THEY’VE done it again – and it has cost them more than half a million bucks!
The good folk over at Sportsbet.com.au reckon Geelong Cats superstar Patrick Dangerfield is an absolute shoe-in to win the Brownlow Medal.
So confident are they that Dangerfield will take home Chas at the end of the season, they have remarkably paid out on the former Crow already.
That’s right, some 3500 punters have found their sportsbet.com.au accounts have swollen nicely this week, with the bookie rewarding them with a pay out on the bet that has totalled $632,000 in winnings.
Dangerfield, who made a much publicised return to Geelong, after eight years in Adelaide, was one of the favourites for the award at the start of the season, paying $9 in March.
But a stunning opening round performance against Hawthorn saw his odds slashed to $6 as punters laid into him to win the league’s best and fairest award.
In that match, he produced perhaps the greatest ever outing in a first game for a club, amassing 43 disposals to go with five marks and five tackles, leading his side to a massive win over the triple premiers, 18.8 (116) to 12.14 (86).
It is guaranteed to be the first of many three-vote performances on the season.
The stats don’t lie for Dangerfield.
He has collected 30 or more disposals 10 time this season and never had less than 23.
He had a mammoth 48 possessions against North Melbourne in round 12, to go with two goals and then backed that up with 37 and two goals against the Bulldogs a week later.
Each week he seems to have a new victim to feast on and it’s hard to find a game where he may not have polled votes. Even in losses, he has been devastating.
He’s booted eight goals in the last three weeks, including four against the Dockers and three on the weekend against the Dogs again, taking his total to 20.
Given the goal scoring form he has been in recently, he could give his best season goal return a of 31 in a season a shake, even though he plays almost exclusively in the midfield.
Dangerfield was a very skinny $1.68 before his masterclass against the Dogs on Friday night.
His 33 disposals was enough to convince sportsbet.com.au that he had the Brownlow in the bag.
“There’s obviously the danger that Patrick gets injured or suspended and doesn’t in fact win the Brownlow but we’re pretty confident he has Charlie in the bag so why wait till the end of September to give punters their cash,’’ the bookie’s Will Byrne said.
You can still get a bet on Paddy, at odds of $1.60.
His main challenger tot take home Charlie is Richmond’s Dustin Martin.
He is $8 to win the medal, and he has been a superb player – albeit in a side that has won very few games this season.
Martin has fought through the extradition of his father over allegations of bike links to become one of the premier players in the game.
And he has had a monstrous eight weeks of footy, where he has got under 30 just once. His past three weeks feature 39 against the Hawks, 43 against the Bombers and 38 against the Dogs. The Tigers were absolutely pitiful on the weekend against Greater Wester Sydney, booting one of their lowest scores ever, but Martin was again the side’s best player, toiling manfully for 28 possessions, nine marks and six tackles.
The award had traditionally gone to players from winning teams, but that is no longer the case, with Gary Ablett Juniors showing you can win Brownlow Medals, even if your team is no good.
The other man that is staking a claim for the Charlie is flamboyant Adelaide midfielder Rory Sloane.
While not as prolific as the other two men, Sloane is as hard as they come and has done his best to fill the void left by Dangerfield’s departure.
At $9 with sportsbet.com.au, he offers a little bit of value if you think any one can wrench the medal off Dangerfield.
Meanwhile, our friends over at WilliamHill.com.au have the Hawks as red hot favourites for the flag. They are number one on the line of betting at $3.50, just ahead of Dangerfield’s Cats at $4.75.
2016 AFL markets after Round 19
Patrick Dangerfield ($1.60)
Dustin Martin ($8)
Rory Sloane ($9)
Joel Selwood ($14)
Daniel Hannebery ($17)
Sam Mitchell ($17)
Luke Parker ($17)
Marcus Bontempelli ($21)
Josh P. Kennedy ($26)
Jack Steven ($34)
Bryce Gibbs ($51)
Callan Ward ($51)
Luke Shuey ($51)
Robbie Gray ($51)
Lachie Neale ($67)
Matthew Priddis ($67)
Stephen Coniglio ($67)
Lance Franklin ($81)
Odds provided by Sportsbet.com.au
Hawthorn ($3.40)
Geelong ($4.75)
Adelaide ($5.50)
Sydney ($5.50)
Greater Western Sydney ($6)
West Coast ($15)
Western Bulldogs ($15)
North Melbourne ($21)
Port Adelaide ($401)
St Kilda ($401)
Odds provided by WilliamHill.com.au
Dangerfield Brownlow Price History
July 30th – $1.68
July 29th – $1.70
July 24th – $1.90
July 23rd – $1.85
July 16th – $1.85
July 15th – $1.75
July 8th – $2
June 25th – $2.15
June 19th – $2.25
June 11th – $2.50
May 18th – $3.50
May 6th – $3.75
April 30th – $4.50
April 24th – $5
April 23rd – $5.50
April 18th – $6
April 10th – $5
March 28th – $6
March 23rd – $9