AFL Bye Week: Who Will Win The Cup And The Brownlow Medal in 2024?
The much-maligned ‘bye week’ between the regular season and finals series continues to stir debate amongst pundits and coaches alike, but with the AFL recently changing the AFLW season to a spring-summer fixture, drawing undivided attention to the start of the women’s competition is certainly not a bad thing.
It also gives punters an opportunity to assess the season and recalibrate futures strategies, with Australian betting sites still offering all kinds of outright markets from the Premiership winner to ‘stage of elimination’ as well as the popular Brownlow Medal and Norm Smith Medal markets.
Rather than telling you who to back for the flag or the Brownlow Medal in 2024, we’re here to assist you in getting the best bang for your buck, regardless of the bets you wish to place.
That’s why, as part of our ongoing commitment to get you the best value possible throughout your punting journey, we’ve scanned the best AFL betting apps to find top odds for some of the most popular selections across the biggest AFL outright markets.
Is The Cup Heading Back To Harbour City?
Minor Premiers Sydney Swans remain the clear favourites with bookmakers despite a late season blip that saw them lose five out of six matches, including three in a row to fellow finalists, before they steadied the ship with a couple of convincing wins against Essendon and Adelaide.
The top two picks in the market will take centre stage at the SCG next Saturday afternoon and the GWS Giants will certainly be hoping to avoid recent failures from Melbourne (2023) and Brisbane (2021) who went out ‘in straight sets’ after finishing fourth.
Bookmakers are offering the same price for the Swans (3.75) and Giants (5.50) to win the flag, whilst those looking to Port Adelaide to convert their six-game winning streak into eight and lift the trophy will find an advantageous 6.00 on Ladbrokes for their troubles.
Brisbane, the 2023 runners-up, worked their way back into contention after being written off in the middle of the season, and, as the league’s second-best defence with a wealth of finals experience behind them, are certainly worth considering at the odds of 8.00 on Betr.
Chris Scott’s Cats certainly won’t mind flying under the radar and cannot be underestimated with a 5-2 record as underdogs this season, and they take into their first final a record of four wins from their last five games at the Adelaide Oval against all opposition.
Punters looking down the Princes Highway for some outside value will get the best value out of Bet365, who at time of publication were offering a market-best 9.00 for the Cats to win the flag.
Two-Horse Race For ‘Charlie’?
Over the course of the 2024 season, bookmakers and punters appear to have whittled the Brownlow Medal battle down to two standout contenders.
Throughout much of the season, it appeared as though 2022 winner Patrick Cripps would be an unrivalled favourite, and he remains a popular pick for many having finished the home and away campaign with an average of 25 disposals, seven clearances and five tackles per game.
Nick Daicos stormed home late with a handful of 30+ and 40+ possession hauls in the last six rounds to confirm his place in back-to-back All-Australian teams.
Punters who wish to steer their investments towards one or both of the favourites will be best served by Unibet, who at time of writing had above average prices for both Cripps (2.50) and Daicos (2.65) to win football’s most prestigious individual award.
Bulldogs star Marcus Bontempelli firmed slightly with Australian bookmakers during the bye week after taking out the Leigh Matthews Trophy (the AFL Players Association MVP) for a third time in his career, also earning the captain’s armband in his sixth All-Australian team selection.
As bettors realised he could be one to slip under the radar, he moved to a price of $15 with many bookmakers. PlayUp were still offering odds of 16 for the ‘Bont’.
If Lotteries Are Your Thing…
…the Norm Smith Medal market may be just for you.
Perhaps the most difficult AFL market to crack because of the ‘a(chǎn)ll-in’ caveat that leaves you high and dry if your players do not even make the grand final, it’s no wonder the odds for each outcome are significantly large.
The best bookmakers for those wishing to play the Norm Smith Medal market this year are Ladbrokes and Betr, who have prices of 17 and upwards for their favourites (compared with 15 for many others), whilst there is value to be found for some prominent chances if you shop around.
For example, if you were happy to have a small flutter on Bontempelli to lead his Bulldogs to a stunning and surprising Premiership, you can take $26 on Unibet compared with $17 on some other books, or $26 for GWS midfielder Tom Green on Bet365 instead of $19 elsewhere.
Even for a $10 flutter, that makes a significant difference to one’s collect, so it pays to have accounts with all of the best AFL betting apps and to find the best price - just as you would if shopping for your next phone or car!
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