Biggest Upsets in AFL
The Australian Football League (AFL) is the leading professional competition in Australian football. The AFL has 18 teams and the matches are played in all of the states and territories of Australia and New Zealand. The AFL season kicks off with the JLT Community Series and then a 23 round regular season that runs from March to September. The winning 8 teams then play against each other on a finals series consisting of 4 rounds. The AFL Grand Final is the culmination of the season and is played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
For Australians the AFL is the betting highlight of the year and everyone has their favourite team to win the Grand Final. Over the years there have been a few upsets and surprises as there are with any sport. Some of these upsets and surprises have made some punters very rich.
Blues vs Bombers 1999
The 1999 Carlton verses Essendon prelim final is one that will be remembered by all AFL fans. The Bombers were the favourite to win the match even though they were without their captain. The match should have been an easy win against the Blues. The Bombers seemed set to win until Anthony Koutoufides turned the match in favour of the Blues who won the match with one point.
Giants vs Swans 2014
Another betting upset took place in 2014, the game played by the Giants and the Swans in round one. The Swans were the favourite to win this round as they had just signed Lance Franklin, one of the best players at the time. Australia thought that the Giants would lose, but in a tough game in bad weather conditions they brought themselves up from a 24 point loss to win this round against their neighbours. This round is considered one of the biggest upsets in AFL history.
Bulldogs vs Bombers 2000
For Australian AFL punters another match that has stood out is the Western Bulldogs and Essendon in 2000. This was round 21 and Essendon was looking to redeem themselves after their loss against the Blues. They were one of the favourites and won 20 games in a row. Beating the Western Bulldogs would just be a formality for them. The Bulldogs initiated a super-flood into Essendon’s backline. The Bulldogs scored their lowest point of the season in this game and Essendon continued on to win 24 out of the 25 games they played and won the premiership.
Cats vs Dockers 2012
During the elimination final of 2012 between the Geelong Cats and Freemantle Dockers the Cats were favoured to win. There was a perception in betting circles that the Dockers did not have the potential to play well at an away game. Early on in the game the Dockers had a 44 point margin half way through the second quarter. In another one of the biggest AFL upsets the Dockers stunned the betting wold by knocking the Cats off the top of the AFL log.
These upsets and surprises which can be found throughout AFL history can be the make or break for many punters. Researching the teams and players as well as external conditions such as the weather, injuries and game morale will give punters the edge when placing AFL footy bets. Much of this information can be found online which makes it accessible for punters all around the world, not only for Australian punters.
Image Source: AFL on Wikipedia