Brisbane Lions vs North Melbourne - AFL - Betting Tips 31-03-2019
Brisbane showed what all the pre-season hype was about in the opening round of the 2019 AFL season, while North Melbourne disappointed. Things are shaping up for an interesting match when North host the Lions at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.
North Melbourne v Brisbane Lions Preview
Few positives came out of North Melbourne’s 88-point thrashing to Fremantle on Sunday. The Kangas were thrashed in clearances, contested possessions, inside 50s, and on the scoreboard. To make matters worse, it was confirmed on Monday that defender Ed Vickers-Willis will miss the rest of the year with an ACL. The only positive came from the tribunal, who cleared Ben Cunnington after his hit on Freo’s Nathan Wilson.
"We're pretty flat and pretty shitty. That performance is not what this group stands for."
— North Melbourne (@NMFCOfficial) 24 March 2019
A deflated Jack Ziebell speaks after a bitterly disappointing loss. #North150 pic.twitter.com/5ab6Ck4Je7
Brisbane were many punters’ pre-season smokies and they lived up to the hype in the opening round with an upset win over reigning premiers West Coast. Recruits Lachie Neale and Lincoln McCarthy were superb, as was Charlie Cameron on his return from injury. Perhaps the most exciting aspect was the performance of youngster Hugh McCluggage, who looks to have arrived as an AFL player.
Exciting things to come from Linc! #Uncaged pic.twitter.com/JC1UpqijB5
— Brisbane Lions (@brisbanelions) 25 March 2019
North Melbourne v Brisbane Betting Tips
It’s difficult to look past Brisbane for a second straight win, and all the more so given Unibet has them as slight 2.07 underdogs. The Lions have lost six on the trot to North and haven’t beaten the Roos in Melbourne since 2009. With that said, the Lions had lost their last eight games to the Eagles prior to last week’s win, so there’s no reason they can’t snap another losing streak.
Last week saw the AFL’s lowest-scoring opening round since 1965. North were actually involved in the highest-scoring match of the week, scoring nine goals and conceding 21 for a match total of 200. Brisbane were the third-highest scoring team with 102 points, and played in the third-highest scoring match, at 160 points. Neds is paying 1.87 for these sides to achieve a match total of 184 points or more.
