Round 5 was another exciting chapter in the AFL season. There were some unexpected AFL results with both Richmond and Fremantle registering their first victories of the season. AFL betting had some long odds on this happening so the people who took advantage of this unlikely outcome were quite happy.
The highlight of the round was the traditional Anzac Day clash between Essendon and Collingwood. The Magpies looked to have the game all won but the Bombers rallied for three goals in the final few minutes to snatch the win. The winning goal came with just five seconds left on the clock and after the final siren; the Bombers were celebrating as if they had won the AFL grand final. For a team who hasn’t played in the finals for a while, this is fair enough.
St Kilda continue to sit on top of the AFL ladder after they demolished Port Adelaide. It was meant to be a close game but St Kilda made a mockery of that and not only did they smash the Power but did so in Adelaide. They are breaking records every week and if they are going to continue like this, their AFL odds are going to get shorter and shorter.
They started like this in 2004 when it won its first 10 matches of the year but then they were based more around attack as opposed to defence like they are now.
Hawthorn bounced back when it defeated West Coast and Carlton did the same against the Western Bulldogs. The Blues have now won their last three against the Bulldogs.
Gary Ablett Junior showed why he is the Brownlow medal favorite with another fantastic performance – this time against the Brisbane Lions. On the flipside, the Melbourne – Adelaide game was an ugly one and a poor advertisement for the game. At three-quarter time, the Demons had only kicked one goal and ultimately the Crows 51 points was sufficient to be a winning score.
The Kangaroos year continues to unravel – not only did they lose to the Tigers but they have lost skipper Brent Harvey for the next three months with an elbow injury.
The AFL fixture has thrown up some interesting match-ups for Round 6. There is the South Australian showdown and Western Australian derby which are always exciting. 70s rivals North and Collingwood meet as do 80s rival Hawthorn and Carlton and 90s rivals Brisbane and Essendon.
Richmond travel to Sydney to try to make it successive wins while the Western Bulldogs will do their best to try and come up with the code to unlocking St Kilda.
David Wiseman is a sports journalist, who writes about all team sports for Betfair Australia. As well as the afl season, he is particularly looking forward to following some horse racing.
