If you like impressive catches, booming kicks, brutal hits and tireless athletes, Australian rules football might be the thing for you. The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only men's professional Aussie rules competition in the world and is highly popular in the overseas sports betting market.
More than 1.25 million people play Australians rules football across more than 10,000 clubs, and the AFL is the most highly attended spectator sport in the country.
The AFL consists of 18 teams that compete against each other from March until the end of August. The top eight teams then play in a ffinals series which culminates in the championship game, called the AFL Grand Final, which takes place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on the final Saturday each September.
We bring you the basics of Aussie rules, tell you how you can bet on the game, and let you know how you can handicap the AFL odds.
WHAT IS AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL?
• Aussie rules, or "footy" as it is sometimes called Down Under, is played on an oval pitch that is much larger than any football field. There are no standard dimensions for an oval but in the AFL the largest boundary is UTAS Stadium which is 175m long and 145m wide, while one of the smaller fields is Blundstone Arena in Bellerive which meaures 160m by 124m.
• Points are scored by kicking the ball through the four posts on either end of the field. The two middle and taller posts are the goal posts while the two outer posts are the behind posts. Kicking the ball between the goal posts, without another a player touching the ball, counts as a goal and is worth six points. Kicking the ball between the one of the goal posts and one of the behind posts (or hitting a goal post and having it bounce back) counts as a behind and is worth one point.
- Each team has 18 players on the oval and four on the bench as interchange substitutions. There is no limit on the amount of times a single player can be substituted but each team has a maximum of 90 total interchanges a game (that is not a typo so expect lots of subs).
- A game consists of four 20 minute quarters. Extra time may be added on at the end like soccer.
- Players may run with the ball but they must bounce the ball every 15 metres.
- Players may pass the ball by kicking or by "handballing" which is when a player holds the ball in one hand while punching the ball (with a closed fist) with the other hand.
- A "mark" is when a player catches a ball off a kick that has travelled at least 15 meters without hitting the ground or another player. This results in the player who caught the ball getting a protected area of ten metres around them which they can then use for a free kick. One of the most important skills in Aussie Rules is to grab a mark in mid-air. While defenders can't tackle a player while in the air, a player that is making an attempt to play the ball may use an opponent to jump off.
- Defenders can tackle the player playing the ball but the tackle must be above the knees and below the shoulder line. Tacklers do not have to make an attempt to wrap their arms around the ball carrier, so shoulder charges and body checks are legal hits. Pushing in the back is not allowed.
HOW TO BET ON THE AFL
Head to Head Betting
This is simply the more common way to refer to moneyline betting in the AFL, where you bet on which team will win the match. The favorite will have a negative (-) sign besides the number while the underdog will have a positive (+).
For example, in a 2020 match between West Coast and Melbourne, West Coast was a big favorite at -300. That meant that a bettor had to wager $300 to win $100 by betting on West Coast. Melbourne was listed at +235 which meant that a bettor stood to profit $235 for every $100 wagered on them.
If both teams are listed at -110 or PK (for pick'em), then both sides have even odds.
Line Betting
Line betting is the handicap or pointspread for a match and gives greater incentive to place your money on a contest that is expected to be one-sided. Betting a favorite on the handicap as opposed to the moneyline will give a better payout, while taking an underdog with the pointspread gives you a better chance of winning than betting on them outright.
For example in the example used above, the line had been set at -19.5 in favor of Gold Coast. If you bet them at -19.5 you would need them to win by at least 20 points in order to win your bet, and if you put your money on Melbourne at +19.5 you profit if the team wins or loses by fewer than 20 points.
Total
Also known as the Over/Under this bet is based on the total amount of points scored in a match. Bettors can wager on the Under if they think the total amount of points scored will be lower than the number given, or bet the Over if they think the points total will be higher.
A score for a match might look like this: Away Team 13.8 (86) Home Team 5.4 (34). The first number is the number of goals scored by the team, the second number the amount of behinds scored, and the final number is the total points.
Margin Betting
Margin betting is very popular in AFL betting and allows you to pick how much your selected team will win by. In the above example, West Coast is listed at +100 on a winning margin of 1-39. The odds represent much better value than the -300 for them to win the match. However, if West Coast loses or wins by over 39 points the bet will not be successful. Generally you will find margins of 1-39 and 40+ for AFL matches.
Derivatives
Derivatives are side, line and total bets that are based on a half or a quarter instead of a full game This is a great option for those looking to have some early action on a game and can be a profitable option for bettors who research which teams tend to play better or worse early on in matches.
Proposition Bets
In addition to derivative betting there are a host of other proposition bets you can make in AFL play. These include betting on player props, the first score of the game the amount of goals and behinds scored etc.
Live Betting
Live betting allows you to bet on a game that is in progress. Watching a match can give you a good idea of the flow of a game and live odds will change depending on the early scoring. Confident that the better team will win despite falling behind early? Well you might want to consider them on the live in-game spread.
Keep in mind that if you are streaming the match you might be a few seconds behind the live action so consider placing your wagers during a stoppage in play so you don't get burned.
Futures
Futures betting allows you to place wagers on future results. The easiest futures bet to find in the AFL betting market is the winner of the AFL Grand Final which is scheduled towards the end of September at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
HOW TO HANDICAP AFL BETTING ODDS
Research, research, research
The key to betting on anything, especially sports you might not be the most familiar with, is research. Go beyond just win-loss record and where a team is sitting in the standings if you want to exploit a soft line. Look at home/road splits, recent form, head to head history and other factors.
Thankfully the AFL is a very popular sport in Australia and there are loads of in-depth stats and information on various websites. You might want to keep your own betting stats for such things as ATS and Over/Under records. There are just one round of games per week during the regular season, so weekly tracking with a spreadsheet shouldn't take much time and will pay off in the long run.
Close but no Cigar
Like in all sports the better team doesn't always win, sometimes luck plays a part and other time shots just don't seem to drop for one side or both. One good way to see if a team is better than their record indicates, is to see who has scored a lot of behinds compared to goals. This shows they're still generating scoring oppportunies.
Watch the weather
Similar to other outdoors sports, weather can have a major impact on Australian Rules Football. Wet conditions make it more difficult to handle and pass the ball, while wind and rain make it more difficult to kick accurately as well. If you're considering betting on an AFL game, especially wagering on a total or a margin always check the latest weather report.
Tiresome travel times
Like in many sports, being the home team comes with many advantages; you don't have to travel, you are more comfortable on the field you practice on (which is especially important with the differing oval sizes in Aussie Rules), and you have the crowd supporting you. But there is an additional factor to weigh in AFL betting: distance travelled for road games.
Australia is massive country and the most populated cities are relatively spread out. Nine of the 16 teams in the AFL (Essendon, Carlton, St. Kilda, North Melbourne, Hawthorne, Richmond, Collingwood, Melbourne, and the Western Bulldogs) are located in Melbourne and the surrounding suburbs. For those clubs, travelling to play each other is no big deal.
However, there is a distance of more than 1000 miles between Melbourne and the state of Queensland (where Brisbane and Gold Coast play). while travelling to Perth Stadium to play against Fremantle and West Coast is a trip of more than 2100 miles. Get familiar with where the AFL clubs are located and handicap them appropriately for travel time.
Seek out the stars
There might be 36 players on the field at any given time but the best players in the world still find a way to make an impact. Plenty of books offer prop bets on individual scoring and checking the recent form of players and seeing whether or not they are in for a favorable matchup can tilt the odds in your favor.
Another factor to keep in mind is that in a physical game such as Aussie Rules, players getting hurt and injured is common. Stay on top of injury news so that you know which teams are near full strength and which ones are banged up.
Take advantage of derivatives
Derivative betting, that is placing a wager on a quarter or half as opposed to a full game, can be an effective way to find soft lines. Some teams play better at the beginning of games while others tend to come on strong at the end. Players can run up to 9 miles in a single contest so team fitness is an important aspect to consider as well.
Track how well teams score, and how well they defend, by the quarter and by the half. This can not only give you an edge when betting derivatives but can also give you an idea on who to put your money on when it comes to live betting.
