AFL Round 7 Tips & Preview - Best bets for the Round 7 of the AFL home and away season

Melbourne and Richmond face off in the ANZAC Eve clash at the MCG on Thursday night. The Demons are aiming for back-to-back wins after a strong 10-point victory over Fremantle, sparked by Max Gawn’s dominant ruck performance and a revitalised forward line featuring Kozzie Pickett and Harrison Petty. Richmond also come into the match with momentum following a gritty upset win over Gold Coast, led by standout efforts from Tim Taranto and Nick Vlaustin. Despite sitting at 1-5, Melbourne have dominated recent matchups, winning the last five against the Tigers by an average of 32 points, and with stars like Gawn and Clayton Oliver in top form, they’ll be confident of extending that streak.

Collingwood and Essendon renew their fierce rivalry in the traditional ANZAC Day blockbuster at the MCG, with the Magpies looking to continue their red-hot form in Round 7. After dropping their opener, Collingwood have won five straight — all against 2024 finalists — by an average of 39 points, led by Nick Daicos’ dominant midfield displays and a dynamic forward line. Essendon, on a three-game winning streak, will aim to cause an upset, though the loss of ruckman Sam Draper is a major blow. Todd Goldstein steps in to support stars like Zach Merrett, while Peter Wright booted six last week. While the Bombers have shown improvement, the Magpies’ relentless pressure and stingy defence make them favourites to win a close one, likely in the 1–39 point range

Adelaide head west to face Fremantle in an intriguing ANZAC Day clash at Optus Stadium, with the Crows eyeing a rare win over the Dockers, having lost four of their past five meetings. Adelaide are in solid form, sitting at 4-2 after a gritty win over GWS, and boast one of the league’s top-ranked clearance and scoring outfits. Matt Crouch continues to thrive in the midfield, while forwards like Darcy Fogarty and Ben Keays have provided consistent scoreboard impact. Fremantle, meanwhile, will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing loss to Melbourne, where defensive lapses saw them concede a Demons’ season-high 107 points. Despite a strong season from Josh Treacy and their forward line, the Dockers' struggles around the contest could be exploited by the Crows’ midfield dominance. Back Adelaide to grab the win in the west.

Brisbane will look to bounce back from a heavy 52-point defeat to Collingwood when they take on St Kilda at Marvel Stadium in Saturday’s Round 7 clash. The Lions, despite a rare off-night, have won five of six this season and boast a strong recent record against the Saints, winning their past six encounters—including four at this venue—by an average margin of 30 points. St Kilda also come off a disappointing loss, smashed by 71 points by the Bulldogs, and are struggling in the middle, ranking last in hitouts and bottom-six for clearances. Brisbane's midfield trio of Lachie Neale, Hugh McCluggage and Josh Dunkley will look to expose that weakness, while Zac Bailey looms as a multi-goal threat. Jack Sinclair continues to be a shining light for the Saints, averaging 32 disposals in his past four against the Lions. Expect Brisbane to regain form, with the over looking likely in a match where both sides have regularly cleared the total points line in 2025.

Port Adelaide are primed for a dominant showing against struggling North Melbourne in Saturday’s Round 7 clash at Adelaide Oval. After a shaky start to the season, the Power have found momentum with back-to-back wins over Hawthorn and Sydney, and will be licking their lips at the prospect of facing a Kangaroos outfit that has lost four straight by an average of 58 points. North’s defensive frailties were again exposed in an 82-point Good Friday thumping by Carlton, with fading second halves becoming a worrying trend. Expect Zak Butters and Jason Horne-Francis to control the midfield for Port, while forwards Mitch Georgiades (15 goals in 2025) and Willie Rioli could feast against the league’s leakiest defence. Historically, Port have dominated this matchup, winning their last five encounters by an average of 59 points. This looks like another big win in the making for the home side.

The Western Bulldogs will aim to extend their recent dominance over GWS when the two sides clash at Manuka Oval on Saturday in Round 7. Despite losing Sam Darcy to a knee injury, the Bulldogs look strong after a resounding 71-point win over St Kilda, with Marcus Bontempelli’s return proving a major boost. In contrast, GWS struggled in wet conditions last weekend, registering just four goals in an 18-point loss to Adelaide and may again be without key forward Jesse Hogan, who’s battling a calf issue. Historically, the Bulldogs have the wood over the Giants, winning seven of their last eight meetings—including two at this venue. With the Dogs’ midfield firing and Aaron Naughton stepping up up forward, they appear well-placed to cover the line, especially if GWS remain undermanned in attack. Expect another competitive clash, but the Bulldogs look the value with a 13.5-point start.

Gold Coast will be out to bounce back after suffering their first loss of the season, which came against Richmond last week in a major upset. The Suns have won four of five, while the Swans are 2-4 and in danger of failing to back up the form we saw last season when concluding the home and away matches on top of the ladder. Gold Coast’s midfield combination of Matt Rowell, Noah Anderson and Touk Miller can get on the top and if the Suns can find the right formula up forward, they should be hard to beat in front of their home fans. 

Carlton come into this with dominant wins over North Melbourne and the West Coast Eagles in the past two weeks and will be out to prove themselves against one of the most consistent sides in the competition, Geelong. The Cats are 4-2 after six matches and on track for another appearance in September. They come off a hard-fought seven-point win over Hawthorn on Easter Monday with Bailey Smith and Patrick Dangerfield amongst the better contributors. Carlton will need big games from the likes of Patrick Cripps and Sam Walsh, while Charlie Curnow will be a focal point up forward. But with experience in big games, the Cats will be hard to get past. 

This shapes as a real danger game for Hawthorn, who will be looking to regain their mojo after suffering defeats to Port Adelaide and Geelong. The Hawks opened up with four win to start the season and were premiership favourites but have slid down in the markets since those losses. West Coast produced one of their most impressive performances of the season when going down to Essendon in a game they should arguably have won, were it not for a few lapses. Hawthorn’s midfield will be weakened by the absence of the suspended Conor Nash. They will need to make sure they don’t take it easy against the winless Eagles, who look value with the 58.5 point start.