St Kilda v Collingwood AFL betting picks | Round 2, 2024

St Kilda v Collingwood best bets

St Kilda v Collingwood match preview

St Kilda and Collingwood kick off round two of the 2024 AFL season at the MCG on Thursday night with both sides seeking their first win of the year.

The Saints kicked off their season with a brave eight-point loss to the Cats in Geelong, almost stealing the premiership points with seconds left on the clock. Errant goalkicking from both sides contributed to a dour, low-scoring struggle, and the Saints need to sharpen their forward ball movement after losing the centre clearance stats and generating a mere 44 inside 50s.

Collingwood have entered the official AFL premiership ‘hangover zone’ with a pair of opening losses that leave them stranded in 15th position on the ladder. The Pies were competitive for a quarter in round one but again faded badly to go down by 33 points, a scoreline that arguably flattered the reigning premiers. Collingwood were out-tackled 51 to 74 by the hungrier Swans and fumbled badly in their forward zone with an efficiency rate of 46% inside 50.

Both sides are set to regain key players for this contest. Star halfback Jack Sinclair is expected to make his return from a calf complaint that sidelined him for St Kilda’s opener, while 2018 Brownlow Medal winner Tom Mitchell is on track to line up for Collingwood after sitting out last week with an ankle issue.

St Kilda v Collingwood betting strategy

It is hard to imagine the AFL premiers losing three games on the trot. It might be an ugly win, but the Pies should be good enough to get the job done on Thursday night. Collingwood to win by 39 points or less looks a solid play at +115 with Bovada.

Patrick Lipinski continues to improve his all-round game and just needs to start impacting the scoreboard on a more regular basis for the Pies. The 25-year-old has all the necessary attributes, and we are hoping he can kick truly during this matchup with a goal or two.

If the Pies are to get their year back on track, Tom Mitchell will need to start winning possessions. The former Hawk averages 28.8 disposals across his career, and we are expecting him to produce a big performance against the Saints with 25 or more touches at +125 with the top AFL betting sites.

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