Western Bulldogs vs Sydney Swans Tips, Odds and Teams – 2018 AFL Round 4

Saturday’s AFL 2018 Round 4 match is between Western Bulldogs and Sydney Swans. The opening kick is set to commence at 16:35 local time with the game to be played at Etihad Stadium. The away team Sydney Swans are the favourites for the match. View our preview and teams for the game between Western Bulldogs and Sydney Swans.

When: 16:35 | Saturday 14/04/2018

Where: Etihad Stadium

Preview:

Western Bulldogs’ win over the Bombers last Sunday was an important win for the Dogs and that could be the effort that gets their season back on track.
They play extremely well at Etihad Stadium and this game could be closer than what most people expect.
Buddy Franklin is the game’s best player right now.
He has kicked 14 goals through the first three weeks and looks as physically fit as he’s ever been.
He will be hard to stop again.

KEY BATTLE: Jason Johannisen v Sydney forwards

The Swans have a tactic of targeting one player from the opposition to try and unnerve them.
Last year they went after Dogs halfback Jason Johannisen with great success.
It’ll be interesting to see if they target him this week or someone new.
The Verdict
I’m tipping an upset.
The Dogs, who have a 20-14 (58.8 percent) line record playing at home after a win since 2011, are great at Etihad and the Swans have lost Sam Reid to injury who has been very important for them.

Unibet Odds:

Western Bulldogs at $3.00

Sydney Swans at $1.40

 

Odds:

OFFER: Deposit $50 BET with $200 via this link – Ends Soon!

 

 

Tip: Sydney Swans at $1.39

 

Value Bet: First Goal Scorer: Callum Sinclair at $15.00

 

More Info:

Teams:

Western Bulldogs

B: Richards, Naughton, Williams

HB: Suckling, Wood, Johannisen

C: Hunter, Dahlhaus, Dale

HF: Dunkley, Bontempelli, Jong

F: Dickson, Redpath, Gowers

FOLL: English, McLean, Macrae

I/C: Wallis, Honeychurch, Biggs, Daniel

EMG: Young, Webb, Roughead, Lipinski

IN: Biggs

OUT: Cordy

 

Sydney Swans

B: Smith, Grundy, Rampe

HB: Mills, Aliir, McVeigh

C: Lloyd, Parker, Heeney

HF: Hayward, Towers, Hewett

F: Papley, Franklin, Jack

FOLL: Sinclair, Kennedy, Hannebery

I/C: Cunningham, Florent, Jones, Newman

EMG: Fox, Marsh, Robinson, Ronke

IN: Aliir, Jones, Newman

OUT: Reid, Rohan, Melican

 

AFL News:

Port Adelaide got down and dirty and proved they could thrive without star ruckman Paddy Ryder as they beat Sydney by 23 points at the SCG on Sunday.

The visitors absorbed plenty of first-half pressure and turned the heat on the Swans in the second to score a 14.10 (94) to 10.11(71) win.

Youngster Todd Marshall kicked three goals for Port and Ollie Wines racked up 35 possessions.

The visitors trailed by eight and 14 at the first two breaks, but slammed on seven goals to four in the third to carry a 15-point advantage into the final quarter.

Their lift in intensity pressured Sydney’s normally composed defenders into some uncharacteristic errors and they weathered a brief Sydney comeback in the final quarter to secure their second SCG win in as many seasons.

Long-distance goals to Lance Franklin, who kicked a match-high four, and Dean Towers got Sydney back to within four points early in the final quarter, but Port kicked the last three majors.

Port’s Charlie Dixon performed well when switched to the ruck in the second half.

Port coach Ken Hinkley attributed his team’s stunning victory to their willingness to hang in there during a tough first half.

“As bad as the contest looked in the first half, the scoreboard was flattering and and that’s what I pointed out to the boys at halftime,” Hinkley said.

“We defended a lot of tough entries and our young backline did a great job to hang in and we just got a bit dirty we got down and got our hands on the ball.

“Charlie went into the ruck, Ollie turned into a beast, and (Steven) Motlop’s game, there was just so many positives in the second half.”

The first half was a dour struggle, with Sydney failing to make the most of 21 extra inside 50s, but by the end each team had notched 52 entries.

‘We didn’t take our chances in that first half and then we lost the territory battle,” Swans coach John Longmire said.

“They were able to get momentum and score too easily.”

Captain Travis Boak started Port’s second-half surge by kicking two goals in a minute.

Marshall, who kicked four goals against Fremantle last week, also booted successive goals later in the third quarter, as Port took control.

Hinkley felt being without Ryder for all of 2016 meant Port had learnt how to compete better without their ruck linchpin, who he expected to be out for three to four more weeks.

He said having star forward Robbie Gray back from suspension proved the almost perfect swap for Ryder, as it was more of a ground level game.

Port’s Chad Wingard had a sore hamstring, while Zak Jones was a late withdrawal from the Sydney side with a calf injury.

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