The 2020 AFL Finals continue on a Friday Night, and we have the second qualifying final between the Brisbane Lions and the Richmond Tigers at the Gabba.
The Lions will want to make up for a poor performance in their Round 10 loss to the Tigers as well as wanting to make up for going out in straight sets in the 2019 AFL Finals. The Tigers, on the other hand, will be going for their third premiership in 4 years, in what many believe should be a four-peat as they were the best side in 2018, but a big forward from the Magpies decided to play one of the great finals and help the Magpies to a Grand Final Spot.
Thursday Night Football saw the Port Adelaide Power answer critics and charge straight to the Preliminary Final with a gutsy 16 Point win over the Cats.
Be sure to check back before each AFL Finals match for AFL Footy Tips, AFL Previews and AFL Player Props for each match of the 2020 AFL Finals.
Also, check out our in-depth Round by Round Brownlow Medal Predictions for the 2020 AFL Season. A summary of each round, with projected votes and some of the best chances based on some of the key statistical areas from previous winners and top five finishes. Stats don’t mean everything, but some key stats have been consistent from past winners over the journey.
Tipping Results So Far
Finals Tipping – 1/1
Finals Player Props – 0/1
Season Tips – 110/154 = 71.43%
Season Player Props – 67/121 = 55.37%
Brisbane Lions vs Richmond Tigers
Last Meeting
Round 10 2020, Richmond 12.10 82 – Brisbane 4.17 41
(Richmond by 41 Points)
The Tigers were too good for the Lions in Round 10 and won the match by 41 points on the back of big games from Dustin Martin and Shai Bolton. The Lion’s inaccuracy may be positive in a sense that they should have been closer, which may give them some confidence coming into this clash.
Last 5 Meetings
Brisbane – 0 Wins
Richmond – 5 Wins
Last Round
The Lions were pushed in their clash to the Blues in Round 18, but came out on top to win by 17 points. The Lions have not lost a match since their round 10 loss to the Tigers and are on a seven game winning streak.
The Tigers travelled to Adelaide in Round 18 and were too good on the back of a big game from Dustin Martin, to win the match by 44 Points. The Tigers also come into this game on the back of a six game winning streak.
Team Changes
The Lions have made two changes for this clash with a couple of welcome additions. Cam Ellis-Yolman and Jack Payne are out of the team, and star defender Harris Andrews, and Jarrod Berry come back into the team.
The Tigers have also made a couple of changes with two significant ins. Josh Caddy and Jack Ross have been omitted from the team, and important midfielders Shai Bolton and Dion Prestia come back into the team.
Current Head to Head Odds
Brisbane – $2
Richmond – $1.80
Prediction
The Tigers have an excellent record over the Lions in recent seasons and were too good for them in Round 10 earlier in the year. That was the Lions last loss, and they will be looking to rectify the issues they had in that contest.
The Tigers will be going with a smaller forward line in this clash, with Tom Lynch unable to come up for this clash. With the addition of Harris Andrews back in the side for the Lions, he should be able to reduce the influence of Jack Riewoldt up forward. Both sides are solid in all parts of the ground, but the Lions will need one of their big forwards to step up. Will it be McStay, Hipwood or does Charlie Cameron need to pop up and boot a bag of goals?
The Lions have been at home for the majority of the season and will not want to lose three consecutive finals matches.
This is a challenging game to pick, and both sides have a lot to play for. The Lions need the win a little more and have the talent to break a long losing streak to the Tigers. However, the Tigers are the best all around football side and don’t rely on stars to get the job done. The addition of a couple of elite midfielders in Bolton and Prestia will help their cause and they should continue their winning streak over the Lions.
Our Pick – Richmond (Win)
Player Prop – Daniel Rich + 70.5 Fantasy Points
The Tigers can be prone to giving up fantasy points to opposition defenders as they apply great forward pressure and force sides to have to chip the ball around on the defensive half. Rich takes a lot of the kicks ins for the Lions and has averaged 86 Points over his last four matches.
Player Prop – Daniel Rioli 1+ Goals
Rioli has kicked a goal in his last two matches and has stepped up in the finals before. He will sneak up forward a lot in this clash and could become an X-factor in the concluding stages.
Be sure to check out our Round by Round Analysis of the 2020 Brownlow Medal. We will have projected Team votes to be released shortly.