Richmond Tigers +350 Favorites to Win AFL: Aussie Rules Football to Begin March 19

• Richmond Tigers open Australian rules football season as favorites to repeat as AFL champions
• AFL returning to action with a shortened season featuring shorter matches in response to ongoing coronavirus crisis
• Get all the odds and insights into what to expect from the upcoming Aussie Rules campaign in the story below

While a growing number of sports leagues around the world have suspended play due to the widening COVID-19 outbreak, the Australian Football League is bucking the trend. The AFL will kick off another season of Australian rules football on Thursday, with the Richmond Tigers perched as favorites to successfully defend their premiership, perched as a short +350 bet in the Aussie Rules championship odds.

Odds to Win AFL 2020 Grand Final

Odds taken Mar. 18.

AFL Set to Capture Global Sports Stage

The league is resuming play in defiance of the coronavirus crisis that has gripped Australia, with the nation reporting over 650 confirmed cases of the virus. With safety in mind, the AFL has implemented some dramatic changes to the game, shortening the season from 22 to 17 matches, and reducing the length of each quarter to 16 minutes from 20 minutes, while maintaining clock stoppages as play dictates. The reduction in match length has been implemented to compensate for what are expected to be fewer days off for clubs between matches as the season wears on.

"18 clubs, 1 game each, I think that probably is the best way to do it. It's the fairest way to do it. I'm happy with the 17 and I think most of our boys are as well"

Max Gawn on the AFL making this season 17 rounds #RSNBreakfastClub pic.twitter.com/kIaUrfNE98

— RSN Racing & Sport (@RSN927) March 16, 2020

Should the AFL be successful in its bid to keep playing under the cloud of the coronavirus crisis, the league will enjoy a golden opportunity to capture the attention and interest of sports fans and bettors around the world, who are currently starving for a game to watch. Sports bettors in the United States and Canada will be able to take in matches on Fox Sports and TSN, with live start times ranging between 11:00 pm and 10:00 am Eastern, followed by rebroadcasts of games at a more godly hour.

High Scoring, Speed Hallmarks of Australia’s Game

First played in the 1850s, Australian Rules football developed as a hybrid sport, combining elements of rugby, soccer, and Gaelic football. Typically played on a cricket pitch, an Aussie Rules football match features two teams with 18 men per side, with points scored by kicking an oval-shaped ball between middle goal posts, which is worth six points, of between a middle goal post and an exterior behind post, which is worth a single point.

High scoring is an attractive feature of the game. During the 2019 campaign, the Brisbane Lions led all AFL clubs in scoring, averaging over 91 points per game. It comes as no surprise that the physical side of the game can often border on brutality. But unlike in American football or soccer, many first-time spectators will be surprised and delighted by the speedy pace of the sport.

Tigers Ride Win Streak into New Season

Possibly the biggest beneficiaries of the AFL’s decision to play are the defending champions. The Tigers return to action aiming to maintain the momentum that carried them to their second AFL premiership in three years when they host the Carlton Blues on Thursday morning as heavy -360 favorites.

After posting wins in just seven of the first 13 rounds of the season, Richmond caught fire in the second half of the campaign, posting wins in each of their final nine regular-season matches to finish deadlocked atop the AFL ladder with the Lions and Geelong Cats. The Tigers continued to dominate in the AFL finals, claiming victory by an average of 58.33 points per match, capped by a crushing 114-25 win over the Greater Western Sydney Giants in the AFL Grand Final to claim their 12th premiership title in club history.

Eagles, Magpies Trail Richmond

Further down the Aussie Rules futures, the West Coast Eagles sit as +500 second favorites, just ahead of Collingwood at +700, while the GWS Giants round out the front of the pack at +800.

UPDATE.
Collingwood skipper Scott Pendlebury has been quarantined with flu-like symptoms as VFL suspended indefinitely. https://t.co/4rbMIVXOek pic.twitter.com/MkrGzqN6Gu

— Fox Footy (@FOXFOOTY) March 16, 2020

The Eagles finished the 2019 regular season on a high, posting three straight wins to nail down fifth place on the ladder, but came up short in their bid to defend their AFL premiership title, bowing out with a disappointing loss to Geelong in the semifinals. Collingwood finished level with the Eagles last season with 60 points, but the Magpies crashed and burned in playoff action with a stunning loss to the Giants in the preliminary finals. The Magpies will also open their season without their captain Scott Pendlebury, who has been forced to enter quarantine with flu-like symptoms.

Cats Set to Capitalize on Short Season

One club to closely watch this season are the Cats, who trail the favorites as an attractive +1000 bet. Geelong emerged as the class of the AFL during their climb to the top of the ladder, particularly on defense, with the Cats surrendering an AFL-leading 66.45 points per game.

In any other sport or any other tournament, Richmond v Geelong and Collingwood v GWS would be known as semi-finals.
“Preliminary” was a useful title in the Final 5 system. Not so, now.#preliminary #doublespeak #AFLFinals pic.twitter.com/aXfKcVMZ9p

— David Wilson (@e_regnans) September 16, 2019

After undergoing somewhat of a roster overhaul during the offseason, the hard-hitting Cats are likely to benefit from the shorter season. The club’s physical play took its toll down the stretch, which ended in a fifth straight early ouster from the AFL finals series, an 85-66 loss to Richmond in the preliminary finals. However, with matches getting shorter and fewer in number, opportunity knocks for Geelong to ride their physical momentum to their first AFL Grand Final appearance since 2011.

Pick: Geelong Cats (+1000)