The 2021 AFL season has been another fantastic campaign and now all 18 clubs have their plans for next year. This will be the 126th season of the Australian Rules League.
Bookmakers have opened a betting campaign in 2022. Here’s a look at the first best absolute market bets for the Grand Final.
Melbourne was the dominant team in the AFL in 2021. At the end of the regular season, they finished first in the table, winning 17 out of 22 games. It was enough for them to finish with 70 points, two points ahead of Port Adelaide.
The championship winners did not make mistakes in the Grand Final. They scored 74 points at Optus Stadium in Western Australia. It was their first Grand Final victory in 57 years, so their fans waited a long time before they had a chance to win the trophy.
A successful second premiership may come to the Demons. They had a tough road to go in 2021 when their victory came in Perth rather than Melbourne. The 2022 Grand Final will return to the Melbourne Cricket Ground where, if they do, they will have strong backing at home. Melbourne is usually among the favourites on AFL betting sites like William Hill and is a team to be beaten in 2022.
It will be a great achievement if they can replicate what Richmond did in 2020 to defend his crown. Last season was a decent one for Sydney Swans. In the regular season, they finished sixth, and they were a little unlucky that their position was not higher. The Brisbane Lions and Western Bulldogs finished with the same points as Sydney, but their PP was slightly lower than their rivals.
Expect to see the Swans build up their good season, which should bring them even closer to the top of the leader board. This will ensure the best seeding in the final series, giving them a better chance of reaching the Grand Finals for the first time since 2016.
The Swans lost to Great Western Sydney in the first round of the 2021 final series. In that match, they were not in their best shape, and this led to their departure. It was a defeat that hurt them, and they learned a lot from it in the new season. Swans are a good alternative to the reigning champions anyway.
If they make it to the finals, you are guaranteed to receive a fraction of your bet. As they demonstrated last season, they are capable of beating any AFL team on their day, so they have a good chance of winning this match as well.
The new AFL season begins on March 17th and ends with a grand final on September 24th. The matches are likely to be released in early 2022.