. Sharp EMG: J. Billings, B. Howes, A. Johnson

A blockbuster Sunday kicks off with the Battle of the Bridge between the Swans and Giants, a rivalry which has gained plenty of traction over the past few years. With both teams in their Premiership window, this should be an excellent game and will have an added layer of heat to it given that both teams are in the midst of disappointing losing streaks. Sydney have started the season relatively poorly and a 38-point loss to the Suns after they jumped out to a big early lead was arguably their worst performance yet. They look a shadow of the team that was so dominant for so much of last season, but the cattle that made them such a good side so recently remains and they have the capacity to turn things around.

The Giants, meanwhile, won three of their first four and were looking really good, but consecutive losses to the Crows and then the Bulldogs have stopped them in their tracks. At their best they have looked really good, but in two contrasting games they have been unable to match it with their opponents for long enough over the last fortnight. It’s really difficult to separate these two at the minute; the Giants have undoubtedly been better to start the season, but the Swans are a better team than they have shown so far this season and look like decent value with AFL betting sites in this one.

Bookmaker	James’ Tip	Odds
	Swans to win	$2.35
	Swans +9.5	$1.91
	Swans 1-39	$2.90

Predicted Squads

Sydney Swans: B: L. Melican, T. McCartin, D. Rampe HB: M. Roberts, N. Blakey, R. Bice C: J. Lloyd, I. Heeney, O. Florent HF: J. McInerney, H. McLean, J. Jordon F: W. Hayward, A. Francis, B. Campbell FOLL: B. Grundy, Ch. Warner, J. Rowbottom I/C: A. Sheldrick, P. Ladhams, Co. Warner, C. Cleary, T. Hanily EMG: J. Hamling, C. Mills, C. Mitchell

Greater Western Sydney Giants: B: C. Idun, S. Taylor, H. Himmelberg HB: L. Whitfield, J. Buckley, L. Ash C: J. Wehr, F. Callaghan, X. O’Halloran HF: D. Jones, A. Cadman, H. Thomas F: T. Greene, J. Hogan, J. Stringer FOLL: K. Briggs, J. Kelly, T. Green I/C: T. Bedford, T. McMullin, C. Stone, J. Riccardi, C. Ward EMG: C. Brown, J. Leake, L. Aleer

After a couple of consecutive losses, the Hawks bounced back with an easy win over the Eagles last weekend to take their record to 5-2, and will be expecting to earn themselves another percentage booster this week against the Tigers. The talented young Hawks have by and large looked every bit as they good when storming into a semi-final last year, and recaptured some confidence with that 50-point win against the Eagles that could very easily have been bigger.

But while this should theoretically be an easy scalp, the Tigers have been a lot more competitive than many expected in the early stages of the season. Already they have picked up wins against the Blues and the Suns, and were again competitive against the Demons last weekend before fading in the second half. Clearly there is a big gap between these two teams, but the young Tigers have proven capable of taking advantage of teams far better than they are if they’re not at their best. It would be no surprise to see Richmond hang around for a half or so in this one, but talent should prevail and the Hawks will likely be able to pick up a comfortable win.

Bookmaker	James’ Tip	Odds
	Tigers +22.5 first half line	$1.88
	Hawks-24.5 second half line	$1.90
	Hawks 40+	$1.52

Predicted Squads

Hawthorn Hawks: B: T. Barrass, B. Hardwick, J. Sicily HB: J. Battle, J. Impey, C. Jiath C: J. Weddle, C. Mackenzie, M. D’Ambrosio HF: J. Ginnivan, N. Watson, J. Ward F: J. Gunston, M. Chol, D. Moore FOLL: L. Meek, J. Newcombe, H. Hustwaite I/C: H. Morrison, F. Maginness, C. Macdonald, J. Worpel, B. Macdonald EMG: L. Breust, J. Serong, J. Scaife

Richmond Tigers: B: B. Miller, N. Broad, N. Vlastuin HB: J. Short, N. Balta, T. Brown C: H. Ralphsmith, T. Dow, HF: S. Campbell, J. Ross, S. Green F: J. Bauer, T. Lynch, M. Rioli FOLL: T. Nankervis, T. Taranto, J. Hopper I/C: R. Mansell, S. Banks, K. McIntosh, S. Lalor, J. Smillie EMG: T. Sonsie, J. Faull, K. Smith

The ‘QClash’ hasn’t quite developed into the rivalries we see in other two-team states just yet, courtesy primarily to the fact that the Suns have not once made the finals in their history. But these two teams currently occupy 2nd and 3rd spots on the ladder, and while the Suns may not be able to stay there they do appear to have improved quite a lot in Dimma’s second year in charge. They have undeniably had an easy start to the season and a loss to the Tigers suggested their 4-0 start might have been largely a product of that, but they were really impressive against the Swans last weekend en route to a 38-point. To win this one, however, they’ll have to be at their best and then some.

The Lions have not been at their absolute best but testament to how good they are, were able to win their first five games regardless, and they bounced back from their first loss of the season with a strong win over the Saints in Melbourne last weekend to move to 2nd spot on the ladder and take their record to 6-1. The reigning Premiers are probably still in second or third gear but have barely lost regardless, and at the Gabba are always a force to be reckoned with. The Suns might be much improved this season, but the Lions remain Queensland’s best team by some margin and on their home turf, should be able to notch up another victory.

Bookmaker	James’ Tip	Odds
	Lions to win	$1.52
	Lions -10.5	$1.91
	Lions 25+	$2.60

Predicted Squads

Brisbane Lions: B: D. Zorko, J, Payne, R. Lester HB: N. Answerth, H. Andrews , D. Wilmot C: J. Fletcher, Z. Bailey, J. Berry HF: C. Cameron, E. Hipwood, H. McCluggage F: C. Rayner, S. Day, C. Ah Chee FOLL: O. McInerney, J. Dunkley, L. Neale I/C: K. Lohmann, W. Ashcroft, D. Gardiner, L. Morris, L. Ashcroft EMG: S. Marshall, D. Fort

Gold Coast Suns: B: M. Andrew, J. Jeffrey, S. Collins HB: J. Noble, W. Powell, D. Rioli C: L. Weller, M. Rowell, T. Miller HF: W. Graham, J. Walter, S. Flanders F: E. Read, B. Long, B. King FOLL: J. Witts, B. Humphrey, N. Anderson I/C: N. Holman, B. Ainsworth, J. Rogers, B. Uwland, C. Budarick EMG: B. Fiorini, N. Moyle, S. Clohesy

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