Richmond v Sydney - AFL Betting Tips 20-04-2019

In terms of the potential consequences, there might be no bigger game in AFL round five than Richmond v Sydney at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night. Pre-season flag favourites Richmond are 13th with a 2-2 record but a poor percentage, while perennial finalists Sydney are 1-3 and 15th.

Richmond v Sydney Betting Preview

Richmond only beat Port Adelaide by seven points last Saturday, but it would have been a huge morale booster given the circumstances. The Tigers were without all of their “big four” of Alex Rance, Dustin Martin, Jack Riewoldt, and Trent Cotchin, plus other key players in Jayden Short and Bachar Houli. Martin will return from suspension against Sydney, while Riewoldt is “banging down” the coach’s door to play, according to Damien Hardwick.

Watch the best defensive plays from Saturday's win, brought to you by @OtterBox. pic.twitter.com/uew9iy8pEA

— Richmond FC ? (@Richmond_FC) 15 April 2019

Sydney’s poor form has been one of the talking points of the 2019 AFL season, with many pundits predicting this might be the end of the Swans era. They never really looked like winning against Melbourne in round four despite only going down by 22 points. The Swans have been beaten for centre clearances and contested possessions in all three of their losses this year. They will need to turn these areas around to have a chance of beating Richmond in Kieran Jack’s 250th.

Another week, another strong @IHeeney grab for Mark of the Week ?#ProudlySydney pic.twitter.com/KSOqGCaD9O

— Sydney Swans (@sydneyswans) 15 April 2019

Richmond v Sydney Betting Tips

The recent ledger between these teams is fairly even. Richmond won by 26 points at Marvel Stadium in their sole meeting last year, while the Swans won by nine points at the MCG in Richmond’s 2017 premiership year. Betting against the Swans is always a risk, but their form has been so bad that we’re confident taking Richmond at -16.5 points at Unibet.

Sydney have the benefit of an extra two days break over Richmond. The Tigers will have one eye on their Anzac Day Eve match with Melbourne just four days later. If the Tigers are leading in the last quarter, they might take the foot of the pedal. PointsBet is paying 3.40 for Richmond by 1-24.