AFL Round 2 Tips & Preview - Best bets for the Round 2 of the AFL home and away season

Carlton will be out to bounce back after their disappointing start to the season when squandering a 41-point lead to lose a side that many expect will struggle in 2025, Richmond, by 13 points. The Blues are expected to regain their star forward, Charlie Curnow, from injury but will find it tough against a Hawthorn side that are the current premiership favourites. The Hawks have won both of their matches so far with wins over Sydney and Essendon and will be hard to beat in the opening match of Round 2. 

Footscray were able to navigate injuries to key players in their 16-point Round 1 win over North Melbourne but their mounting toll will be a greater challenger against a Collingwood that come off a 91-point win over Port Adelaide at the MCG. The Magpies bounced back from their Opening Round defeat over GWS and their tall timber up forward capitalised. They can stretch the undermanned Dogs defence here. 

This shapes as an intriguing match and Adelaide head in as favourites, despite being on the road. The Crows looked sharp in their season opener when winning by 63 points against St Kilda. Izak Rankine coule be a matchwinner here, while Darcy Fogarty and Riley Thilthorpe will be focal points up forward against a Bombers defence that will be without Jordan Ridley. Essendon went down to Hawthorn by 26 points in Round 1 but were dominant at the clearances and contested possessions, while inaccuracy also cost them. In Melbourne, they can account for the Crows. 

Can Port Adelaide bounce back after recording their biggest defeat in Ken Hinkley’s time as coach? The Power had no answers in their backline with some sloppy defending, caused in part by a lack of pressure in the midfield. The Tigers surprised everyone in Round 1 by scoring as $10 outsiders against Carlton. I suspect some normality will return for this match, however. Port, with a point to prove, to run out winners against the young cubs. 

St Kilda were another side that suffered a big loss in Round 1 when no match for Adelaide in Adelaide. Geelong were at the opposite end of the spectrum with their star recruit, Bailey Smith, firing in the 78-point win over the Fremantle Dockers at GMHBA Stadium in Geelong. The perennial finalists give every indication they will be up there again this year and can take full advantage of a St Kilda outfit that has been hampered badly by injuries so far in 2025. 

Brisbane returned from their Grand Final triumph in style, accounting for Sydney by four points at the SCG. That came despite a limited preparation as Cyclone Alfred wrecked havoc in Brisbane. West Coast produced a shocker in their first game under their new coach, Andrew McQualter, going down to the Gold Coast Suns by 87 points. Hard to see them travelling to the other side of the country and turning things around for this match but stranger things have happened. 

North Melbourne will be out to build on their poor win-loss record from recent seasons in 2025 but let slip of a golden chance against an injury depleted Western Bulldogs outfit, going down by 16 points. That came despite the efforts of Nick Larkey up forward with five goals. Melbourne will be rueing the one that got away against GWS last weekend. The Demons, with gun playmakers, Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver, back in the fold, let late in the game before conceding a goal with a minute on the clock, going down by three. Expect them to make amends in what is a bit of a danger game. 

We close off with what is possibly the most even match of the weekend with Fremantle hosting the Sydney Swans oevr in the west. The Dockers need to respons after being smashed by Geelong last weekend and have a strong midfield but will need to tighten up in the back half after conceeding 21 goals. The Swans have gone down in both of their matches and face a must-win scenario, otherwise they will start 0-3 in their bid to redeem themselves after last years’s Grand Final debacle. This could go either way. The Swans were the better team in 2024 and were close against Brisbane last weekend. They might just have enough polish to come away with a win on the road.