With the home-and-away season in our rearview mirror, it’s a good time to review how successful we were tipping each team.
The maximum number of correct tips each team could receive was 483 (21 tippers multiplied by the 23 games each team played. The table below shows how successful we were tipping each AFL team, with the most successful at the top.
| Team | Correct Tips | Incorrect Tips | % Correct Tips |
| Eagles | 396 | 87 | 0.819 |
| Kangaroos | 376 | 107 | 0.778 |
| Bombers | 373 | 110 | 0.772 |
| Hawks | 331 | 152 | 0.685 |
| Magpies | 327 | 156 | 0.667 |
| Crows | 320 | 163 | 0.662 |
| Suns | 315 | 168 | 0.652 |
| Tigers | 312 | 171 | 0.645 |
| Swans | 300 | 183 | 0.621 |
| Demons | 299 | 184 | 0.619 |
| Saints | 296 | 187 | 0.612 |
| Blues | 290 | 193 | 0.600 |
| Lions | 290 | 193 | 0.600 |
| Power | 285 | 198 | 0.590 |
| Giants | 277 | 206 | 0.573 |
| Bulldogs | 273 | 210 | 0.565 |
| Dockers | 253 | 230 | 0.523 |
| Cats | 245 | 238 | 0.507 |
If you were tipping the Eagles to win in 2023, you were gambling, and losing. They were historically bad, making West Coast the easiest team in the competition to tip.
On the other end of the spectrum, I find it ironic that two of the most difficult teams in the competition to tip – the Cats and Bulldogs – were the favored by the majority of our tippers.
It should also be noted that seven of the eight finalists were among the 10 most difficult teams to tip during the home-and-away season. Good lucks with your finals tips!
‘Pies, Demons First Finals Meetings since ’89
Tippers Form: Collingwood was the fifth easiest team to tip in 2023. The Swan 2021 tipped 19 of the 23 winners during Collingwood’s home-and-away season. Melbourne was the ninth most difficult team to tip. Collectively, we tipped the winner in 61 percent of their games. Cats n Dogs and Wilma’s Winners were the most successful tippers when it came to the Demons, picking 17 winners. Team Form: The Magpies were sputtering in the last five rounds of the home-and-away season, going 2-3. Despite the stumble, Collingwood finished on top of the ladder at 18-5. Melbourne finished fourth on the ladder at 16-7 and finished with a rush, winning seven of their last eight games. These teams met in Round 13 at the MCG and Melbourne defeated Collingwood, 66-62. Prior to that, the Magpies had defeated the Demons in three straight games and seven of the last eight. This is the first finals meeting between these teams since 1989, when the Demons defeated the Magpies 111-88 in an elimination final at Waverley Park. Odds: The Magpies are 1.5-point home favorites. Collingwood entered last season’s qualifying final against Geelong as a 16.5-point road underdog and lost the game. The Demons lost to Sydney in last year’s qualifying final after entering the game as 12.5-point home favorites. The Magpies were 10-2 as home favorites during the home-and-away season while the Demons were 1-0 as road underdogs. The Magpies are 7-3 against Melbourne in their last 10 games.
Swans Were 2-6 as Road Underdogs in 2023
Tippers Form: Carlton was the seventh most difficult team to tip during the home-and-away season. The Swans were the 10th most difficult. Ballcastle tipped 17 of the 23 winners in Sydney games while Sfhood and The Swan 2021 led the competition with 16 correct tips in Carlton games. Team Form: The Blues won nine of their last 10 games to finish the home-and-away rounds in fifth with a 13-9-1 record. However, Carlton did lose its final home-and-away game to the Giants at Marvel Stadium, 105-73. Sydney won six of its last seven games but the Swans were defeated by Melbourne at the SCG in Round 24, 77-56. Sydney finished the home-and-away season in eighth with a 12-10-1 record. Sydney beat Carlton, 77-51, at the SCG in Round 11 but the teams have split their last six meetings. The last time the Blues were in the finals they met Sydney at Stadium Australia in 2013. The Swans won that game, 86-62. Odds: The Blues are 13.5-point home favorites. Last season, Sydney defeated Melbourne as a road underdog in the first qualifying final. Carlton did not play finals in 2022. Carlton was just 2-3 as home favorites during the 2023 home-and-away season and Sydney was 2-6 as road underdogs. The Blues are 4-6 in their last 10 games against the Swans.
First Meeting Between Saints, Giants at MCG
Tippers Form: The Saints were the eighth most difficult team to tip during the home-and-away season while the Giants were the fourth hardest. These are two unpredictable teams. Cats n Dogs, DonnaMSanFran, Magda VdC, Sean Bradford and Sfhood all tipped 16 winners in St. Kilda’s games. DemonKerrie and G. herzer both tipped 16 winners in GWS games. Team Form: The Saints finished sixth on the ladder at 13-10. They won four of their last six games and beat the Giants in Round 10 at GIANTS Stadium, 92-80. The Giants finished the home-and-away season with a rush, winning nine of the last 11 games to finish seventh with a 13-10 record. GWS hasn’t found much recent success against the Saints, losing their last four encounters. This is the first time these teams have met in the finals. Odds: The Giants are 4.5-point road favorites. The Saints and the Giants did not play finals last season. The Giants were 1-1 as road favorites in the 2023 home-and-away season and the Saints were 1-4 as home underdogs. The Saints are 5-4-1 against the Giants in the last 10 meetings but St. Kilda has won their last four games against GWS.
Power Hasn’t Won at the Gabba Since 2017
Tippers Form: The Lions were the sixth most difficult team to tip during the home-and-away season while the Power were fifth hardest. DemonKerrie and Sfhood both tipped 18 winners in Brisbane games while DonnaMSanFran tipped 17 winners in Port Adelaide’s games. Team Form: Brisbane finished second on the ladder at 17-6 and won five of their last six games. They were undefeated in the home-and-away season at the Gabba. Port Adelaide also finished 17-6 and third on the ladder. When these teams played at the Adelaide Oval in Round 1, the Power won easily, 126-72. Port Adelaide also finished the home-and-away season strong, winning their last three games. The Power has lost four of its last five games against the Lions with all of those losses coming at the Gabba. This is the first September matchup between these teams since the 2004 Grand Final, when Port Adelaide claimed its one and only flag with a 113-73 victory. Odds: The Lions are 15.5-point home favorites. This is the biggest point spread in the first round of finals. Last season, the Lions beat Richmond as home underdogs in the elimination final. Port Adelaide did not play finals in 2022. Brisbane was 10-0 when favored to win at the Gabba this season. Port Adelaide was 2-2 as road underdogs. These teams are 5-5 in their last 10 head-to-head games but the Lions are 4-2 against the Power in games played at the Gabba.
Robert & Mary's' Footy Tipping Site 