Winning ways: Betting for round 9, 2009

Geelong are a great football team and they play their best football at the Docklands, writes Nick Tedeschi of Betfair.

Geelong are an outstanding team. They have opened the season with eight straight wins after winning the pre-season NAB Cup. They have played in back-to-back Grand Finals and have lost only three matches since April 2007. They are a dominant team wherever they play yet when they get to the Docklands they tend to be ruthless, an unstoppable force that utterly decimates whatever unlucky team is standing in their way.

This week that team is the Western Bulldogs who, despite sitting third on the premiership ladder, will start huge odds on Friday night.

Geelong have won twelve consecutive matches at the Docklands. Over that run, the Cats lowest score was 118 with the Geelong outfit breaking 200 once and 150 three times. Only once in that stretch did a team break 100 against the Cats with Geelong holding their opposition to less than 80 on six occasions.

Geelong won by 75 when they last played the Dogs at the Docklands and are currently riding a three match streak against the sons of the west.

Traders should wager on Geelong at any minus up to 42 ½ with those looking for a safer wager settling with Geelong at better than 1.07 in the winner market.

In other matches, North haven’t played Fremantle in Melbourne since 2003 and have won only two of their last seven. Smart traders playing this match will take Fremantle on speck as the underdog and hope their experience shines through.

Adelaide have won nine of their last eleven against Carlton while Carlton have lost on both interstate journeys this season. The Crows are the wager at better than 1.90 and with the small plus.

Collingwood have won five of their last seven against West Coast while the Eagles have been far from impressive over the last month. The Pies look another decent outsider to bet.

Richmond have won six of their last seven against Essendon and now seemingly have nothing to lose after a devastating loss last weekend and the crisis talks held throughout the week. The small plus looks acceptable and they are capable of upsetting the Bombers.

Port have won only one of three on the road this season and Sydney have defeated them in their last four matches. Sydney can be taken giving less than two goals in the handicap market.

St. Kilda have been absolutely outstanding in both attack and defence this season, having kicked 100 plus on six occasions and not allowing more than eleven goals in any match. The Saints should win and win well. They can be bet down to 1.10 and at any minus up to six goals.

Melbourne have won only one match this season but they have only been hammered once in the last month and that was by Geelong. The big plus looks a good bet as the Hawks have hardly been firing this year.

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