AFL Round 22 Betting Preview: Game Odds, Trends, Analysis for Week Ahead

There are still 12 clubs with a chance of holding the AFL premiership cup aloft on the last Saturday in September, as we enter the penultimate round of the season.

There are three clubs—Melbourne Demons, West Coast Eagles, Western Bulldogs—sitting on 11 wins, while Essendon and St Kilda are just one win back but relying on other results to go their way if they are to qualify for the finals.

While those teams are facing virtual elimination finals this weekend, the top-of-the-table Adelaide Crows and fifth-place Sydney Swans meet in the match of the round Friday night, with a top-four finish in mind.

This match sees the league's best attack—Adelaide—take on the league's best defence in a match that could be a preview of the Grand Final.

They are the two in-form teams in the competition, with the Crows at $1.65 AUD to win their seventh game from their last nine starts, according to AustralianGambling.com.au, while the Swans are $2.25 to win their 13th from 15.

The team who beat the Swans on the biggest stage of all last year, the Western Bulldogs, dropped out of the top eight last week after losing to the Greater Western Sydney Giants and are now facing a do-or-die contest against Port Adelaide on Saturday.

Before last weekend's slip, the Dogs had won four in a row, while Port's away form has been horrible of late, losing four of their last six on the road. This clash is the tightest betting match of all nine this weekend, with the Premiers at $1.85, just ahead of the Power at $1.95.

While that crucial contest is taking place, the Collingwood Magpies ($2.60) are big underdogs against the third-place Geelong Cats ($1.50), who set themselves up perfectly for a top-four finish last week with a win over the Richmond Tigers.

Another club positioned nicely inside the top four is the Giants, who aren't expected to have too many problems against the inconsistent Eagles at home in the twilight timeslot on Saturday.

The Giants are at the short quote of $1.25 for a win that guarantees them a top-four finish, while an Eagles win, which is priced at $4, would see them take a big step towards their third finals campaign in a row.

On Saturday night, Essendon's season is on the line against the Gold Coast Suns, but it's not predicted to be a tight contest, with the Bombers at $1.40 and the Suns—one of the most disappointing teams this season—at $3.

Hawthorn Hawks still have a mathematical chance of playing in the finals for an eighth consecutive year, but they must beat the Carlton Blues on Saturday night and rely on other results to achieve that feat.

That win for the Hawks is assessed as a $1.32 chance, with the Blues—who are in a three-way battle with the Brisbane Lions and North Melbourne Kangaroos to avoid the wooden spoon—out at $3.40.

The Melbourne Demons have to wait until Sunday, at which point they could be outside the top eight, to play Brisbane ($5.30) at the MCG. A win for the Demons is priced at $1.16 and is crucial if they are to play in the finals for the first time since 2006.

St Kilda ($1.41) host North Melbourne ($2.95) at Etihad Stadium on Sunday, before Richmond Tigers ($1.39) head west to take on the Fremantle Dockers ($3.05) for a game the Tigers must win if they are to qualify for that all-important double chance.