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The Richmond Tigers take on the Port Adelaide Power on June 20, 2019, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground of MCG.
The Richmond Tigers have climbed all the way to #5 in the current AFL ladder after starting the season with a 4-3 record. Richmond has won three games in a row including last week’s match against GWS. The next target for the Tigers is a spot in the Top 4 and that begins with this Friday’s match against Port Adelaide where they are heavy betting favorites.
Richmond is coming off an impressive victory over Greater Western Sydney. The Tigers zoomed to a commanding 31 point lead in the second quarter of that match. GWS threatened to come back but Richmond kept a five-goal lead at the end of three quarters and never looked back.
The Port Adelaide Power are looking outside the Top 8 at number 9 in the current AFL Ladder. Port Adelaide has split their 16 games so far with an even 8-8 record without a draw. For their efforts, they have been rewarded with 32 points, just four shy of the 36 point total of the league’s top three teams.
In their most recent game played last week, Port Adelaide lost by 48 points against the Brisbane Lions. The Lions booted out seven straight goals in the first 11 minutes of action to break the game wide open. Port Adelaide has alternated wins and losses in their last nine games played. But not only did Port Adelaide lost last week’s match, but they also lost defender Ryan Burton who suffered a hamstring injury
Who Wins?
It certainly looks like Richmond is back in the hunt. Back to back impressive wins over the Gold Coast Suns and GWS have seen their AFL premiership odds slashed. Heading to this contest against Port Adelaide, Richmond is the clear favorite to win this contest. The Tigers are 10-1 SU in their last 11 games as home favorites and they are also an impressive 7-4 against the line during this period. The Tigers have won six out of their last nine games overall and three in a row heading to this matchup.
Meanwhile, Port Adelaide continues to struggle to find its consistency. They looked great against Adelaide in Showdown 47 but were horrible against the Brisbane Lions in their last outing. Looking back, Port Adelaide has won back-to-back games only two times in the previous year. They have won just three out of their last eight games as road underdogs and have alternated wins and losses in their last nine games.
Richmond continues to climb the ladder and they are looking to deliver yet another strong performance this week to deliver their message loud and clear. The Tigers are now missing only Toby Nankervis and Alex Rance. They appear to be finding the right form at the right time.
Port Adelaide has been Jekyll and Hyde this season. They’ve pulled off some upsets but have also suffered unexpected losses. The defeat to Brisbane was a tough one but again, don’t count them out against a solid team like Richmond. They have been too inconsistent to predict. All things considered, Richmond should be able to win this match and continue their surge to the top of the ladder. Prediction: Richmond
