GEELONG’S hammering of triple premiers Hawthorn has made the punters stand up and take notice.
And the herculean performance from their new man Patrick Dangerfield has made him the man every one wants for the Brownlow Medal.
After his 43 possession game on Monday, sportsbet.com.au was forced to slash Dangerfield’s Brownlow Medal odds from $9 into $6 equal favourite, joining the little master Gary Ablett Junior on the first line of betting.
Sportsbet.com.au’s Ben Bulmer reports the bookie is now holding more money on Dangerfield to win the Brownlow Medal than the other top 10 favourites in the market combined, including Ablett.
“Patrick Dangerfield’s performance against Hawthorn has convinced punters he can win his first Brownlow Medal in 2016 and that Geelong’s premiership window has well and truly re-opened,’’ Bulmer said.
The depleted Hawks were smashed by the Cats in the first half and only really came to play in the third term, where they turned a five goal deficit into a two point lead going into the last quarter.
But the Cats were just too good, piling on seven goals to two to run out 30 point winners, 18.8 (116) to 12.14 (86).
The straight kicking from the Cats was a feature, but it was Dangerfield who stole the show in his first game in the hoops.
The brilliant former Adelaide Crow played one of the most dominant debut performance for a new club in AFL history, his 18 kicks and 25 handballs a career best.
The Hawks, before the match, were a clear $4 favourite to win their fourth flag on the trot, but that all changed after four quarters of footy on the hallowed Melbourne Cricket Ground turf.
With their captain and talisman Luke Hodge joining an increasing injury tally after suffering a broken arm, the Hawks have now drifted to $5, still favourites for the flag, but now sharing the same quote as the West Coast Eagles.
Geelong has been smashed to win the flag, but they are still not the best backed side with Sportsbet.com.au
That honour goes to the Eagles after they completely destroyed Brisbane, 26.10 (166) to 15.12 (102).
Admittedly, it was against a weak team and they would be disappointed to concede over 100 points against the young Lions’ outfit, but you can’t argue with 43 disposals from Matt Priddis, 33 from Andrew Gaff and 30 from Luke Shuey, helping their big forward Josh Kennedy produce one of the best attacking performances in recent memory.
The punters come for Josh Kennedy for back-to-back Coleman Medals
Kennedy booted eight goals and handed off five others, his 25 disposals, 16 marks and four tackles looming large over this game.
It is no surprise he is the roaring $2.50 favourite to win back to back Coleman Medals. If he produces performances like this in the coming weeks, he might be the first man to boot 100 goals in a season since Lance Franklin in 2008.
In the past 20 seasons there have been just nine instances of a player kicking over 100 goals in a season.
Tony Lockett did it three times (1995, 96, 98), Matthew Lloyd twice (2000, 2001), and Jason Dunstall (1996), Gary Ablett Senior (1995), Fraser Gehrig (2004) and Franklin once apiece.
Speaking of Buddy, his return to footy was a breath of fresh air for the Sydney faithful and he is the $5 second favourite at hills to claim the Coleman Medal. No other player is under $12 in the market for the league’s highest goal kicker.
From the moment he led out of the square and took a strong grab and then booted the first goal of the match against Collingwood, you knew big Buddy was back.
His struggle with a mental health issue is well documented, forcing him out of Sydney’s finals campaign last season.
But he fired back with a vengeance, booting four goals and picking up 18 disposals in the Swans demolition of the Magpies, 18.25 (133) to 7.11 (53).
Luke Parker had 40 touches, Kieran Jack and Jake Lloyd 35 each and Tom Mitchell 30 (with three goals), producing some monster numbers for the Swans, while first gamer Tom Papley also bagged three as the Pies were left licking their wounds following a weekend of turmoil where it was reported some of their players had tested positive to illicit substances.
To make matters even worse, the Pies may have sadly seen the last of ball magnet and club favourite Dane Swan, who broke three bones in his foot and wrecked his ankle in a sickening incident with Swan Zak Jones, who fell on top of him after a marking contest.
The injury has been likened to something one would suffer in a car crash by a top medico and Swan’s absence, coupled with the weekend’s horrible performance, has the Pies drifting out to $26 to win the flag.
It is only round one, but even finals look a long, long way away for a side that always has to carry the burden of heavy expectation from its supporter base.
Carlton’s young defensive dynamo Jacob Weitering outlined his credentials with a remarkable composed performance against Richmond and, despite the defeat, is the deserved $5 favourite with WilliamHill.com.au to win the Rising Star Award.
He does have challengers, with round one nominee Clayton Oliver ($9) putting in a superb performance in his first game for the Demons, with one AFL pundit calling his first half against Greater Western Sydney the best opening to a career he had seen.
He and Weitering sandwich Sydney livelier Callum Mills, at $6, while Essendon’s Darcy Parish, who also had an impressive debut despite his side’s capitulation against the Gold Coast Suns, is $11.
Updated AFL odds
AFL Premiership market:
Hawthorn Hawks ($5)
West Coast Eagles ($5)
Geelong Cats ($6)
Sydney Swans ($9)
Port Adelaide Power ($11)
Western Bulldogs ($12)
North Melbourne Kangaroos ($16)
Richmond Tigers ($17)
Collingwood Magpies ($26)
Greater Western Sydney Giants ($34)
Adelaide Crows ($51)
Gold Coast Suns ($51)
Melbourne Demons ($101)
St Kilda Saints ($101)
Brisbane Lions ($251)
Carlton Blues ($251)
Essendon Bombers ($1001)
Odds provided by Sportsbet.com.au
Brownlow Medal market:
Gary Ablett ($6)
Matthew Priddis ($7)
Nathan Fyfe ($9)
Daniel Hannebery ($12)
Sam Mitchell ($15)
Joel Selwood ($18)
Tom Rockliff ($18)
Josh P Kennedy ($21)
Robbie Gray ($21)
Trent Cotchin ($21)
Luke Parker ($26)
Scott Pendlebury ($26)
Andrew Gaff ($31)
Dustin Martin ($31)
Odds provided by sportsbet.com.au
AFL Coleman Medal market:
Josh Kennedy ($2.50)
Lance Franklin ($5)
Taylor Walker ($12)
Jack Gunston ($12)
Jack Riewoldt ($13)
Jake Stringer ($13)
Tom Hawkins ($17)
Charlie Dixon ($21)
Tom Lynch ($23)
Jesse Hogan ($26)
Eddie Betts ($26)
Odds provided by WilliamHill.com.au
AFL Rising Star market:
Jacob Weiterung ($5)
Callum Mills ($6)
Clayton Oliver ($9)
Darcy Parish ($11)
Christian Petracca ($15)
Toby McLean ($15)
Wayne Milera ($17)
Blake Acres ($21)
George Hewett ($21)
Josh Dunkley ($23)
Jayden Laverde ($23)
Aaron Francis ($26)
Callum Ah Chee ($26)
Jake Kolodjashnij ($26)
Jade Gresham ($26)
Jack Steele ($26)
Caleb Daniel ($26)
Tom Papley ($26)
Odds provided by WilliamHill.com.au
