AFL TIPS: Melbourne v Western Bulldogs

Sunday, August 10 – 3.15 PM AEST – Venue: MCG

Melbourne should come out breathing fire after letting their supporters down this season and Goodwin getting the sack! Teams have regularly had a bounce back after the sacking of a coach, so let’s hope that the Dee’s can at least put up a better effort against the Bulldogs. The Dogs have finals to play for so they will keep the pressure on for the whole game. They have to keep winning to make finals and hope that other results go their way!  

The Bulldogs  have the class all over the ground and should win. Marcus Bontempelli, Tim English, Libba, Kennedy and Bailey Dale are on fire, and they are playing great footy at Marvel under the roof. 

The tall timber up forward in Darcy and Naughton five goals each last week will get great supply, but they need to sure up their leaky defence and not give Melbourne any latitude. It will be interesting to see if Beveridge sticks with Busslinger in a key defence post after a reasonable game last week, as that will be an indicator as to whether he is seen as a key player for the rest of the season. 

West was well held last week kicking only the one goal. The midfield group including Ed Richards will need to take control against the Demons midfield which is still solid with Pickett, Petracca, Viney and Oliver still getting plenty of the ball and Gawn their skipper will be working hard to ensure the team plays out a full game. Steven May and Jake Lever are still unavailable due to suspension and an ankle injury respectively. 

The Dogs should dominate this match. 

Western Bulldogs by 47 points

There’s a real edge in the air when Melbourne squares off against the Western Bulldogs, especially after that nail-biting finish in Round 22. The Dogs survived by just six points Aaron Naughton’s five-goal burst and Sam Darcy’s clutch mark in time-on kept their finals hopes flickering something any serious AFL Betting Tips write-up would flag as key inspiration. On one hand, Melbourne’s defense looked shaky, missing key men, while the Dogs capitalised with late-season momentum.

If you’re scanning AFL Tips or looking for a smart AFL Prediction, these are the kind of storylines that matter: a potent Bulldogs forward line, vulnerable Dees defense, and the X-factor of those final moments that could swing a matchup. No matter how finely balanced, it’s these fluctuating dynamics undercooked defense here, forward power there that keep the game tantalising. Whether you’re eyeing form or following gut instinct, it’s these human arcs the tension, the near-misses, the bursts of brilliance that shape more than just a prediction; they bring the game to life.