Looking Ahead to the AFL 2024 Season: Who are the Early Favourites?

Every year, we have the pleasure of witnessing a new Australian Football League, better known as AFU. We have a chance to take a look at 18 teams from all over the country competing for the trophy. It is interesting to see these teams competing, and some of the matches between them are considered to be some of the best ones in the world, especially those between fierce rivals.

The early favorites to win the AFL in the upcoming 2024 season are Geelong. They are the current reigning champions who finished last season at the top spot with 72 points after 22 games. Their last season was nothing short of exceptional, and they were pretty efficient when it comes to scoring points, as you can see. So, it is not strange that bookmakers consider them favorites for this season as well.

They won 18, lost 4, and drew 0. Melbourne finished in second place with 64 points above Sydney, who finished in third, and Collingwood, who finished in fourth. Although Melbourne, Sydney, and Collingwood all finished with 64 points, Melbourne had a 130.5-point percentage, Sydney’s was 127.9%, and Collingwood’s was 104.3%. All these teams have made improvements this season, and their squads are significantly stronger than they were before.

Here, you can find out just how likely it is that Geelong can win the AFL for the second year in a row.

Can Geelong win the AFL two years in a row?

Source: afl.com.au

There’s a really good chance that Geelong could win the league for the second year in a row. It’s happened before in the league, where a team has won back-to-back titles, and it will happen again. For example, Richmond won back-to-back titles in 2019 and 2020, and Hawthorn won three years in a row (2013, 2014, and 2015). If we go back a little further, you will see that the Brisbane Lions also won an impressive three seasons in a row (2001, 2002, and 2003), and before that, Adelaide won back-to-back seasons in 1997 and 1998.

You will certainly agree that tradition is quite an important thing to consider in sport, no matter which one we are talking about. Therefore, we can see that there is a significant chance that AFL can repeat it. It has happened before, and it is more than clear that Geelong has the potential to win the matches and lift the trophy at the end of the season. As we’ve already stated, their squad is strong enough, and the tradition is on their side. Of course, they will need a lot of luck to repeat the success from the previous season. Still, bookies are confident they can repeat it and that’s why they are considered favorites.

What are the chances of Geelong winning the 2024 AFL?

To get a much better understanding of how likely it is that Geelong will win the league again next year, the best move you can make would be to look to the major websites of this sort, like Unibet, for the latest AFL odds at unibet.com.au. For example, right now, this trusted site has the Cats priced at 500 – Moneyline odd – which equates to 5/1 in UK fractional odds, and 6.00 in European decimal odds. Sydney also has the same odds, which means that both teams are currently the joint odds-on favorite teams to win.

In comparison, Melbourne is the second odds-on favorite to win at 650 (which is 13/2, or 7.40), and both Brisbane and Richmond are currently the third joint odds-on favorites to win at 800 (8/1, or 9.00). If you were to place a bet on a team to win the 2024 AFL league, a sensible bet would be Geelong and/or Sydney. However, don’t forget that no bet is guaranteed, thinking that is the biggest mistake possible.

Who are the most successful teams in the AFL?

Source: foxsports.com.au

The two most successful teams in the AFL are Essendon, and Carlton, who have both won the league on 16 separate occasions. At the end of last season, Carlton finished 9th in the league, and Essendon couldn’t manage any higher than 15th (out of 18 teams). Collingwood has won the league a total of 15 times. You then have Richmond, Melbourne, and Hawthorn, who have all won the AFL a total of 13 times, and next up is Geelong, who have won the league on ten separate occasions.

As you can see, completely new favorites have entered the stage these days. So, it wouldn’t be quite a surprise if these teams we have mentioned previously won the championship. Therefore, Geelong has the biggest chance of winning for the reasons we’ve mentioned before. Of course, every season is filled with surprises, and we feel it is important to leave room for something like this happening in the current one. Whether this is realistic or not, we are not sure about that, still, we feel it is important to leave a little bit of room for this possibility.

Geelong players to keep an eye out for next season

Some of the top Geelong players to keep an eye out for next season may include Max Holmes, Mark O’Connor, Tanner Bruhn, Ollie Henry, Jack Bowes, and Mark Blicavs. They had an exceptional season last year, not just because the team won the title, but also for their records that have been made. For some of them, it was the most successful season of their careers. Naturally, those we have mentioned are not the only ones that deserve to be mentioned in this context. Other key players, you should keep an eye out for include:

  • Zack Guthrie, Sam De Koning, and Jed Bews (Back Pocket/Full Back)
  • Zach Tuohy, Jack Henry, and Tom Stewart (Half-Back)
  • Isaac Smith, Tom Atkins, and Max Holmes (Centre)
  • Mitch Duncan, Jeremy Cameron, and Brad Close (Half-Forward)
  • Gary Rohan, Tom Hawkins, and Tyson Stengle (Forward)
  • Cam Guthrie, Patrick Dangerfield, and Rhys Stanley (Follower)
  • Jake Kolodjashnij, Gryan Miers, and Brandan Parfitt (I/C)

What to remember when placing a real money wager on any AFL games

Source: abc.net.au

When placing a real money wager at a licensed online sports betting site, remember to gamble sensibly, never chase your losses, and don’t gamble more than you can afford. As you will certainly agree, this is much easier to say than to do since gambling is an activity that triggers the adrenaline rush and increased dopamine production. Where possible, it would be a good idea to set deposit limits, which can massively help you stay in much better control of how much you spend.

We would advise you to set the budget and then stick to it, and you should always have this in mind. Don’t gamble out of necessity, and never gamble as a way to make a side income. When you have this approach, you cannot hope to achieve any positive results in the end. That’s why we believe that you should conduct sports betting solely when you want to entertain yourself. Relying on gambling to be a side income is simply impossible, as we’ve already said previously.

Summary

As you can see, AFL is quite an interesting league to bet on. The teams who compete in it are of the highest possible quality, and they will never miss to provide you with the best entertainment. In this article of ours, we’ve discussed the most important things you should understand about this season, who are the favorites, and what are the possible outcomes.