Melbourne Opens as 2022 AFL Favorite

The Melbourne Demons won their first AFL Premiership since 1964 last season. Melbourne finished at the top of the ladder and went on to hammer their three opponents in the finals. The Demons beat the Brisbane Lions 93-60 and crushed the Geelong Cats 125-42 before walloping the Western Bulldogs 140-66 in the AFL Grand Finals. However, Melbourne fell to Carlton in a preseason match on Thursday, so some are doubting the Demons’ ability to repeat as champions.

2022 AFL Betting Odds

• Melbourne Demons +330
• Western Bulldogs +600
• Brisbane Lions +650
• Port Adelaide Power +900
• Geelong Cats +1100
• Richmond Tigers +1100
• Sydney Swans +1200
• GWS Giants +1400
• Essendon Bombers +1600
• St. Kilda Saints +2000
• All Other Teams are +2800 or More

Odds Provided by DraftKings - Subject to Change

Melbourne didn’t play many of its starters in the loss to Carlton, and we saw plenty of defensive issues from its back six. However, the Demons showed their class by their ability to come back from a 45-point deficit to nearly pull out a win. Bayley Fritsch is one of the top players in the AFL, but Melbourne will have to overcome the loss of long-time talisman Nathan Jones after spending 16 seasons with the Demons.

The Western Bulldogs were the fifth-place team in the regular season last year, but they squeaked past Brisbane and hammered Essendon and Port Adelaide on their way to making the grand finals. They overcame numerous injuries to make it to that point before those absences caught up with them in a big way. Bailey Smith and Adam Trealor are seen as two of the top players in the AFL, so this is a team to keep an eye on throughout the long season.

We saw the Brisbane Lions finish in fourth place in the ladder last season, but the Lions were the highest-scoring team in the league and were unfortunate to be bounced early from the postseason. This team will have to endure some early season turmoil though as the floods in Brisbane have forced this team out of their home grounds for the foreseeable future. Brisbane demolished the Adelaide Crows by 89 points in preseason action last week.

You can’t discount the Richmond Tigers despite their disappointing 12^th place finish last season. Richmond has won the AFL Grand Finals in three of the last five years, and the return of Ivan Soldo figures to be huge. Dustin Martin looks healthy again too, so the Tigers are a solid pick to win the AFL at 11-1 provided they avoid injuries.