AFL Round 18: Lions vs Blues – Tips, Odds & Predictions

September 19th at 7.40pm – Gabba, Brisbane

If you’d have told Blues supporters at the beginning of the year that they’d still be in the finals hunt with just two games to go in the regular season, they likely would have taken it. Having reached that point though, a loss against the Crows was hugely disappointing, and it will be interesting to see how the team responds to that disappointment against the Lions this weekend.

There’s no doubt Brisbane is the more talented side and should win this game, but they have their eyes on a bigger prize this year and have already locked in a top two spot. Barring a Port loss they won’t be able to jump into top spot either, and there is some chance they will take things a bit easily in their last game before the finals series. Even if they are a little off their game they should prove too strong, but this not be the lay down misere that many think it is.

Betting sites have installed the Lions as heavy favourites despite the possibility of them taking this game a little too easy.

Carlton +25.5 at $1.91

The Lions have no need to win this by a big margin, so even if they get out by a comfortable margin the Blues are a chance of covering this line.

Brisbane 1-39 at $1.91

The Lions’ talent should prevail but as mentioned, the Blues can stay close.

Brisbane 1-20 at $4.00

Using the same logic as above, take this for a little more value.

Head to Head Record

• Played 34
• Carlton has won 16
• Brisbane has won 18

Last time they met

• Round 12, 2019 – Carlton 11.12 (78) defeated Brisbane 9.9 (63)

General Statistics

• Carlton’s big-bodied mids have enjoyed playing the Lions, with Ed Curnow averaging 28.3 touches and Patrick Cripps averaging 27.3 touches in their last four against them.
• Lachie Neale has led the league all season in disposals, having accumulated 439 this year – though Jack Macrae has closed the gap to just three.
• Jarryd Lyons has also been important in the midfield – he is second in the AFL in stoppage clearances with 57.

Insert predictionThe Lions are a mathematical chance of finishing in top spot and with Port Adelaide playing Collingwood this weekend, it’s not out of the realms of possibility that they do. However, the Power will head in favourites and if they get the job done as they should, this game is a dead rubber for Brisbane. Just how much intensity they bring is difficult to predict, but with a question mark over it as well as the absence of Harris Andrews against a Carlton team with a plethora of big marking forwards, this may be closer than anticipated. The Lions should still be too strong but it wouldn’t surprise to see the Blues give a sight.

Bet on the Lions now